Oregon English Language Arts (ELA) Teacher Update #13
September 2009
Please forward this issue of the English Teacher Update to interested colleagues. Thank you!
Teachers may sign up for this monthly e-newsletter and other content teacher newsletters at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1843 or e-mail .
Previous issues are located at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1876.
1. A Newsletter for K-12 English Teachers
2. Oregon Standards Newspaper Available Online
3. Request Your Oregon Summer Reading Certificates!
4. Training Sessions on New Reading Scoring Guide Available Now
5. October 8th Web Presentation on Work Samples and State Scoring Guides
6. State Board of Education Adopts Changes to Essential Skills Timeline
7. Essential Skills Professional Development
8. Oregon DATA Project Makes Training Available Online
9. Oregon Virtual School District – Excellent, Free Resources for Educators
10. Practice Reading Performance Assessments for High School
11. Comparing State Achievement Standards Through NAEP
12. September 25 – Dr. Harry K. Wong is Coming to Oregon
13. October 6-7 – Wee Can Write Training for K-2 in Portland
14. October 9 In-Service – OCTE Conference for K-12 English Teachers
15. October 9 In-Service – Wordstock for Teachers
16. October 8-11 – Attend Wordstock
17. October 22 – Celebrate the National Day on Writing!
18. K-12 Back-to-School Lesson Plans from NCTE!
19. Portland State University (PSU) Continuing Education, Fall 2009 Term
20. A Video Contest for High School Students
21. International Education Week Resources
22. First Freedom Center Announces National Essay Contest
23. My Class Cares Materials
24. Annenberg Media Offers Resources for Constitution Day and Other Events
25. Beat the Odds Scholarship
26. Target Corporation Field Trip Grants
27. Forty-Six States and Washington D.C. to Pursue Common Education Standards in English and Math
28. Online Digital Newspaper Project Gets NEH Grant
29. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Teacher Development
30. Are You a Teacher in Need of Funding for a Learning Project or a Community Member Looking to Support Specific Education Projects?
31. Join the Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE)
32. Join the Oregon Reading Association (ORA)
33. How to Submit Articles
34. ODE Resources
1. A Newsletter for K-12 English Teachers
Welcome to the Oregon English Teacher Update! The purpose of this e-newsletter is to provide up-to-date information about topics of interest to K-12 English language arts teachers. View all Oregon English Teacher Update issues at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=1876. Do you find it useful? What topics should we cover in future issues? E-mail your ideas and your articles to .
2. Oregon Standards Newspaper Available Online
The 2009-10 edition of the Oregon Standards Newspaper is now posted on the REAL website at www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/real/newspaper. This year’s edition provides articles on the new standards in mathematics, science and educational technology; assessment information including achievement standards for the 2009-10 school year, updates to the Test Administration Manual and progress to date on the assessment of the Essential Skills; information concerning Credit for Proficiency; as well as the most current information on the Oregon Diploma requirements.
As in previous years the newspaper also provides a glossary of standards-based terms, a list of ODE contacts and resources, and resources and links by subject area (listed on the right-hand side of the page).
OSN also provides access to Standards by Design where teachers, administrators, and others can obtain printed copies of the standards. Standards by Design (SBD) (www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/real/standards) allows you to use ODE’s online database of standards to customize a standards document to your specific needs. Download the standards for an entire grade, or select several grades within the same subject to create a version of the standards that works for you.
Questions about the online newspaper or any other components of REAL can be directed to SarahMartin, Instructional Resources Specialist, at (503) 947-5668 or .
3. Request Your Oregon Summer Reading Program Certificates!
The colorful Oregon Summer Reading Certificates provided by the Oregon Education Association (OEA) and co-signed by the State Superintendent and the State Librarian are available from the Oregon Department of Education by e-mailing Stephanie Parks at . Students may receive a certificate when they have read/listened to 10 books between May 15th and September 15th or completed their library’s summer reading program.
The Oregon Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the following partners: Oregon Library Association (OLA), the Oregon Education Association OEA), the Oregon State Library (OSL), and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
4. Training Sessions on New Reading Scoring Guide Available Now
Educators around the state attended in-depth scoring and training of trainer meetings this summer in preparation for delivering regional or district professional development on the new high school reading scoring guide.
The purpose of the scoring guide is to provide another option for students in the Class of 2012 and beyond who need to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading. Currently, students may show proficiency by attaining a score of 236 on the OAKS assessment or by earning specific scores on other approved standardized tests. When approved by the State Board, the reading scoring guide will provide a work sample option similar to those available for the Writing, Speaking, and Apply Math Essential Skills. Approval is anticipated this fall.
Trainers are prepared to deliver 90 minute overview sessions and will soon have half day or full day presentations available.
To find a trainer near you contact Barbara Wolfe at or 503-947-5845 or visit the ODE website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2675.
5. October 8th Web Presentation on Work Samples and State Scoring Guides
On August 25, ODE staff presented a web training on work samples and the state scoring guides to educators from around the state. This training provided participants with up-to-date information on the application of Work Samples for the Essential Skills Graduation Requirement and the Local Performance Assessment Requirement. Initial feedback from this training has been very positive.
One more web presentation is scheduled for Thursday, October 8. Interested participants can register to attend the online session or review the recorded presentations at a later date.
Target audiences for the presentations are professional developers, district test coordinators, school improvement specialists, teacher educators, and others who need an update on current policies and requirements as well as an overview of available resources.
Listed below is the schedule of topics to be covered in the October 8 presentation:
9:00 Overview of Work Samples and Assessments for Essential Skills: Changes in Law and
Clarification of Requirements
10:00 Speaking Work Samples
11:00 Reading Work Samples (NEW!!!)
12:00 Writing Work Samples
1:00 Social Science Work Samples
2:00 Scientific Inquiry Work Samples
3:00 Mathematic Problem-Solving Work Samples
Each presentation is 30 minutes with a 30 minute break between presentations.
These trainings have been made available for ongoing professional development and are available at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2696. To register to attend the live session on October 8, please e-mail Cari White at .
6. State Board of Education Adopts Changes to Essential Skills Timeline
The Oregon State Board of Education has adjusted the timeline for requiring demonstration of proficiency in the Essential Skill of Writing until the graduating class of 2013 (students in 9th grade in 2009-10).
The State Board also voted to phase in the Essential Skill of Speaking at a later date. The State Board adopted temporary rule OAR 581-022-0615: Assessment of Essential Skills, which formalizes the timeline for proficiency in each required Essential Skill.
The State Board stressed that this change only impacts the Essential Skill proficiency requirement for high school graduation. School districts will still be required to provide instruction, administer state assessments, and document student performance.
Districts will continue to administer OAKS and local performance assessments (e.g. work samples) in grades 3-8 and high school to prepare students for the Essential Skills graduation requirement. The only point of delay is the demonstration of proficiency as a graduation requirement.
Starting in 2012, the State Board also intends to require Essential Skills information in student transcripts. Transcripts will likely include a description of whether students have demonstrated their proficiency in the Essential Skills of Reading, Writing, and Apply Mathematics using options adopted by the State Board (i.e., the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills [OAKS], work samples scored using state scoring guides, or approved additional standardized tests). State Board actions on these reporting requirements are expected this fall. The Essential Skill proficiency requirements are as follows:
For the graduating class of 2012 and beyond (students in 10th grade in 2009-10):
• Read and comprehend a variety of text
For the graduating class of 2013 and beyond (students in 9th grade in 2009-10):
• Read and comprehend a variety of text;
• Write clearly and accurately
For the graduating class of 2014 and beyond (students in 8th grade in 2009-10):
• Read and comprehend a variety of text;
• Write clearly and accurately
• Apply mathematics in a variety of settings
Based on the State Board’s June 2009 decision, the current schedule for diploma credit requirements will remain unchanged.
7. Essential Skills Professional Development
ODE is currently seeking information on successful professional development tools relating to the Essential Skills of Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Speaking.
If your school or district has conducted successful professional development in these areas, we would love to hear from you!
If you have tools, resources, or success stories you would be willing to share, please contact Barbara Wolfe at .
8. Oregon DATA Project Makes Training Available Online
The professional development offered through the Oregon DATA Project is now available through its website, www.oregondataproject.org.
Over the last year, more than 1,000 educators from throughout the state have attended workshops aimed at increasing the use of data by instructional staff to improve student achievement. Now that training is available on an on-demand basis.
The training consists of video segments from the actual workshops, as well as PowerPoint presentations and supplementary materials. The online training is designed to be viewed whenever and wherever it is convenient for ESDs, districts and schools.
The professional development is also available through regional ESDs via certified trainers. More than 100 people from all over the state completed a rigorous three-day session that certified them to teach Strand 2 or Strand 3. Contact your ESD for details.
In other DATA Project news, a series of technical professional development sessions kick off in October. The one-day “Building a Culture of Data Quality” workshop will be held in eight locations across the state. The increased use of data by instructional staff to improve student achievement, in part a result of the DATA Project’s instructional strands of training across the state, demands accurate data. This workshop helps meet that need on the technical side by providing a model to assist all districts in helping ensure the accuracy of data.
Training location and dates: Malheur ESD, Oct. 20; Umatilla-Morrow, Oct. 21; Southern Oregon, Oct.27; Douglas ESD, Oct. 28; High Desert, Nov. 3; Willamette, Nov. 10; NW Regional, Nov. 17; Multnomah, Nov. 18.
9. Oregon Virtual School District—Excellent, Free Resources for Educators
The Oregon Virtual School District has numerous free resources to help Oregon teachers develop lesson plans. Below is a list of just a few of the resources you can access by clicking here and creating a free account:
• Free access to databases like EBSCO Host at elementary, middle, and high school levels. This includes full-text Lexiled reading materials that can be printed for classroom use.
• Free access to entire online courses for adaptation and use in Oregon classrooms. All subject areas are included. Some of the available courses are U.S. History, AP Calculus, Oregon Writers, Earth Science, and Art Appreciation. Included are full lesson plans with student learning activities.
• Free tools for students to create their Educational Plan and Profile that is required by the Oregon Diploma.
• Free access to Moodle to create your own cyber class or house information about your in-person class that students can access via Internet at home. For example, you could post a reading assignment with a discussion question as homework, and students could discuss their reactions online.
• Free access to podcast videos on a variety of educational topics.
10. Practice Reading Performance Assessments for High School
Five practice Reading Performance Assessments have been posted on the ODE website for download and use by high school teachers and students.
The purpose of the Reading Performance Assessment is to provide an alternate assessment for students who need to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of reading. The Reading Performance Assessment targets students who have high school level reading skills, but for whatever reason, are not demonstrating those skills successfully on the OAKS assessment.
The performance assessment tasks, which follow the design of the field test tasks, include both informative and literary selections. Teachers are encouraged to use the practice tasks as instructional activities or for classroom assessments. The Oregon Reading Performance Assessment Scoring Guide is also posted and may be used in scoring student responses to the tasks. As soon as they are available, model student responses with their scores and commentary will be posted also.
Please note: Practice Reading Performance Assessments may not be used for purposes of certifying proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading for the Oregon Diploma. To see the practice tasks, go to http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=236. For more information, please contact: Barbara Wolfe at .
11. Comparing State Achievement Standards through NAEP
A new study examining achievement standards for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and OAKS will be released early this fall. In the study, researchers use NAEP results to compare Oregon’s achievement standards on OAKS reading and math to achievement standards in other states. How do they make this connection? Researchers take the percentage of students who meet or exceed the state’s achievement standard and find the score on the NAEP scale reached by the same percentage of students. In this way they “map” the state performance standard onto the state’s NAEP score distribution. For example, researchers examining state and NAEP 2004-05 math results found that Oregon’s Grade 8 standard for Meet was equivalent to a NAEP score of 269. This falls between NAEP’s Basic performance level, with a cut score of 262, and Proficient performance level, with a cut score of 299. As the graph below shows, 2004-05 achievement standards in most states fell between NAEP’s Basic and Proficient levels.