

ADE K-12 ELA Updates
Upcoming PD and more! February 2025

~UPCOMING EVENTS~
K-12 Literacy Office Hours - February 13, 2025
Join the ADE ELA Team and literacy leaders from around the state in an opportunity to collaborate, share and learn about reading and literacy information. Join us the 2nd Thursday of every month!
Join us!
This year, you don't have to register in advance. Just click the graphic to join the Teams meeting at 11 AM on the second Thursday of every month!
Check out the Padlet!
Access our 2024-2025 Office Hours Padlet to keep up-to-date or see topics you've missed at a previous Office Hours.
MOWR Vetted Core List Update
Programs in red do not currently meet the legislation and should not be adopted for core use with K-3 students in Arizona. If an LEA chooses to use a reading curriculum that is not on the vetted list provided by the Arizona Department of Education, then the LEA will receive a "conditional approval" on their literacy plan for that school year. If an LEA has "conditional approval" of their literacy plan for two consecutive school years and continues to use a reading curriculum that is not on the vetted list provided by the Arizona Department of Education, then the literacy plan will be "rejected" upon submission during the third consecutive year and the LEA will not receive MOWR funds that school year.
The Reading League AZ Chapter-in-Formation Meeting
Please mark your calendars for our first meeting of 2025. We are excited to invite anyone interested in the formation and progress of our state chapter of The Reading League. We will have a short informal meeting with updates, questions and hopefully time for some fun brainstorming. Please share this invite and the zoom link with anyone you think would like to learn more about The Reading League Arizona!
Tuesday, February 18th
6:30pm (no longer than an hour - likely less)
Zoom link: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/2395133231
We also encourage you to follow us on Instagram.
Our profile is: az_chapter_in_formation_TRL
Tuesday, Feb 18, 2025, 06:30 PM
https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/2395133231
~ELA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING~
Arizona Reading Fundamentals OnDemand Academy - now available!
- Evidence-based Decision Making
- Elementary MTSS
- Secondary MTSS
- Understanding and Recognizing Dyslexia
- more to come!
Don't forget that each knowledge block recommends a companion text. Please browse our Professional Development webpage for all details prior to registering. We have made a few updates to the page, so check it out!
Arizona's Reading Fundamentals K-5 Literacy Endorsement Course Is Full
The Pathways to Proficient Reading with Pathways to Structured Literacy, K-5 has availability for those who wish to register. In order to successfully complete this asynchronous course, the following criteria must be met:
- 90 clock hours on the platform (the system automatically times this when logged on)
- Complete all discussion posts.
- Pass three assessments with 80% or higher.
There is a required text: Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Fourth Edition (brookespublishing.com) We have a 20% discount code: ADE2024
Additionally, a passing score on Pearson's Foundations of Reading Exam is required for the K-5 Literacy Endorsement: Foundations of Reading (nesinc.com)
Professional Learning Book Studies
All ELA Professional Learning:
To locate all ELA professional learning, visit the Academic Standards APLD section, use the Search for Courses in the upper right hand corner, and type the search term "K12-AS-ELA."
ELA Team Site and Virtual Professional Learning Opportunity
LETRS Opportunities Available!
AZ Reads Applications Now Open
Arizona Humanities believes that building strong literacy skills at an early age is essential for building a just and civil society.
We invite program proposals that foster literacy in the humanities, including but not limited to:
- Reading and discussion programs
- Storytelling and creative writing
- Peer-to-peer learning and discussion
- Cultural learning/sharing
We especially encourage program proposals that incorporate active engagement with students through opportunities for discussion and reflection. Literacy programs can incorporate history, cultural studies, languages other than English, and other humanities disciplines. We will also accept proposals that combine humanities and STEAM disciplines. If you are unsure about whether your program fosters literacy and engages the humanities, please contact us!
📖We encourage you to read the entire Call for Proposals here.📖
The deadline to apply is Monday, March 17, 2025.
~FROM THE MOWR DESK~
2024-2025 MOWR Portal - data submissions due!
MOWR Literacy Data Submissions for MOY were due by February 1st, 2025.
For guidance on all of the steps of the MOWR Submission Process, visit the MOWR Submissions page.
Reach out to moveonwhenreading@azed.gov if you have questions. For more information and guidance on curriculum, assessment, and other MOWR elements, please visit our website at Administrators | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov).
MOWR Office Hours
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 281 557 486 454
Passcode: gxH2sm
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 480-420-4055,,499373574# United States, Phoenix
Phone Conference ID: 499 373 574#
MOWR & Special Education
- Special Education reading curriculum must follow the MOWR requirements for evidence-based instruction including meeting the Top 3 Tiers of Evidence for ESSA.
- Special education students may be given accommodations based on their disability indicated in their IEP.
- Students who receive Tier 3 Intensive Interventions are not always Special Education students.
~IN THE WORLD OF DYSLEXIA~
IDA Arizona - Until Everyone Can Read
IDA Arizona is a nonprofit organization that strives to create a supportive community where dyslexic learners, their families, educators, and professionals can come together to learn, access resources, and share their experiences. We are dedicated to raising awareness about dyslexia and research-based interventions and advocating for structured literacy in all K-5 classrooms across Arizona.
We encourage you to explore our website, take advantage of the resources available, and reach out if you have any questions. Together, we can make a difference and improve literacy outcomes in Arizona!
Click Here to join our mailing list and receive periodic IDA Arizona email newsletters and updates on events and activities in the area.
~ SECONDARY CORNER~
Reading Apprenticeship Strategy of the Month
Student Learning Goals for Each Discipline:
Student Learning Goals are a strategy used to enable student goals based on the discipline, which is part of the Knowledge-building dimension of the Reading Apprenticeship framework.
Student Learning Goals enable students to grow their expectations for reading and learning in a Reading Apprenticeship classroom. They also enable the teacher and students to monitor growth. The learning goals are organized in sets that parallel the dimensions of the
Reading Apprenticeship framework. Customized learning goals are provided for five subject areas: history, literature, mathematics, science, and writing studies. In each subject area, the set of goals is similar in the social and personal dimensions and for metacognitive conversation. The learning goals vary somewhat by subject area in the cognitive dimension and are entirely discipline specific in the knowledge dimension. Access the Student Learning Goals for your discipline.
Past month's strategies can be found here: https://padlet.com/mz_ess_az/reading-apprenticeship-strategy-of-the-month-kvs2c2pp4w29jo75
ADE Adolescent Literacy Guidance Document
🚨 Coming in the new year for AZ secondary educators! 🚨
ADE is focused on the importance of teaching children to read. It is important to continue this focus into the secondary classroom, including middle school and high school. In short, literacy instruction remains every bit as important in the older grades, as it is in grades K-3. The resources provided in this guide are meant to assist secondary (6th-12th) ELA educators and parents in providing the best instruction for all Arizona students. This guide is meant to be dynamic and helpful to all secondary literacy educators. The best way to access this guide will be through the digital copy on the ADE Secondary ELA webpage.
Fill out this survey on secondary ELA in AZ if you would like to be notified about the guide’s release:
AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary - Opportunities for ADE-funded Cohorts for SY24-25!
Register Early: 2025 Belfer National Conference for Holocaust Education
At this free, virtual conference, discover the latest practices in accurate, meaningful teaching about the Holocaust with leading historians and educators. Bring the Museum's collection into your classroom with instructional strategies and resources. These materials highlight survivor testimonies, artifacts, diaries, and historical documents to support instruction across subject areas and inspire all students to think critically about how and why the Holocaust happened. June 23-25, 2025 Learn more and register!
~SCIENCE OF READING NEWS~
The Elements of Structured Literacy - Phonology
Beginning this month, we’ll highlight some of the elements of structured literacy instruction, starting with phonology.
What is phonology instruction, and why is it so important for our students who are learning to read? Phonology is the sound system of our language, and the instruction of this is divided into two parts:
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of spoken language and is a foundation for reading success.
Phonemic awareness is the highest of the phonological awareness skills to develop, and is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words.
See more on the differences, but very connectedness of these two foundational skills at this link: Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness | Reading Rockets.
Download these two great infographics from the National Center for Improving Literacy and share with your teachers and colleagues!
Phonological Awareness Umbrella
The Critical Role of Phonological Awareness in Learning to Read
~LITERACY COACHING CORNER~
Building a Coaching Cycle
Now might be a good opportunity to reflect on your coaching cycles and make any adjustments. Some questions to consider:
- What is making your current cycles effective?
- How are you monitoring your coaching cycles?
- What feedback are you collecting from teachers on the effectiveness of the coaching cycle?
Remember, your co-created goals should always be at the forefront of your coaching. Sometimes the goal will need to be reset or adjusted to better meet the needs of your teachers.
Click on the picture for more information on coaching cycles from the Florida Department of Education.
Check out these New Standards Resources!
Other Literacy Resources
LitHubAZ
LitHubAZ is a new, online literacy resource for everyone who plays a role in helping Arizona’s children learn to read at grade level and be successful in school. Developed by Read On Arizona, LitHubAZ is a searchable, easy-to-navigate tool for administrators, educators, community partners, and families to identify effective, developmentally-appropriate strategies to support the needs of each and every learner —including struggling readers, English learners, and students exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia — and fuel their progress toward reading proficiency.
LitHubAZ offers a variety of resources to:
· Find effective ways to support language and literacy development.
· Choose instructional practices and materials proven to help students learn to read.
· Engage families and community partners in prioritizing literacy.
Learn more at LitHubAZ.org.
The ADE English Language Arts Team
Tianna Sanchez, Director of K-12 ELA and MOWR
Michele Rutin, Literacy Coach Coordinator
Karen Ten Napel, K-5 Literacy and Dyslexia Specialist
Katie Lewis, K-5 Literacy and Dyslexia Specialist
Holly Herriges, K-5 Literacy and Dyslexia Specialist
Lauren Spenceley, Secondary ELA Specialist
Maggie Velazquez, Dyslexia and Literacy Intervention Specialist