ELA/Literacy Information & Resources for Caregivers
The Institute of Education Sciences developed a website for families called Supporting Your Child’s Reading at Home. The site is packed with information, activities, and video examples for supporting children in kindergarten through third grade at home.
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education: Grade-Level Family Guides (JK-12)
These guides to the Massachusetts learning standards help families understand what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade. Designed to help families and teachers work together to support learning, the guides are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. Promotional materials advertising these resources are also available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
In addition, you can review the complete MA State ELA/Literacy standards here.
mCLASS Screener & Diagnostic (Amplify)
Every K-2 student completes the mCLASS literacy screener 3x annually. Based on over 30 years of research, mCLASS® is considered the gold-standard K–6 assessment and intervention suite for early literacy that helps every child learn to read confidently. It includes efficient, one-minute measures of critical literacy skills, and a built-in dyslexia screener that provides robust information for educators to inform core instruction - and intervention as needed.
How & What Does mCLASS Assess?
How (and why) does mCLASS Assess Early Literacy Skills? [video]mCLASS Caregiver Resources (K-2) (Amplify)
The mCLASS Home Connect® website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill to support students. Our mCLASS caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Boost Reading (Amplify)
Boost Reading is an adaptive, online learning platform available to K-2 students as needed. Similar to i-Ready Personalized Instruction (available to students in grades 3-8), Boost Reading is based in the Science of Reading and provides supplemental, targeted lessons to address students' individual needs, based on their mCLASS data profile.
You can visit this help library to find answers to your Boost Reading questions! Students can login and access the program through classlink. If your family needs to borrow a Chromebook for the year or needs help with the internet, please let me know as soon as possible and we can work to support you!
mCLASS Boost Reading
mCLASS Intervention (Amplify)
Students experiencing reading difficulties may receive small-group or 1-1 support from a licensed interventionist. Elementary interventionists utilize a targeted literacy intervention program called mCLASS Intervention. This program uses engaging, research-based lessons and games to ensure students develop grade-level proficiency in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
How and When Does mCLASS Intervention Work?
Students in mCLASS Intervention receive individualized instruction with a small group of peers based on their instructional needs. Students meet during the school day at times that do not conflict with lunch, recess or core instruction. Every 2-3 weeks, students’ progress is assessed, and instruction is adjusted to make sure they continue to make academic gains.
What Type of Content Does mCLASS Intervention have?
mCLASS Intervention is filled with a variety of immersive content: informative and interesting reading selections, imaginative plays that students produce with their groups, and countless interactive activities and games. More importantly, the content is research-based and proven to have a positive impact on student learning.
You can support your child’s progress at home?
If your child receives literacy intervention, we recommend that you provide regular time for your child to use the online Boost Reading program. This program uses your child’s assessment data to create a unique learning experience to meet their literacy needs. Find more information in the Boost Reading section above.
mCLASS Intervention: Tier-3
i-Ready Personalized Instruction (3-8)
iReady Personalized Instruction is an online math & reading program that 3-8th grade students can access during and beyond school hours (at home, during after school programs, over vacations, when absent). The program accelerates students' learning by creating a unique sequence of personalized lessons based on each student's diagnostic data.
Through the program, all students - including those performing below, on, or above grade level - can access explicit instruction, examples, practice opportunities, and ongoing feedback to improve their understanding of literacy and math concepts. The program includes authentic, high-interest texts representing diverse authors and topics, and math tasks that replicate real-world scenarios.
Students, caregivers and educators can monitor students' progress, time on instruction and scores on each lesson. In addition, educators can assign specific lessons to students' pathways to pre-teach upcoming content, review prior content, or to provide additional practice and support.
How Do Students Log Into i-Ready?
Students go to classlink.com and click on the i-Ready logo. Upon logging in, they can choose from their math or reading pathway. They can also select fun fluency-building math games, however, these games are not scored and do not count towards students' instructional time in the program.
How Do Caregivers See Their Students' Time, Progress and Scores?
Caregivers log into the program using their students' credentials - there is not a separate login for caregivers. Once logged in, they can click on to classlink.com and click on the i-Ready logo. Upon logging in, they can choose from their math or reading pathway. They can also select fun fluency-building math games, however, these games are not scored and do not count towards students' instructional time in the program.
Students who do not have access to home-technology can receive a loaner Chromebook for the year. Reach out to your school's family liaison for details and support.
Find more information and view our Caregiver webinar here.
i-Ready Family Center (3-8)
The i-Ready Family Center is the place to learn how you can support and encourage your student’s success with i-Ready.
Access Online Books & Read Aloud Stories At Home:
SORA is the student reading app for Overdrive. SORA provides access to ebook and audiobooks. The Massachusetts Library System provides the Cambridge Public School with the SORA library (a digital reading app) because we have fully licensed librarians in all of our schools. We frequently purchase high demand titles to add to the library and make them available exclusively to CPS students. Students login through Classlink. Contact your school's librarian for more information!
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Daytime Emmy®-nominated and award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online®, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Viola Davis, Terry Crews, Connie Britton, John Lithgow, Jennifer Garner, Betty White and dozens more.
Epic is a CPS approved digital reading platform—built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world’s best publishers—that safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.
Lit For Black Kids shines light on Black students by showcasing literature that represents them. Use this site to identify texts to check out from your school or local library, or purchase them using the provided links.
Click HERE to view
(or listen) to stories!
Uplifting and inspiring read aloud stories created by Emily Bryan (ELA/Literacy Director) when serving as a principal in Boston. Stories are enhanced with music, sound effects, real world connections and supplemental media. Stories highlight themes of diversity, inclusion, self-acceptance, community and perseverance. Most are followed by analysis and/or and discussion prompts for all ages, though geared towards K-6 students. Videos are intended for educational purposes only. Please support the authors by purchasing their texts - and consider local bookstores!
When you are on vacation, running errands or just away from home, free video read alouds are a great way to fill what can be hours of waiting into a lot of fun! These are convenient stories for families on the go. View them on a computer, tablet, or phone. If you have a few minutes you have time for a story! The playlist below includes more than 100 video read alouds from old classics like Where the Wild Things Are to newer favorites like Little Jumbo. Featured readers include actors, performers, celebrities, and oftentimes the author themselves. This listening library is available all day every day (and all night!) for returning to old favorites. “Read it again!” has never been easier!
School-Based Literacy Coaching
Literacy coaching is an integral part of the ELA Framework. Coaches receive ongoing professional learning to support them in providing high-impact school-based coaching. Coaching is student centered, collaborative and reflective, and results in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning throughout the district.
School-Based Literacy Intervention
Every CPS elementary and upper school has at least 1 literacy interventionist who works in partnership with educators, coaches, students and families to ensure students receive individualized, multi-tiered systems of support. These highly trained specialists provide data-informed, evidence-based interventions to individuals and small-groups of students experiencing difficulties, ensuring all students are able to meet or exceed grade-level standards.