LITERACY

Literacy is crucial for children! It lays the foundation for academic success, cognitive development, and future opportunities. Literacy empowers children with communication skills, fosters creativity, and builds empathy. Early literacy skills, such as vocabulary development and narrative skills, are essential for reading and writing, impacting academic and social-emotional well-being.  

Hello, Awesome Educators,

I understand how busy teachers are and how finding quality resources can easily fall to the bottom of your to-do list. To help, I’ve compiled a list of websites designed to save you time. I’ve done the work for you—no more clicking through links only to discover they’re not what you need. I will be adding to this page when I find something that may be worthwhile for you.

All of these resources are free or have excellent free versions, with the option to upgrade if you choose. Even without upgrading, the free versions offer a wealth of materials you can use right away. We do not endorse any specific programs, but these are tools we’ve found helpful for enhancing lessons, providing information, or supporting interventions.

Happy Teaching,

Jess

We are thrilled to share this valuable new resource with educators across our county!

This spring, 26 dedicated teachers from 5 local school districts came together to collaborate and design Classroom Proficiency Level Descriptors (CPLDs) specifically tailored for K–2 English Language Arts.

What are CPLDs?

CPLDs break down standards into clear, observable stages of student progress. They help teachers:

• Target Instruction: Easily identify where students are in their learning journey and tailor instruction to meet their needs.

• Track Growth: Monitor student progress toward grade-level standards with clear, descriptive benchmarks.

• Streamline Assessment: Formulate consistent expectations and meaningful feedback for students and families.

• Support Standards-Based Grading: Simplify grading by replacing vague letter grades with clear performance rubrics. Teachers can easily map student work directly to proficiency levels (e.g., Beginning - 1, Developing - 2, Proficient - 3, Advanced - 4) to communicate exactly what a student knows and can do relative to each standard. 

A huge thank you to the talented educators who contributed their time and expertise to bring this resource to life for our region! Districts and teachers are listed in the document. K - 2 Math CPLDs are coming soon...

Photo Credit: generated from Gemini - https://gemini.google.com/app/15bbbc52867f0f72