English Language Arts
September Newsletter
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Hello September!
Hello September!
As I write this, we’re enjoying one of those beautiful “false fall” days—refreshing and crisp after the long, humid stretch of August. This season always brings a sense of renewal and a chance to step outside, enjoy fall activities, and soak in a fresh burst of energy.
I hope you find ways to capture that same renewed spirit this fall, both personally and professionally. This month’s newsletter highlights several opportunities to continue growing in your ELA practice. Thanks to our collaboration with Service Centers across the state, there are over 30 professional learning sessions available—many with the option to earn college credit. You can also register for the KATE Annual Conference at the end of October. In addition we are especially excited to announce a new text-based learning series with the KSDE Structured Literacy and ELA teams, featuring Tim Shanahan’s book Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives: How Students' Reading Achievement Has Been Held Back and What We Can Do About It. (Please click on the Reading Page for additional information.)
Be sure to explore all of the events, resources, and tips included in this issue: We have a great scaffolding strategy added to our Reading page and a great Grammar tip added to our writing page. Check it out —we’re looking forward to learning alongside you!
HELP SPREAD THE NEWS! Make sure you and your colleagues are signed up to receive the ELA newsletter with updated information, professional development opportunities, and guidance documents each month.
Click the link HERE to join our KSDE ELA Listserve.
Kansas State ELA Assessment window:
March 23, 2026 - April 24, 2026
Please click on the image above to access the
KAP webpage
Interims, Mini Tests, and PLD's, Oh My!
Interims, Mini Tests, and PLD's, Oh My!
The ELA assessment dates have been released. Please note the window for the fall and spring interim tests as well as all the newly available mini tests! If you have questions on how to use these in your classroom, please do not hesitate to email.
Instructional Mini tests are now available to use!
Access any of these Mini Tests through your KITE Educator Portal.
Interim Testing Window for Fall
October 6, 2025 - October 31, 2025
Access the Assessment Overview Calendar HERE
For guidance and questions please email: Mary.Lonker@KSDE.gov
Spotlight on Literature:
Spotlight on Literature:
Diverse Book Guides
Each month we will share out new, diverse book guides developed by fellow educators to use and share in your elementary classrooms. Each guide will have a brief summary, target vocabulary, and age appropriate questions to adapt and use as needed within elementary classrooms.
We Belong.pdfTenacious Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes.pdfJulian is a Mermaid.pdfNew Professional Development Opportunities
SIGN UP TODAY!
SIGN UP TODAY!
KSDE and the Service Centers across the State of Kansas are launching new professional development opportunities for reading and writing. Make sure you get signed up for one or all sessions and take the information back to your schools and classrooms! There are over 5 different sessions and several opportunities to sign up!
Click on the LINK to access ALL the possible PD for ELA and Structured Literacy
Looking for guideance with vocabulary, morphology and syntax? In this professional development we’ll dive into one of the most impactful strands of Scarborough’s Rope: vocabulary and morphology.
Dates, Location and Registration:
September 16, 2025 Southwest Plains Register HERE October 2, 2025 ESSDACK Register HERE
September 19, 2025 Orion Register HERE November 4, 2025 Greenbush Lawrence Register HERE
October 2, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE November 6, 2025 Greenbush Girard Register HERE
Wanting to incorporate writing better throughout your day? You'll leave this professional development day withevidence-based strategies and practical tools you can use right away in your classroom.
Dates, Location and Registration:
September 11, 2025 ESSDACK Register HERE October 13, 2025 Greenbush Girard Register HERE
September 16, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE October 21, 2025 Orion Register HERE
October 1, 2025 Greenbush Lawrence Register HERE
Find out why complex text is vital in raising the rigor for our students, and - most importantly - learn evidence-based strategies for building the skills students need to comprehend rigorous texts with confidence.
Dates, Location and Registration:
October 14, 2025 Southwest Plains Register HERE November 5, 2025 Orion Register HERE
October 22, 2025 ESSDACK Register HERE November 19, 2025 Greenbush Lawrence Register HERE
October 22, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE November 21, 2025 Greenbush Girard Register HERE
The ELA Assessment scores are in—now what? In this interactive session, we’ll move beyond the numbers and into action. Participants will explore how to unpack score reports, review the new grade-level Performance Level Descriptors (PLD’s), connect results to specific grade-level standards, and identify targeted areas for growth.
Dates, Location and Registration:
November 5, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE November 17, 2025 Orion Register HERE
November 6, 2025 Southwest Plains Register HERE December 4, 2025 Greenbush Lawrence Register HERE
November 11, 2025 ESSDACK Register HERE December 11, 2025 Greenbush Girard Register HERE
In this session, participants will unpack the ongoing debate around grammar instruction and discover a practical, research-informed approach to teaching grammar and syntax that works across grade levels.
Dates, Location and Registration:
December 3, 2025 Orion Register HERE December 8, 2025 ESSDACK Register HERE
December 4, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE December 10, 2025 Greenbush Lawrence Register HERE
December 4, 2025 Southwest Plains Register HERE January 15, 2026 Greenbush Girard Register HERE
Learrn and practice ELA Standards Alignment—one of the KESA four fundamentals— and discuss level of exposure for each grade level to reduce redundancy and confusion. Discuss how to tackle standards in your classroom and ensure your lessons are taught with at an appropriate depth of knowledge level.
Dates, Location and Registration:
December 10, 2025 Smoky Hill Register HERE
The KATE Conference
The KATE Conference
Empowering Voices, Inspiring Change: Navigating Change in Turbulent Time The annual KATE, Kansas Association of Teachers of English, Conference brings together educators, researchers, and literacy leaders from PreK-12 and higher education. This year's Keynote speakers feature Emily Kirkpatrick, the CEO and Executive Director of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and Colby Sharp, co-founder of Nerdy Book Club, and co-author of Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids with Donalyn Miller.
Registration is open until October 17, 2025.
October 24th & 25th
Wichita, Kansas
Click HERE for the direct link to KATE's Fall Annual Conference
Where: ESSDACK Service Center
When: October 17, 2025 | January 13, 2026
College Credit Available!
In addition, you will receive your free copy of Rachel's book: Making Time for Social Studies: A Four-Step Process for Unit Planning in the Elementary Classroom..
ELA and Social Studies
ELA and Social Studies
Working Smarter Together
Working Smarter Together
We know how hard it can be to effectively integrate social studies into the K-5 classroom, so we're super excited to offer a PLC just for elementary teachers!
Facilitated by Glenn Wiebe, ESSDACK curriculum consultant, and Rachel Swearengin, 5th grade teacher and 2023 Gilder Lehrman Kansas History Teacher of the Year, our PLC is designed for elementary teachers and will meet two times a year from 9:00 - 3:00. These PLCs focus on the KSDE Four Fundamentals—structured literacy, standards-alignment, balanced assessment, and a particular focus on high-quality instruction—using your adopted curriculum, and aligned to the Kansas HGSS standards.
Through collaboration with K-5 peers, educators will design engaging, student-centered learning experiences. Participants will walk away with tools to create inquiry-based, standards-aligned instruction, ask complex questions, and use data-driven supports to meet the needs of every learner—don't miss this opportunity to elevate educational practices and inspire students.
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