ELA at ESU 10

Welcome back, ELA Educators! We hope you are doing well and staying healthy as the weather bounces back and forth from a frigid winter chill to a pleasant spring breeze. We wanted to send you a few updates to peruse as spring works its way toward us. Questions? Email Sarah Essay (sessay@esu10.org), Dallas Lewandowski (dalewand@esu10.org), Claudine Kennicutt (ckennicutt@esu10.org), or Heather Stukey (hstukey@esu10.org).

Please email us so we can update our mailing list for this Smore!

Want to submit your information to be a part of the directory and receive the directory after you submit your info? Check out the form here: https://s.esu10.org/ELADIRECTORYFORM

The Nebraska Writing Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is one of the oldest sites in the National Writing Project network (National Writing Project | Home) – we started in 1978, just three years after the first institute in Berkeley. The program has been called “personally and professionally transformative” by several generations of teachers. The Nebraska Writing Project works with teachers of all disciplines from levels K-16, and the institute involves:

• Immersion in self-selected writing (to provide a sense of what writing really does)
• Sharing of teacher’s best practices for writing instruction in their local context
• Inquiry into teacher-selected professional issues for writing.
  

The 2025 Hybrid Summer Institute meets June 2 - 20, 2025, from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM Monday through Friday. The hybrid experience allows for either in-person or distance access, or a mixture of the two. Participants will generate writing, explore best teaching practices for writing at their grade level and disciplines, and engage in inquiry and research into aspects of writing.

The facilitators of this year’s institute are:

• Dr. Stacey Waite, Associate Professor, UNL Department of English
• Dr. Lauren Gratti, Associate Professor, UNL Teaching Learning and Teacher Education
• Grace Story, M.A., Secondary Teacher at Anderson Middle School

For a limited time, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is offering this Institute at half-price for local teachers (6 credits for the cost of 3, which means the cost is $1095 in tuition plus fees).

• More details about the Hybrid Summer Institute can be found here: Summer Institutes | Nebraska Writing Project | Nebraska
• More information about the Nebraska Writing Project can be found here: Nebraska Writing Project | Nebraska

To apply, applicants should send a 1-page letter of application to Nebraska Writing Project Director, Dr. Rachael Shah (rshah@unl.edu) that helps us get to know the applicant and their interest in the institute, due March 10, 2025. Application information can be found here. Questions? Email rshah@unl.edu.

Summer curriculum support days will provide dedicated opportunities for educators to work with high-quality instructional materials, helping them to familiarize themselves with their curricula and collaborate with colleagues on best practices. These days allow teachers to tailor their educational resources to address the diverse needs of their students, ultimately improving instructional practices.

Through dedicated time to analyze their curricular materials and instructional practices, educators can refine their teaching methods, leading to more effective lessons and better student outcomes. Moreover, these dedicated days promote a culture of continuous learning and innovation among teachers, ensuring they are equipped to deliver engaging and impactful lessons.

Individual and small group support either from ESU 10 facilitators or veteran teacher leaders will be available to further enhance the learning experience. Teachers can receive personalized guidance and share insights with peers, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages the sharing of ideas and strategies.

New teachers will gain hands-on experience within their curricula while veteran teachers can engage in quality collaborative conversation with other teachers who share high quality instructional materials.

IRIP Data Collection information for 24-25 school year:

Nebraska Revised Statute 79-11,157.01 requires school districts to collect and provide to NDE information related to Dyslexia. This includes K-3 students who have been identified as having a reading deficiency according to the requirements of the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act.

FOR THE 2024-25 school year:

• All districts will report, for each school building within their district, in the CDC in the NDE portal beginning May 1, 2025 to June 15, 2025. (Editable document can be found here).
• Under the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act section, Box 1 requires the number of K-3 students how received reading support ANYTIME throughout the 2024-25 school year, excluding those students who are receiving special education support in any area of reading.
• Using SPRING DATA only for K, 1, 2, and 3rd grade, complete the required boxes on the chart.
• The final two boxes require the number of students who have made AT LEAST 1 POINT OF GROWTH anytime throughout the 2024-25 school year.

Any questions regarding data collection for Nebraska Revised Statute 79-11, 150.01, contact Heather Stukey (hstukey@esu10.or).

At the September 2024 Nebraska State Board of Education Meeting, Dr. Brian Maher, Commissioner of Education, announced that the Nebraska Department of Education is one of this year’s recipients of the federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant, with total funding of $55 million over five years. To date, this is the largest single discretionary award the NDE has received. The CLSD program will drive our collective efforts to help all children read better tomorrow than they are reading today. Dr. Maher has made literacy the primary focus of his tenure. Likewise, the Nebraska State Board of Education has prioritized foundational reading, which includes increasing NSCAS Grade 3 ELA proficiency to 75% by 2030. (Please see State Board of Education Position Statements to learn more).

The Nebraska CLSD Program will use a competitive sub granting process to carry out activities. Sub awards will be made to national and local partners, community organizations, and other collaboratives whose services align with our vision for a coherent system of literacy. NDE staff will use a rigorous evaluation process to ensure contracted services are of high quality, have a significant impact on evidence-based literacy practices, and build statewide capacity to meet our goals.

Nebraska CLSD Program Activities

The Nebraska CLSD Program will have a wide reach. Specific program activities and expenditures will consider current initiatives. Taking a regional approach, the NDE will deploy resources identified in our statewide needs assessment. CLSD grant recipients must comply with established program requirements for FY 2024 and thereafter. No less than 95%* of funds must be awarded to eligible entities, as follows:

• not less than 15% must be used for State and local programs pertaining to children from birth through kindergarten entry;
• not less than 40% must be allocated equitably among the grades of kindergarten–grade 5, and;
• not less than 40% of funds must be allocated equitably among grades 6-12.
• *The remaining 5% of allocated funds will be utilized for administrative and staffing costs.

Based on these requirements, the NDE will use a sub-granting process to carry out activities. Sub-awards will be made to national and local partners, community organizations, and other collaboratives whose services align with our vision for a coherent system of literacy. NDE staff will use a rigorous evaluation process to ensure contracted services are of high quality, have significant impact on evidence-based literacy practices, and build statewide capacity to meet our goals. The types of sub-contracted activities may include, but are not limited to:

• Science of reading/evidence-based reading training opportunities
• Curriculum-based professional learning opportunities
• Supplementation of regional coaching
• Family literacy, extended learning opportunities, and tutoring activities
• Statewide and/or regional writing workshops
• Development of guidance related to universal screening and intervention practices

Read more here.

An application process will be announced and launched this spring. For updates, check out https://www.education.ne.gov/clsd/ and/or join the CLSD & Nebraska Literacy Project mailing list here.

Click each image to see tools released in the last year that review popular ELA materials.