ELA Standards are under revision

The Standards Revision Task Force completed their Orientation workshop and a 3-hour Research Deep Dive workshop to understand and unpack the research provided by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest. Over June 10-12, the collaboration and calibration meeting took place, the writing and review task force teams met in July, and finally, over October 7-8, the reconciliation team met to revise the standards. Negotiated Rulemaking is set to begin with an orientation on December 18. To review the research, learn more about the task force, and stay up-to-date with all standards revisions, visit the Montana Content Standards Revisions 2022-2026 page.

For more information please get in touch with Marie Judisch at marie.judisch@mt.gov or Claire Mikeson at claire.mikeson@mt.gov.

MATELA Call for Articles for Winter UPDATE Issue

The Montana Association of Teachers of English Language Arts (MATELA) is looking for articles on the following topics for their UPDATE newsletter:

Lesson plans
Book reviews
Professional development
Pedagogy
ELA teaching Tips
ELA news items

Submissions can be uploaded on MATELA’s publication page and are due by December 15.

2025 NCTE Annual Convention Call for Proposals

Proposals for the 2025 National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention are now open. The convention is to be held in Denver on November 20-23, 2025. Submissions are due by Wednesday, January 29.

Yellowstone Writing Project

The Yellowstone Writing Project is hosting their annual Fire on the Page conference on March 1, 2025, and their Invitational Summer Institute from June 16-27, 2025. Additional information and registration details will be available in January. Email yellowstonews@gmail.com for more details.

NCTM-NCTE Joint Conference for Elementary Literacy and Mathematics

This conference will be held from June 16-18, 2025, in Chicago, hosted jointly by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of English. Session proposals are currently being accepted. Visit the NCTM conference page for more information.

The English Language Arts and Literacy Standards

ELA Standards Are In Revision!

Superintendent Arntzen approved Task Force members from the open application to revise the Montana English Language Arts and Literacy Standards! Applicants have been notified and we anticipate the Task Force will be finalized by the end of March! Stay up-to-date with all standards revisions on the Montana Content Standards Revisions 2022-2026 page.
For more information please get in touch with Marie Judisch at marie.judisch@mt.gov

Current ELA Standards Documents

K-12 Montana Content Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy (includes Literacy Standards in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects)

Montana ELA Standards Appendix

English Language Proficiency

Grade Level Standards Documents

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

Seventh Grade

Eighth Grade

Ninth-Tenth Grades

Eleventh-Twelfth Grades

ELA Core Content Connectors for Montana's Multi-State Alternate Assessment

Alternate ELA Standards (Core Content Connectors) are not formally adopted by the OPI but are aligned to and used in coordination with Montana's Multi-State Alternate Assessment.

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Family Roadmaps- Grade-to-Grade Crosswalks for the MT English Language Arts Content Standards

Involve stakeholders in student learning by providing parents and families with these grade-level guides to the content standards. Each grade level document provides a clear and easy-to-understand overview of what their child will learn and do in their grade. It also includes a side-by-side comparison of vertical alignment with the grade below and grade above to help parents and students understand the subtle differences in ELA skill progression as outlined in the standards. Each grade-level document concludes with a section on specific supports families can and should do to help their students meet grade-level ELA goals.

Machine Readable Standards on the CASE Network for SIS Interoperability

*Tech Directors: To access a machine-readable version of the official Montana Content Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy, please visit the 1EdTech CASE Network site. Create a free login, select Montana Office of Public Instruction, and view or download the standards. The CASE version of the standards can be uploaded to student information systems, curriculum mapping programs, and various other uses. Learn more about the CASE Network or view the CASE Network FAQ

Instructional Resources

Selecting ELA Materials

MAST Resources

MAST Portal, including the resources for teachers below and more
ELA Standards Blueprint
ELA Assessment Specifications

College and Career Readiness

EdReady Montana

Assessments

Our Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) is carefully designed to help all stakeholders in Montana provide an equal, fair, and quality education for all Montana students. Learn more about ELA Summative Assessments on the Statewide Assessment Page:

Montana Aligned to Through-Year - 3rd - 8th grade Math and ELA Assessment
ACT with Writing - 11th Grade Math, ELA, and Science Assessment
English Language Proficiency (ELP) Required Test
Multi-State Alternate Assessment
- Montana Alternate Assessment Core Content Connector ELA Standards
- NCSC Core Content Connectors (CCC)

Helpful Links

MAST Portal
- Find Professional Learning, ELA Specific Resources, Engagement Opportunities
- M AST ELA Blueprints
- MAST ELA Specifications and Blueprints

Professional Learning and Development

Featured Opportunities

SIM Virtual Professional Learning is available for educators as self-paced PD courses on Canvas with follow-up virtual coaching sessions. The sessions feature learning strategies and content enhancement routines focused on evidence-based literacy practices. This is free to groups of Montana educators of 4 or more through June 2025. Check out the Montana SIM Project website or the Montana SIM Project flyer for more information.

Professional Organizations for ELA & Library Media

Learning Communities

The Professional Learning Portal The one-stop shop for professional learning opportunities. Take a look at our calendar of upcoming events!

The Teacher Learning Hub

Looking for free, quality, online professional learning? Need more renewal units? Take a look at the Teacher Learning Hub for a variety of online learning courses.

Writing

Using Writing to Teach Critical Thinking (1 hr)
Using Assessment to Enhance Writing (6 hrs)
Write From the Start, K-2 Writing Strategies (6 hrs)
Writing to Learn, 3-6 Writing Strategies (6 hrs)
Writing Across The Disciplines in Middle School (6 hrs)
Writing Across The Disciplines in High School (6 hrs)
Preparing Young Writers for College, Career, and Community (Facilitated, 15 hrs)

Reading

Taking Reading to the Next Level (6 hrs)
Supporting Readers with Informational Text (5 hrs)
Reading Between the Lines (3 hrs)

Teaching Indian Education for All fulfills our constitutional commitment to honoring the historical and contemporary contributions and caretaking of our state and land by Montana Tribal Nations. We are committed to teaching IEFA in ELA to help our students understand perspective, identify bias in text, hold discussions, research authentically and with a broad net, and develop evidence-based written and spoken opinions and arguments surrounding contemporary issues affecting Indigenous communities today. Through teaching IEFA responsibly and responsively, we build relationships across our state for the benefit of all.