Montana’s new English Language Arts and Literacy Standards have been passed on to the Board of Public Education and are pending formal adoption. The anticipated implementation date is now July 2027! This date was selected to allow school districts adequate time to prepare between the implementation of new math and ELA standards.
Check out the Montana ELA & Literacy Standards Revision Overview one-pager for a brief overview of the revisions, or see the 2027 Proposed MT ELA Standards and Coding.
More information can be found on the OPI’s ELA Standards Revisions Webpage.
Poetry Out Loud
From the Montana Arts Council - Poetry Out Loud engages high school students in performing poetry as a powerful oral tradition. The program builds confidence, creativity, and a deeper love of language among students everywhere. No matter your subject—English, theatre, music, art, or something else—your encouragement can help a student discover their voice and maybe even represent Montana at the national competition in Washington, D.C. Find key dates, materials, and registration here.
Poetry Out Loud outreach coordinator, poet Kaisa Edy, created this charming video inviting teachers to participate. Know another educator who might be interested? Please share this opportunity. Let’s help Montana students speak their poems—and their truths—out loud. Contact Kaisa for more information at poetryoutloud@mt.gov.
National Day on Writing
To highlight the variety of writing Americans engage in and to help writers from all walks of life recognize and celebrate their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English designated October 20 as the National Day on Writing.
This day encourages individuals to share their knowledge about writing, schools and communities to organize participating groups, and the public to deepen its understanding of writing and its vital role in society.
If you missed it, you can still check out NCTE’s National Day on Writing webpage for more information and to download the National Day on Writing Toolkit.
Upcoming Hub Course: Preparing Students for the MAST Performance Task
Be on the lookout for a new course on the Learning Hub: Preparing Students for the MAST Performance Task. This course is designed for 3-8 teachers and will guide participants through a review of the rubrics and ELA content standards relevant to the writing assessment, writing strategies to use all year long with your students, and instructional resources and approaches to practice the Performance Task–including exemplars, prompts, and more.
MATELA Nominations
MATELA is seeking nominations for board and officer positions for the upcoming year–the group especially needs a Webmaster/Tech Chairperson. Passionate educators, literacy advocates, and current members are invited to consider serving in a leadership role to help guide MATELA’s mission of advancing English Language Arts education across Montana. Self-nominations are welcome. Please contact the MATELA editor at kyndra.campbell@montana.edu.
International Literacy Association
The International Literacy Association has a new Literacy Month Toolkit for 2025! The toolkit includes links to additional resources for families and teachers, including tips for family read-alouds, family engagement, and guides for teaching and using student-led book talks.
Additionally, the latest post from the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Now blog provides tips on getting high-interest books into your schools: No Empty Shelves: 10 Ways to Eliminate “Book Deserts” in Schools.
Report: The State of Literature Use in Secondary Classrooms
NCTE recently published a report examining the literature most commonly taught in secondary English classrooms and the factors shaping those choices. The findings shed light on both long-standing patterns and current challenges teachers face in bringing diverse texts to students. You can read
NCTE’s article or
download the full report to learn more about the report and its implications for English instruction.