ELA Standards Revision Process
Check out the Montana ELA & Literacy Standards Revision Overview one-pager for an overview of the proposed revisions!
The proposed English Language Arts and Literacy Content Standards are on their way to the Board of Public Education (BPE) for adoption after review by Superintendent Hedalen. OPI presented the proposed standards at March’s MACIE meeting, on Tuesday, March 25. Prior to that, the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC) completed its work revising the ELA and Literacy Content Standards. Recordings, agendas, and meeting minutes for all NRC sessions, as well as the summary document with an overview of the process and detailed standards proposals can be found on the ELA Standards Revisions Webpage.
For more information, contact Claire Mikeson at claire.mikeson@mt.gov.
April is National Poetry Month! Check out NCTE’s 30 Poems for 30 Days of National Poetry Month for a daily poem, a daily poet, and a daily classroom prompt, selected by Charles R. Smith Jr., winner of the 2025 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.
Shakespeare Teaching Prize
The Parr Shakespeare Teaching Prize, a national award recognizing excellence in teaching Shakespeare at the high school level, celebrates teachers who inspire a deep and lasting appreciation of Shakespeare in their students. The winner will receive:
• A $10,000 cash award
• An all-expenses-paid trip to the award ceremony
• Recognition from a distinguished panel of judges, including leading Shakespeare scholars and experienced high school educators
Teachers may apply directly or be nominated by a colleague, student, or community member. Applications and nominations can be submitted at
https://www.parrshakespeare.org/
Although Humanities Montana was canceling the Speakers in the Schools program due to the National Endowment for the Humanities loss of funding, Montana poet laureate Chris La Tray said he planned on continuing presenting across the state.
Chris La Tray has two programs: Montana's Poet Laureate and The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians: Métis Buffalo Hunters of the Northern Plains.
If your school has IEFA money available, you can use it to fund his appearance, and he is happy to help you with the logistics and reporting. This is also an option if you want to bring in other Native speakers, including ones who have been working through Humanities Montana, available on their website.
The English Language Arts and Literacy Standards
ELA Standards Revision Process
Check out the Montana ELA & Literacy Standards Revision Overview one-pager for an overview of the proposed revisions!
The proposed English Language Arts and Literacy Content Standards are on their way to the Board of Public Education (BPE) for adoption after review by Superintendent Hedalen. OPI presented the proposed standards at March’s MACIE meeting, on Tuesday, March 25. Prior to that, the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC) completed its work revising the ELA and Literacy Content Standards. Recordings, agendas, and meeting minutes for all NRC sessions, as well as the summary document with an overview of the process and detailed standards proposals can be found on the ELA Standards Revisions Webpage.
For more information, contact Claire Mikeson at claire.mikeson@mt.gov.
Current (2011) ELA Standards Documents
Grade Level Standards Documents
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.
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.
Kindergarten
Grade One
Grade Two
Grade Three
Grade Four
Grade Five
Grade Six
Grade Seven
Grade Eight
High School
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
Professional Learning and Development
Featured Opportunities
TRAILS Day of Connection Keynote
Montana librarians are invited to a keynote address and Q&A, The Foundations of Intellectual Freedom, by Emily Knox, PhD, MSLIS, Interim Dean Designate and professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This virtual event, sponsored by the TRAILS Consortium, will take place Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 9 a.m. and is free to librarians and library staff in the state of Montana. Registration is not required. The online meeting link and a calendar invitation can be found on the TRAILS Day of Connection webpage.
If you have questions, please reach out to: Pamela Benjamin, Executive Director TRAILS, pamela.benjamin1@montana.edu Ashlynn Maczko, Library Director at Great Falls College MSU, ashlynn.maczko@gfcmsu.edu
Online Course on Historic Argumentation
May 19-August 8, 2025
Join MTHS interpretive historian and National History Day in Montana co-coordinator, Dr. Melissa Hibbard, for 3 credit, 12-week summer course on historical argumentation and learn strategies to help your students think like historians and develop solid historical arguments. This course includes four live webinars and other online asynchronous work. The course is available for FREE to Montana Teachers grades 4-12 thanks to a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. Space is limited, so sign up asap. Contact Melissa Hibbard with questions.
Historical Thinking through Student-Driven Research Workshop
Montana State University-Billings, August 5-6
Learn to engage students in primary source research for historical thinking and analysis in this two-day workshop led by National History Day educator Jamie Holifield.
- You will learn about: Question/thesis development, free online databases for primary source location, research organization, thematic research, source modification, historical contextualization and impact, historical analysis lenses, and evidence-based arguments.
- Eligibility: Montana 4th-12th grade teachers committed to student-driven primary source research in 2025-2026 and who are able to attend both days (9 am-5 pm).
- Benefits: Meals, lodging, travel stipends, and 16 OPI renewal units provided.
Apply now, as spots are limited.
SIM Virtual Professional Learning
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.
Yellowstone Writing Project
The Yellowstone Writing Project is hosting their bi-annual Invitational Summer Institute June 16-27, 2025. This intensive writing workshop provides a supportive community that explores strategies for teaching writing and building writing communities–at all ages and grade levels. Participants can earn 6 graduate credits or equivalent renewal units. See the
application and
website for more information.
OPI Summer Institute
The OPI Summer Institute is scheduled for June 16-19 at MSU in Bozeman, Montana, and features sessions relevant to ELA educators on early literacy, the ELA standards revisions, digital storytelling, and more. Register on the
Summer Institute site and
review the detailed schedule for session offerings.
Professional Organizations
Learning Communities
The one-stop shop for professional learning opportunities. Take a look at our calendar of upcoming events!
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
Reading