Medford, OR – The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has unveiled a new set of guidelines aimed at enhancing literacy instruction for middle and high school students. The Adolescent Literacy Framework, which follows a similar framework introduced for elementary school students in 2023, seeks to foster confident and competent readers and writers across grade levels.
ODE officials stress the importance of literacy as a foundational skill essential for academic success, regardless of the subject. Angelica Cruz, the department’s Director of Literacy, explained the importance of this shift in focus. “We spend those early years learning to read and then we talk about those older years as really where you’re reading to learn. It’s vital for students to not only have a strong reading foundation but also to understand how to read texts from different disciplines, such as science and history,” Cruz said.
The new framework is designed to address ongoing academic disparities in literacy, particularly in middle and high school, where students often struggle with reading comprehension in subjects beyond language arts. The ODE aims to provide educators with a comprehensive tool to strengthen literacy skills and ensure that students are prepared to tackle diverse content as they advance in their education.
By incorporating these new best practices, Oregon educators are expected to better equip students to read critically, understand complex texts, and apply their reading skills across various subjects, ultimately improving academic outcomes for all students.
The framework and associated resources are available to Oregon teachers through the ODE website, providing them with the tools necessary to implement these new literacy strategies effectively in the classroom.