Reading Resource Links       Books are a doorway to learning

Selected Literacy & Teacher Education Events

Oregon-based Resources

  • Assessment Programs from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
  • Big Ideas in Beginning Reading
      A website maintained by the University of Oregon College of Education that is designed to provide information and technology to teachers, administrators, and parents across the country in support of the goal of all children reading proficiently and imaginatively at grade level by the end of third grade.
  • Collaborative Reading Education and Distance Education (CREADE) CREADE is now ReadOregon
      CREADE (now ReadOregon) is a collaborative project of the Teacher Preparation programs of 5 universities (Eastern Oregon University, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, and Western Oregon University) to develop a new classroom literacy competency program, strengthen reading endorsement programs and make them available via distance education, and improve pre-service teacher preparation in P-12 reading/literacy skills.
  • Community of Writers
      Community of Writers (COW) is a K-12 teacher support program dedicated to improving student achievement in writing by improving the quality of writing instruction. COW offers a 5-day Teacher as Writer workshop in the Portland area. The annual Wordstock festival in Portland benefits the Community of Writers.
  • Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
      The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills. DIBELS measures were designed to assess five areas (phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, fluency with text, vocabulary, and comprehension).
  • Even Start Family Literacy
  • A Guide to Oregon's New Reading Standards: Grades K-6; Grades 6-CIM
      A Guide to Oregon's New Reading Standards (May 2005) was developed by experienced teachers in Multnomah County as a joint effort of the Multnomah ESD and Portland State University's Center for Student Success.
  • Family Write Night Resources
      Activities and suggestions for conducting Family Write Nights from the Center for Advanced Technology in Education, University of Oregon.
  • LEARNS - Linking Education & America Reads through National Service
  • Lexile Framework for Reading - Matching Readers to Text
      Lexile measures are based on word frequency and sentence length. Website includes a Book Database, Lexile Analyzer, Lexile Calculator, Power Vocabulary, and Reading Pathfinders.
      As part of Oregon's Literacy Initiative, every student in grades 3, 5, 8, and CIM taking the Oregon Statewide Reading and Literature Assessment receives a Lexile reading comprehension score on the Individual Student Report. (See ODE's Lexiles in Oregon webpage)
  • Literacy Leadership State Steering Committee
      The Literacy Leadership State Steering Committee (LLSSC) coordinates Oregon's efforts to improve literacy pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
  • Literary Arts
      Find links here to the Oregon Book Awards, the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program, the Portland Arts and Lecture series, and more.
  • Media Literacy Review (MLR)
      A bi-annual online publication of the Media Literacy Online Project (MLOP), College of Education, University of Oregon. MLR provides an extensive collection of feature articles and material for the study of media literacy.
  • Northwest Writng Institute
  • Ongoing Formative and Summative Assessment
      This page from ODE contains links to articles explaining how formative and summative assessment fit into a literacy program.
  • Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE)
      OCTE is the Oregon affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English - the world's largest subject-matter educational association with more than 77,000 members in the United States and other countries. OCTE provides professional development programs for teachers of English and language arts.
  • Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework (3.5 MB pdf, 221 pp.)
      The Oregon State Board of Education adopted the Literacy Framework in December 2009 as a tool for the state, districts, and schools to support the essential skills of reading. You will find links to separate parts of the framework and other resources on the ODE Literacy Framework homepage and subpages.
  • Oregon's Literacy Initiative
      August 2005 six-page "primer" of the various aspects of Oregon's Literacy Initiative.
  • Oregon Literacy, Inc.
      Founded in 1965, the mission of Oregon Literacy is to advance literacy through access, advocacy and alliances. Oregon Literacy is primarily focused on adult literacy.
  • Oregon Reading Association (ORA)
  • Oregon State Literacy Resources
  • Oregon Writing and English Advisory Committee (OWEAC)
      OWEAC works to identify and promote high academic standards that emphasize improvements in language arts instruction that enable students to understand and apply reading and writing competencies and skills essential to critical thinking and to their success as college students, informed citizens, and members of the workforce.
  • Oregon's English/Language Arts Standards
      Oregon's K-12 English Language Learning and English Language Proficiency Standards.
  • Oregon Writing Project
      The Oregon Writing Project is a partnership between Lewis & Clark's Graduate School of Education and area schools. OWP offers a variety of programs designed to improve the writing of Oregon's students.
  • Portland Public Schools' Literacy Resource Page
      Links to websites on Elementary Literacy, Middle School Literacy, High School Literacy, and the Portland Writing Project. More.
  • Professional Development Database
      A database of professional development workshops for educators maintained by Multnomah Educational Service District. Searchable by presentor and topic (reading, math, writing, science, the arts, ESL, speaking, and miscellaneous).
  • Reading First
      Oregon's Reading First Title I-B webpage. Reading First is a federal initiative with the overarching goal of helping every child become a successful reader by grade 3.
  • REAL:Resources for Educational Achievement and Leadership
      An Oregon Department of Education website that provides links to searchable standards, strategies for student success, teaching and learning resources, the online Oregon Standards Newspaper, more.
  • SMART - Start Making A Reader Today
      SMART - Start Making A Reader Today - is Oregon’s leading volunteer program dedicated to early literacy. It is a book and reading program for kindergarten through third grade children who are at risk of low literacy and its associated negative outcomes. Since 1992, SMART has served more than 55,000 children, given away more than 910,000 books and coordinated more than 1 million volunteer hours.
  • Suites of Standards-based Writing Lessons
      The suites of lessons were written to illustrate Oregon's grade-level writing standards.

Bilingual/ESOL Education

  • Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents
      Housed at the San Marcos campus of California State University, the Barahona Center offers workshops, publications, and searchable databases of 5,000+ recommended books in Spanish and books in English about Latinos. Users can view the website in English or Spanish.
  • Bilingual/ESL Education
      This site, hosted by Education Commission of the States (ECS), provides a topic overview, a series of "quick facts," links to suggested additional research and readings, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about bilingual education and English as a Second Language programs.
  • Improving Schooling for Language-Minority Children: A Research Agenda (1997)
      An online book edited by Diane August and Kenji Hakuta; Committee on Developing a Research Agenda on the Education of Limited English Proficient and Bilingual Students, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.
  • National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE)
      The National Association for Bilingual Education is a tax-exempt non-profit national membership organization founded in 1975 to address the educational needs of language-minority students in the U.S. and to advance the language competencies and multicultural understanding of all Americans.
  • Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)
      Established in 1974 by Congress, the former Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs is now the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students. The OELA administers Title III of No Child Left Behind Act (2001). OELA also provides national leadership in promoting high quality education for English language learners (ELLs).
  • TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
      TESOL is a global organization that is the professional organization for ESOL teachers, K-adult.

Legislation

  • No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
      The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law on January 8, 2002, replacing the Reading Excellence Act of 1998. "No Child Left Behind" redefines the federal role in K-12 education and strives to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. It is based on four basic principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.
  • No Child Left Behind Policy Brief (6/02)
      Policy brief produced by the Education Commission of the States on the literacy provisions in the "No Child Left Behind" Act, including a discussion of how Reading First differs from previous federal reading programs.
  • OEA's Legislative Action Center
      Maintained by the Oregon Education Association, this site connects to local, state, and national government officials; federal and state agencies; media information; issues, legislation, and legislative alerts.
  • Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
      Special Education information and programs of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004.

Literature Resources & Tools

  • Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents
      Housed at the San Marcos campus of California State University, the Barahona Center offers workshops, publications, and searchable databases of 5,000+ recommended books in Spanish and books in English about Latinos. Users can view the website in English or Spanish.
  • Bibliomania
      British website. Free online (mostly grades 9-16) literature with more than 2000 classic texts including fiction, drama, poetry, short stories and contemporary articles and interviews; study guides; references.
  • Booklist
      The online counterpart of the American Library Association's Booklist magazine. Includes listings and reviews of popular books for children, young people, and adults, as well as articles of interest to librarians, teachers.
  • Children's Book Council (CBC)
      The Children's Book Council (CBC) is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to encouraging literacy and the use and enjoyment of children's books. Includes lists of newly published books, links to book-related resources, and a list of top titles, authors, and illustrators for various grade levels.
  • Children's Books & Authors
      This page on the Reading Rockets website links to extensive author and illustrator interviews, author studies, themed book lists, award-winning books, summer book lists, holiday buying guide, and resources for choosing and using kid's books.
  • Children's Literature Web Guide
      This University of Calgary site offers links to book lists, review sites, children's book awards, and resources for parents, teachers, and storytellers.
  • Children's Picture Book Database
      This site offers abstracts of over 5000 children's picture books and search capabilities for over 950 keywords, including topics, concepts, and skills which describe each book.
  • Improving Literary Understanding through Classroom Conversation, Judith A. Langer & Elizabeth Close
  • K-12 Literature-Based Teaching Ideas: An Index to Books and Websites
      Searchable index of useful teaching suggestions related to books for children and young adults, and the creators of those books. The books indexed are those held by the Doucette Library of Teaching Resources, University of Calgary, CA, but are frequently available in other libraries.
  • Lexile Framework for Reading - Matching Readers to Text
      Lexile measures are based on word frequency and sentence length. Website includes a Book Database, Lexile Analyzer, Lexile Calculator, Power Vocabulary, and Reading Pathfinders.
      As part of Oregon's Literacy Initiative, every student in grades 3, 5, 8, and CIM taking the Oregon Statewide Reading and Literature Assessment receives a Lexile reading comprehension score on the Individual Student Report.
  • Librarian's Index to the Internet (lii.org)
      LII's literature and books resource page.
  • Reading at risk: A survey of literary reading in America (6/04, 60 pages, PDF)
      A report from the Research Division of the National Endowment for the Arts, Reading at Risk is a descriptive survey of national trends in adult literary reading based on a survey of 17,000+ adults, age 18 and over. Findings include: less than half of the adult American population reads literature; total book reading is declining significantly, although not at the rate of literary reading; literary reading is declining among all education and age levels, although the steepest decline in literary reading is in the youngest age groups; the decline in literary reading foreshadows an erosion in cultural and civic participation; the decline in reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games, and portable digital devices.
  • Recommended Literature, K-12
      A searchable database maintained by the California Department of Education. Search by grade level, language, genre, culture, standards, awards, author, title, keywords.
  • Storyline Online
      Sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild, this website features online streaming video of SAG members reading more than 18 different children's books.
  • The Story Workshop® Approach
      Report on the implementation of the Story Workshop® curriculum with 4th and 5th graders in Chicago. Includes video clips.

Reading Initiatives

  • Foundation for Comprehensive Early Literacy Learning (PreK-12)
      California Early Literacy Learning (CELL) , Extended Literacy Learning (ExLL), and Second Chance at Literacy Learning were developed by the Foundation for California Early Literacy Learning. The purpose is to provide extensive professional development for teachers to support improved literacy instruction. CELL (PreK-3), ExLL (3-6), and Second Chance (6-12) organize research-based teaching methods into a framework for classroom instruction. The framework covers oral language, phonological skills, reading aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, interactive writing, independent writing, and oral presentation.
  • CORE (K-8)
      The Consortium on Reading Excellence (CORE) was developed in 1995 by Bill Honig, Linda Diamond, and other school reformers and reading researchers. CORE’s purpose is to improve student achievement in reading and increase teacher efficacy through the use of scientific research and best practices in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and book discussion, independent reading, and use of assessment. To that end, CORE provides extensive professional development for grades K-3 and 4-8.
  • Early Intervention in Reading (K-6)
      Early Intervention in Reading is an Internet-delivered Professional Development program for teachers to help struggling young readers. EIR was developed by Dr. Barbara Taylor of the University of Minnesota. EIR is a daily, 20-minute small group supplemental reading program taught by the classroom teacher to a group of 5-7 struggling readers.
  • Even Start
      Even Start is a federally funded family literacy program, helping to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving educational opportunities for the nation's low-income families with young children.
  • Guys Read: A literacy initiative for boys
      Developed by former elementary teacher and current children's book author, Jon Scieszka, Guys Read offers leadership, practical solutions, a forum, and support to get guys reading.
  • Head Start
      Head Start is a child development program that has served low-income children and their families since 1965. Website contains some early literacy and family literacy information.
  • Jumpstart
      Jumpstart is a national organization that recruits and trains college students to work one-to-one with preschool children from low-income backgrounds on early language and literacy skills and the promotion of social and emotional development.
  • Junior Great Books (K-12)
      Junior Great Books is an inquiry- and literature-based program designed to develop the critical thinking and reading skills of students in grades K-12. Developed in 1962 by Chicago-based Great Books Foundation, the program is currently used in 9,500 schools in 50 states and eight foreign countries.
  • National Writing Project (K-16)
      The National Writing Project (NWP) began in 1974 at the University of California, Berkeley and has now been replicated at 160 sites in 46 states and Puerto Rico. The NWP seeks to improve the teaching of writing at all grade levels, to improve professional development programs for teachers, and to improve the professional standing of classroom teachers. The Oregon Writing Project operates through five colleges/universities: Eastern Oregon University, Lewis and Clark College, Southern Oregon University, University of Oregon, and Willamette University.
  • Online Reading Lessons from Montessori Home
      Free interactive, phonics-based reading lessons for parents to use with beginning readers.
  • The Partnership for Reading
      The Partnership for Reading is a collaborative effort by three federal agencies - the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the U.S. Department of Education - to bring the findings of evidence-based reading research to the educational community, families, and others with an interest in helping all people learn to read well. First established in 2000, The Partnership is now authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
  • Read Across America
      A National Education Association (NEA) project to celebrate and promote children's reading.
  • Reading First
      Federal initiative aimed at ensuring that every child can read by the third grade. This program awards grants to enable states to invest in scientifically-based reading instruction programs in the early grades. Oregon has a Reading First grant.
  • Reading First Teacher Education Network
      RFTEN supports scientifically-based K-3 and special education literacy professional development to faculty in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges (TBCUs).
  • Reading is Fundamental
      Founded in 1966, RIF develops and delivers children's and family literacy programs that help prepare young children for reading and motivate school-age children to read regularly.
  • Reading Recovery (grade 1)
      Reading Recovery was developed by New Zealand educator and psychologist Marie M. Clay, and was introduced in the United States via Ohio State University. Reading Recovery is an intensive early intervention literacy program. First-grade children who score in the lowest 20% of their class (based on individual measures of assessment and teacher judgment) are eligible to participate. Regular classroom instruction is supplemented with daily individual, 30-minute lessons for 12-20 weeks with a specially trained teacher.
  • Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI)
      SLI is a professional development and research program of WestEd (one of the regional educational laboratories), serving middle and high school educators, teacher leaders and teacher educators in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally.

Reading & Literacy Organizations/Centers

  • Center for the Book
      U.S. Library of Congress website to promote books, reading, literacy or libraries.
  • Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA)
      CIERA is a national center for research on early reading hosted by the University of Michigan College of Education. The goal of the center is to consolidate current knowledge on early reading, conduct programmatic research on specific early reading problems, identify best practices among successful early reading educators, and disseminate the resulting information and products.
  • Clearinghouse on Reading, English, & Communication
      The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication is an information repository of the Indiana University School of Education. (Replaces the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication.)
  • Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
      Housed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the CLAS Institute identifies, evaluates, and promotes effective and appropriate early intervention practices and preschool practices that are sensitive and respectful to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • International Reading Association (IRA)
      The International Reading Association seeks to promote high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction through studying the reading process and teaching techniques. The website serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of reading research and actively encourages the lifetime reading habit.
  • Learning Beyond the Classroom
      Website from Read.Write.Think focuses on summer activities that help children age 4-18 build their literacy learning outside of school. The site includes booklists, reading logs, book review podcasts, and best practice videos to help caregivers and tutors make the most of summer reading and writing opportunities.
  • The Literacy Web at the University of Connecticut
      The Literacy Web is designed to promote the use of the Internet as a tool to assist classroom teachers in their search for best practices in literacy instruction. Various literacy topics and literacy research, as well as grade-level strategies are included.
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
      Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the nation's largest organization (100,000+ members and 450 local, state, and regional affiliates) of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.
  • National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL)
      The National Center for Family Literacy is a nonprofit organization supporting family literacy services for families across the United States through programming, training, research, advocacy and dissemination.
  • National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL)
      Project of Harvard University, World Education, Rutgers University, Portland State University, and the University of Tennessee, focusing on research, improving practice, and providing leadership.
  • National Council of Teachers of English
      A professional organization of educators in English studies, literacy, and language arts.
  • National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
      The National Institute for Literacy was created by the National Literacy Act of 1991. The Institute serves as a focal point for public and private activities that support the development of high-quality regional, state, and national literacy services.
  • National Reading Conference
      NRC is a professional organization for individuals who share an interest in research and the dissemination of information about literacy and literacy instruction. NRC sponsors a conference each year during the first week in December. NRC publishes a quarterly Journal of Literacy Research, the NRC Yearbook and the NRC Newsletter.
  • National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA)
      Funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), CELA's research seeks to learn what elements of curriculum, instruction, and assessment are essential to developing high literacy and how schools can best help students achieve success.
  • National Right to Read Foundation
      Promotes reading instruction which follows scientifically-based reading research. Advocates direct instruction in phonics.
  • Reading Rockets
      Reading Rockets is a national educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C. with information about teaching children to read and helping those who struggle. Reading Rockets is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
  • Society for Text and Discourse
      The Society for Text & Discourse is an international society of researchers who investigate all aspects of discourse processing and text analysis.
  • Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts
      A collection of resources for reading educators maintained by the University of Texas at Austin.

Reading Assessment

  • High-Stakes Testing in PreK-12 Education
      A position statement from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) that delineates 12 conditions that should be present in all high-stakes testing programs. The statement is intended as a guide and a caution to policy makers, testing professionals, and test users.
  • Assessment Programs from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
  • Curriculum-based Measurement in Reading
      Frequently Asked Questions regarding the use of Curriculum-based Measurement in reading from the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
  • Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
  • Focus on Reading Assessment from the International Reading Association
  • LEARNS Literacy Assessment Observation Tools
      Tools to use with emergent, beginning, and early independent readers (from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory).
  • Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
      Developed by faculty at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia; based on research in the fields of education and psychology. PALS tests fundamental literacy skills in kindergarten, including (1) phonological awareness, specifically an awareness of rhyme and beginning sounds; (2) alphabet knowledge; (3) knowledge of letter sounds; (4) concept of word , and (5) word recognition in isolation; and grades 1-3, including (1) phonological awareness, specifically blending and sound-to-letter; (2) alphabet recognition; (3) knowledge of letter sounds; (4) concept of word;(5) word recognition in isolation and (6) passage reading, which provides a measure of word recognition in context.
  • Reading Assessment Database for pK-3
      Information on more than 125 reading assessment tools appropriate children in pre-K-3; developed by SEDL.

Reports/Journals/Publications

Research


Student Standards for Reading/Literacy/Language Arts

Teacher Standards/Professional Development

Other K-12 Educational Resource Links

All primary links on this page were checked and were active as of 10-22-09. If you have suggestions for other resources to include on this page, please email them to moriharb@wou.edu.

ReadOregon is a consortium of five Colleges/Schools of Education of the Oregon University System
in cooperation with OUS Departments of Distance and Continuing Education.
The ReadOregon programs were developed with grant funds from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Dept. of Education
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