The following ELA guidance documents support districts and educators in developing high-quality reading instruction grounded in research-based practices and effective instructional strategies.
ELA Educator Resources
To assist districts and schools in effectively implementing the Four Fundamental, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has dedicated resources to developing guidance documents, Professional Learning opportunities, and support systems. Through these efforts, KSDE is committed to fostering continuous improvement, ensuring all educators have the knowledge, resources, and support needed to be successful.
Standards Alignment
The following ELA guidance documents will help districts and educators align curriculum, instruction, and assessments to the ELA Kansas standards, ensuring a strong foundation for delivering high-quality learning to all students.
- ELA Standards Unpacking Document (PDF) Document available upon request.
- ELA Standards Aignment Document
- ELA Vertical Standards Alignment Document
- ELA Vertical Alignment Guidance Steps (PDF) Document available upon request.
- ELA Horizontal Alignment Guidance Steps (PDF) Document available upon request.
- ELA Toolkit Document: Pages 6-10 (PDF) Document available upon request.
Quality Instruction
The following ELA guidance documents support districts and educators in developing high-quality instruction grounded in research-based practices and effective instructional strategies.
- KSDE Internalization Protocol for lesson instruction (Coming Soon)
- Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (PDF) Document available upon request.
- Webb's Depth of Knowledge Aligned with ELA Performance Level Descriptors (PDF) Document available upon request.
- ELA Standards Aignment Document
- ELA Vertical Standards Alignment Document
Reading Instruction
- Text Complexity Explanation (PDF) Document available upon request.
- KSDE Text Complexity Literacy Rubric (PDF) Document available upon request.
- Text Complexity Informational Rubric (PDF) Document available upon request.
- Building Background Knowledge (PDF) Document available upon request.
- Understanding Morphology (PDF) Document available upon request.
- Building Vocabulary Instruction (PDF) Document available upon request.
Writing Instruction
The following ELA guidance documents support districts and educators in developing high-quality writing instruction grounded in research-based practices and effective instructional strategies.
- KSDE Writing Tenets 2024
- Grammar and Syntax (external link) Website link available upon request.
