Federal Cuts Will Shut Down Literacy and Math Learning Projects for Oregon Students

Despite the urgency of recent state and national assessment data suggesting that Oregon must provide resources to support high-quality instruction in literacy and math, student-centered instructional projects amounting to $3,495,000 must be shut down.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) received notification from the U.S. Department of Education that federal funding to help teachers improve student literacy and math skills has been terminated from 28 March – 10 months earlier than expected.

When the funding freeze was first announced, ODE calculated it would lose $2.5 million – that figure has been reevaluated and readjusted to nearly $1 million more.

The Student-Centered Projects That Must be Cut

Math Instructional Framework – develop a framework to ensure the highest quality math instruction to support learning and boost outcomes.

Statewide Literacy Practitioners Network – literacy ambassadors sharing best practices to improve the quality of literacy instruction.

Adolescent Literacy Framework and Professional Learning Resources – develop training modules, collect research and literacy resources, and practical tools to support educators in implementing the Framework for grades 6 – 12.

Instructional Framework – to develop a statewide framework to provide students with excellent instruction, regardless of zip code.

Regional In-Person Educator Training – provide five statewide summits for teams to use resources in Early and Adolescent Literacy to prepare for classroom instruction.

An example of the work conducted by the State Department of Education is the Oregon Instructional Frameworks Website, which provides literacy materials and resources to educators statewide.