Governor Tina Kotek issued Executive Order 23-12 on May 23, 2023, which “establishes a goal of ensuring that every elementary teacher in an Oregon educator preparation program is provided with explicit, research-aligned instruction on how to teach all students to read and write, including students with disabilities and students who are emerging bilingual.”

The Order goes on to appoint an Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council to develop recommendations to strengthen standards that the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) uses to approve elementary educator preparation programs and license elementary educators. The order reads more like a legislative task force setting out the development of standards for literacy instruction and an action plan for implementation with timelines for implementation, at which time the council ceases. This termination deadline makes it a task force versus a permanent council.

Further, the order includes instruction for students with disabilities and students who are emerging bilingual. However, the 20-member council lacks experts in school psychology to provide the analysis needed for students that are challenged, or what stimulates the mind at certain age levels to advance reading and writing development. This is different from the outward approach of how to teach that literacy experts bring.

Perhaps the council wouldn’t have been needed if experts in mind development had been heard when Common Core was adopted. For instance, what if cursive writing had not been eliminated from the curriculum? Learning to write in cursive directly impacts cognitive development, as it trains the brain to learn functional specialization that integrates both sensation, movement control, and thinking.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Governor announced council members, including teachers, principals, representatives from education preparation programs, early literacy experts, and bipartisan appointments from the Oregon House and Senate:

• Ronda Fritz and Susan Gardner will serve as co-chairs. The full council roster is listed below. Executive: Governor Kotek or her designee
• Senators (appointed by Senate President Rob Wagner): Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook)
• Representatives (appointed by House Speaker Dan Rayfield): Ben Bowman (D-Tigard) and Boomer Wright (R-Coos Bay)
• Public Educator Preparation Program Representatives: Ronda Fritz (Eastern Oregon University) and Susan Gardner (Oregon State University)
• Private Educator Preparation Program Representative: Katie Danielson (University of Portland)
• Early Literacy Experts: Julie Esparza Brown (Portland State University), Anita Archer, and Mikkaka Overstreet (Education Northwest)
• Licensed Teacher Representatives: Shahnaz Sahnow (Literacy Specialist - Corvallis School District) and Julie Ragan (Lebanon Community Unit School District)
• Elementary Principal Small District Representative: Heidi Brown (Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District)
• Elementary Principal Large District Representative: Jennifer Whitten (Beaverton School District)
• Tribal Representative: Valerie Switzler (Confederated Tribe of Warm Springs)
• Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) Director: Anthony Rosilez
• Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) Director: Ben Cannon
• Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Director: Dr. Charlene Williams (interim)
• Educator Advancement Council (EAC) Director: Sara Spencer (interim)

The TSPC will use the Council's recommendations, which must align with the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) Early Literacy Framework for kindergarten through fifth grade, to adopt new rules next year. The Council must also develop recommendations to revise elementary educator licensing requirements and develop an implementation plan and timeline to ensure that the educator preparation program faculty have what they need to be able to operationalize the new standards.

Along with the formation of the Council, Governor Kotek worked with Rep. Jason Kropf (D-Bend) during the 2023 legislative session to develop House Bill 3198, which increases funding for early literacy to improve how Oregon schools and community groups teach kids to read and write.

Governor Kotek said, “I am grateful that these issue experts have come forward to support our students and educators. My executive order was structured to bring together leaders with a wide range of perspectives with the common goal of better supporting children’s ability to read and write. I look forward to working with the Council on enhancing our literacy preparation standards.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-08-02 12:34:45

Last Update: 2023-08-01 15:49:54