News Release

June 16, 2021

NDE SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON DRAFT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

The Nebraska Department of Education released the first draft of the proposed revisions to Nebraska’s College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and is seeking input from the public. The information collected will be used as part of the standards review and revision process.

Nebraska state law requires updates to the standards for reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies every seven years. The current ELA standards, which cover the reading and writing requirements in the law, were approved in 2014. Once approved by the State Board of Education, the standards create the framework for ELA education in Nebraska.

Nebraska educators from pre-kindergarten to postsecondary, including public and non-public schools, helped develop the first draft of the proposed ELA standards. Approval is expected in the fall of 2021.

Nebraska content area standards reflect the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn in a given content area. By setting clear benchmarks for learning, content area standards provide guidance to teachers as they develop learning experiences for students. Standards do not prescribe particular curriculum, lessons, teaching techniques, or activities. Decisions about curriculum and instruction are made locally by individual school districts and classroom teachers.

The proposed draft of the ELA standards is available for review at www.education.ne.gov/ela/standards-resources/english-language-arts-standards-revision/. Public input can be provided via the public input survey and via the ELA standards input email (nde.elastandardsinput@nebraska.gov). The public input survey will close on July 7, 2021.

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