This collection of resources includes several tools to help districts implement early literacy screening — including a review of currently approved screeners that meet state regulation requirements that went into effect in 2023, sample family communication letters, and a guide for supporting students with dyslexia.

Use this video collection to learn about ways educators in schools across Massachusetts are transforming professional learning using a variety of collaborative and lesson internalization methods.

Learn how to use 5-10 week cycles and a family workshop model to engage family members more deeply in literacy development. The FELA toolkit includes a introductory video, step by step guide; planner for teachers; family, student, and educator commitment sheets, phone scripts, and other resources. Reading tips are available in English and Spanish.

See deeper learning practices in action in this series of videos featuring a range of ELA/literacy, math, history, and science classrooms PK-12.

Find evidence-based practices and resources for supporting literacy in PK-3 classrooms.

Use these tools to support deeper learning grounded in grade-level, real-world, relevant, and interactive learning. Tools in the classroom support observations, lesson and unit unpacking, and student work review.

Find workshop materials from DESE’s 2025 Instructional Leadership Institute. Session topics included instructional vision and planning, designing for school belonging, scheduling, student support structures, multilingual learners, budgeting, and more.

Session materials from DESE’s first Instructional Leadership Institute in 2023

These grade and content-specific What to Look For (WtLF) Observation Guides are designed to support observations of classroom content and practice. They highlight what the teacher and students should be doing in a standards-aligned classroom.

A library of authentic student writing pieces, annotated to show what mastery of the writing standards looks like in action.

Three quick reference guides explaining how to evaluate text complexity and analyze complex text to support reading comprehension.