The Well-Rounded Access Program Update is the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) primary communication tool for topics related to the Well-Rounded Access Program (WRAP).  In October 2020, Oregon received a five-year, $9.8 million grant to expand access to well-rounded education courses.  More information about this program can be found on ODE’s Expanding Access to Well-Rounded Education webpage.

The Well-Rounded Access Program is excited to announce a project to increase access to arts learning through culturally responsive lessons about contemporary and regional Native artists! This work aims to boost access to accurate, Tribal-specific arts content for Native and non-Native students through partnerships with federally recognized Tribes, Southern Oregon ESD, and the Jim Pepper Native Arts Council. They will develop lessons and professional development sessions integrating local Tribal cultural practices and the work of contemporary Native artists, incorporating the Oregon Arts Standards and the 9 Essential Understandings (developed for the Tribal History/Shared History (TH/SH) project).

These lessons will not replace the lessons mandated under Senate Bill 13 and Tribal History/Shared History, but rather, provide supplemental resources to reinforce these important concepts within arts education spaces.

Main Objectives:

• To increase the use of culturally responsive teaching practices and deeper, more specific knowledge sharing around the arts and cultural practices of Tribes and Indigenous peoples across the state
• To ensure that AI/AN students are represented in the content that they engage with in all subjects in school, in alignment with the AI/AN Student Success Plan
• To honor the cultural practices of local Tribes and increase awareness around the diversity and depth of Tribal cultural practices through education around the 9 Essential Understandings and Oregon Arts Standards.

Stay tuned for more updates as lessons and professional development opportunities become available for next school year!

We are pleased to announce a partnership with Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, and Portland State University to increase access to well-rounded computer science education!  This joint effort will help create the capacity to deliver additional professional development opportunities for Exploring Computer Science, a research-based, well-rounded course in Oregon high schools; support administrative and counselor capacity to provide and sustain the offerings; and develop a data foundation to work towards continuous and systemic improvement. 

This summer, Oregon State University Cascades will be hosting a Summer Equity Symposium July 29 - August 2.  Interested in participating? Click on the links below to find out more about these opportunities:

• Exploring Computer Science: Professional Development for high school educators who would like to teach this course in the 2024-25 school year. 
• E-Textiles: Professional Development for current Exploring Computer Science educators and arts educators who would like to teach this Exploring Computer Science unit. 
• Computer Science Equity Workshop for School Leaders: This workshop will help school and district administrators, TOSAs, Curriculum Directors, Counselors, and other school leaders gain a deeper understanding about how to support equitable computer science education in their schools and districts. 
• Computational Thinking for K-5: Professional Development for elementary school educators to support the fundamentals of computational thinking in their classrooms.

Last June, ODE announced a partnership with the Portland-Metro STEM Partnership (PMSP) and the Greater Oregon STEM Hub (GO STEM) to expand access to Patterns Science through the High School Science for All program.

We’re excited to announce the summer learning series happening this July and August!  More information will be coming soon, but you can pre-register for these trainings today!

• Patterns Physics Units 1-3 (In-Person Workshop A): July 29 - August 2, 2024 | Sunset High School, Portland | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Patterns Physics Units 4–6 (In-Person Workshop B): August 12-15, 2024 | Sunset High School, Portland | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Patterns Chemistry Units 1-3 (In-Person Workshop A): July 29 - August 2, 2024 | Sunset High School, Portland | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Patterns Chemistry Units 4-6 (In-Person Workshop B): August 5 - 9, 2024 | Sunset High School, Portland | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Patterns Biology Units 1-3 (In-Person Workshop A): July 29 - August 2, 2024 | Century High School, Hillsboro | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Patterns Biology Units 4-6 (In-Person Workshop B): August 5 - 9, 2024 | Century High School, Hillsboro | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Arts for Learning Northwest is collaborating with Oregon teaching artists on the development of a series of four arts courses designed for K-5 students called Arts, Care & Connection, with integrated social emotional learning content in the areas of dance, visual arts, theater, and music. This lesson is part of a pilot project, and will be shared in its final version in an Oregon Open Learning Lesson Collection. Oregon teachers are encouraged to provide feedback on the form included in the lesson resources, to inform the development of this project. 

Check out this featured resource for an example of the Arts, Care & Connection content included in the Oregon Arts Group!

• Collaborative Song Making with Smith and Yarn