Did you know that ACLS offers free access to the full Newsela catalog? In addition, the Program Support PD Team is excited to collaborate with ACLS to coordinate access to trainings and resources for Newsela.
See below for more information.
About Newsela
Newsela ELA is an instructional content platform that has over 150 content partners. We add up to 10 texts each day that are each published at five reading levels, ranging from 3rd to 12th grade. Each leveled text features a comprehension quiz, a writing prompt, checks for understanding and more! With over 14,000 texts across 20+ genres, Newsela enables educators to delve deeply into any subject they choose.
Also, the Newsela Certified Educator Program provides a get-to-know Newsela overview, and is a great (non-mandatory) prerequisite to all Newsela training offered through SABES. SABES PD will dive more deeply into specific features.
If you have any trouble, reach out to Newsela Support or visit the Facebook Community.
Sign up for Newsela
You can set up a DESE-funded Newsela account with access to the full Newsela catalog using either one of these methods at newsela.com:
- If you have a Gmail or Microsoft email address provided by the institution where you work, log in using that agency Gmail or Microsoft address.
- Create a username and password using your agency email.
Please note that anyone may sign up for a free Newsela Lite account using a personal email, which gives access to four pre-selected articles at a time. However, you gain access to their full library of content articles and the Massachusetts Custom ABE Collection when you use your adult education organizational email. (Learn more about creating a teacher account.)
If you have questions or need support, please contact paula.jurigian@mass.gov.
SABES Professional Development & Newsela Support
Check the SABES Calendar for upcoming PD related to Newsela.
FY24 SABES On-Demand Recordings
You can find recordings of Newsela PD sessions hosted by SABES on the PSPDC On-Demand website. Please sign into the Google Form to access the recordings.
Newsela Office Hours!
Newsela School Engagement Manager, Brynn Hunt, is offering office hours once a month where you can drop in and ask questions about the Newsela platform. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity! Please use this Google Form to register with Brynn and receive a meeting link.
Customized Newsela Collections for Massachusetts
Signing up through your DESE-funded agency email address will give you access to materials customized for Massachusetts adult educators and students!
Sign in to Newsela with your DESE-funded agency email and click on Browse to find the collections created for Massachusetts:
- Literacy Skills Development
- High School Equivalency Preparation
- Digital Literacy
- Career Exploration Pathways
- Workforce Preparation Activities
- Civics Education
We welcome your feedback! Please share your feedback on these pilot collections to the SABES Newsela Coordinator: jane_brandt@worlded.org.
Newsela Professional Development: On Demand, Anywhere, Anytime
Newsela "On Demand" learning opportunities on the Newsela professional development page and on YouTube include these topics:
- Getting Started With Newsela
- Integrating My LMS With Newsela
- Looking for Content
- Assigning and Customizing Content
- Assessing Students and Using Data to Plan
