Welcome to Amplify ELA California
Amplify ELA California is a knowledge-building English language arts curriculum designed for grades 6–8. Students engage deeply with complex texts, develop critical reading and writing skills, and build the confidence to think and communicate independently.
This 6–8 core English Language Arts program is fully-aligned to the California Common Core State Standards for ELA.
Flexible, differentiated instruction—without the extra work
100k+
Classrooms
2M+
Students
Amplify ELA California works the way teachers work. Fully integrated resources give teachers the flexibility to use each in whatever way is best for their classroom. Six levels of embedded differentiation and formative assessment keep students on track, so teachers spend less time managing logistics and more time teaching.
Program overview
From engaging content and hands-on print materials to powerful differentiation tools and instructional guides, Amplify ELA California gives teachers everything they need to meet middle school students where they are and move them forward.
Students read deeply.
With text always at the center, Amplify ELA California challenges students to develop their own perspectives on complex, relevant readings (rather than searching for a single right answer).
In daily reading, students engage with ideas through annotation, discussion, and collaborative Quests, building the critical-thinking and communication skills that transfer across all subjects and grade levels.
Students write boldly.
Every lesson in Amplify ELA California includes writing, with assignments that vary in purpose, audience, genre, and length, giving students consistent practice building the skills they need to communicate clearly and confidently across analytical, narrative, and creative modes.
Throughout the year, students develop their voices through evidence-based essays, arguments, research writing, speeches, and a dedicated Story Writing unit, concluding with performance tasks that ask them to demonstrate everything they’ve learned.
Six levels of differentiated support for every learner
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles are at the heart of Amplify ELA California, because all students learn best when they develop and compare ideas around shared content. Amplify ELA California ensures all students have access to the same text with six distinct levels of differentiation.
The six levels address the full range of student needs in any classroom:
- Substantial support for students who need the highest level of scaffolding
- Developing for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) at the developing proficiency level
- Expanding for ML/ELs at the expanding proficiency level
- Bridging for ML/ELs at the bridging proficiency level
- Core for students learning at grade level
- Challenge for advanced students who’d benefit from extension
Assessment that fits the flow of instruction
All units include a robust system of embedded assessment that provides teachers with actionable student performance data long before end-of-unit or benchmark exams.
Assessments are woven throughout the instructional sequence, including the following types:
- Formative assessments: Analytic Writing Prompts, Exit Tickets, and comprehension questions integrated into daily lessons
- Summative assessments: End-of-unit reading assessments; essays; and performance tasks such as debates, fishbowl discussions, and multimedia presentations
What’s included
Amplify ELA California gives teachers everything they need to deliver engaging, rigorous instruction, with resources designed to work together seamlessly in any classroom.
Teacher Editions
The Teacher Edition contains all the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- Detailed lesson plans.
- Teacher tips embedded in each lesson.
- Standards alignment and Exit Tickets.
- Real-time differentiation strategies.
- Robust reporting.
Student Editions
The Student Edition guides middle schoolers through complex texts and writing activities, including:
- High-quality narrative and informational texts.
- Videos, audio supports, and purposeful digital experiences that invite meaningful engagement.
- Writing Prompts that connect to students’ personal Writing Journals.
Multimedia resources
The Amplify ELA California digital platform gives teachers and students access to a full suite of multimedia resources that deepen engagement with the curriculum’s core texts, including:
- Embedded videos and audio support.
- Interactive digital apps that reinforce close reading skills.
- The Vocab App, which features adaptive activities built from words found in the lesson text.
- The Amplify Library, which offers over 700 titles to extend core reading.
Novels
Every grade level in Amplify ELA California includes at least one full, physical novel as part of core instruction, so students always have a book in hand. Across grades 6–8, the core novel selection brings together a range of classic and contemporary literature, exposing students to a wide variety of authors, genres, time periods, and perspectives.
Interactive Quests
Quests are immersive, week-long experiences that bring the texts students are reading to life. Each Quest builds on the literacy skills developed in the core units while shaking up classroom routines and letting students take the lead, driving engagement through collaborative and analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities.
Why choose Amplify ELA California
Choosing the right ELA curriculum for your district is one of the most important decisions you can make. Here is how Amplify ELA California stands apart.
- Proven effectiveness
Meets ESSA Tier II criteria; transparent research shows consistent student growth across diverse populations. - Knowledge-building approach
Coherent, cumulative instruction built around a wide range of texts spanning science, social studies, history, and the arts that develops both knowledge and critical literacy skills. - Integrated reading and writing
Reading and writing are taught together in every lesson, with students writing in direct response to what they read to reinforce their knowledge and skills. - Differentiated support
Six levels of embedded differentiation ensure that every student, including ML/ELs, has access to the same grade-level texts and curriculum. - Blended print and digital
Fully integrated print and digital resources are designed to work together seamlessly in any classroom.
Other programs
- Lack of evidence
Research support is often limited, unverified, or outdated, making it difficult to assess true impact on student achievement. - Fragmented content
Skills are taught in isolation without a connected knowledge-building sequence or with limited knowledge topics, resulting in more disengagement from students. - Disconnected reading and writing
Reading and writing are treated as separate subjects, limiting students’ ability to connect and apply skills across both. - Insufficient learner support
Limited built-in differentiation leaves ML/ELs and students with varied needs without consistent access to the same grade-level texts and content as their peers. - Restricted classroom options
Predominantly digital and print-only programs both limit teachers’ ability to adapt instruction and make it harder to meet the varied needs of different classroom environments.
Designated ELD
Amplify gives multilingual/English learners the tools to access, engage with, and thrive in grade-level learning with Language Studio, Amplify’s Designated English Language Development (DELD) program.
Language Studio Grades 6–8 is designed to support and integrate with core Amplify ELA lessons, enabling ML/ELs across all levels of proficiency to access and fully engage in rigorous grade-level content. Language Studio:
- Strengthens listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
- Aligns to the K–8 Knowledge Sequence.
- Integrates with core instruction.
- Provides lessons designed for flexible implementation.
Your California team
Looking to speak directly with an Amplify California representative? Get in touch with a California team member to learn more.
Kevin Mauser
Lead Account Executive
Under 2300 students in Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, and Northern Counties
Charissa Snyder
Account Executive
Under 2300 students in Southern CA, Central Coast, and Southern Central Valley Counties