Learning List Blog

Learning List launched a year ago September There are many things for which we give thanks and remember...

Last week, President Obama and the U.S. Department of Education recognized just over 100 exemplary superintendents for their leadership in transitioning their districts to digital learning. Interestingly, 18 of the superintendents haled from California, nine from Texas, eight from Indiana and from Pennsylvania , seven from New Jersey, six from Virginia, and four from New York. The remaining attendees came from a many other states.

Today, the Texas State Board of Education adopted 89 social studies, 55 high school math and 172 fine arts materials. Learning List has reviewed all of the state-adopted social studies and high school math products that were adopted, as well as several materials in those subjects that were not submitted for state adoption.

Social Studies School Service |Nystrom’s StrataLogica resource is a supplemental, web-based map and atlas program that includes print materials. Resources support core social studies instruction across grades K-12.

Social Studies School Service’s Active Classroom series is a set of comprehensive digital resources to support social studies instruction at the middle school and high school levels. Courses focus on developing literacy skills in the context of social studies instruction.

JUMP Math’s Assessment and Practice (AP) Books provide comprehensive mathematics instruction for grades 1-8. Learning List recently reviewed JUMP Math’s products for grades 4-6. At these grades, instruction addresses number sense, patterns and algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, and probability and data management.

Sapling Learning’s Dynamic Math Series is a comprehensive, online mathematics program designed specifically for Texas high schools. The series includes interactive, eBook courses for Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.

Compass Learning provides supplemental, online middle school science courses that support instruction in remediation, self-paced, and supplemental programs: The Nature of Science, Physical Science, Earth & Space Science.

Triumph Learning supports instruction of Texas students in grades 3-8 with its TEKS-focused supplemental products in mathematics and English language arts and reading (ELAR). Beyond the TEKS English Language Arts and Reading provides genre-specific instruction focused on developing students’ reading and writing skills.

EMC Publishing’s Economics: New Ways of Thinking (Second Edition) is a comprehensive, semester-long high school economics course available in print and eBook formats. The course culminates in a multi-day, multimedia group research project in which students examine the effects of a financial crisis.

American Legacy Publishing’s Studies Weekly Texas K-5 Social Studies Series provides resources to support elementary social studies instruction in print and online formats. Studies Weekly Magazines are delivered to schools in four quarterly installments. Each installment includes six to seven weekly units of instruction.

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McGraw-Hill Education’s Texas Social Studies Series includes comprehensive courses for high school social studies electives, including Economics, Psychology, Sociology, and U.S. Government. In each course, content is organized using Understanding by Design® (UBD) model, which frames instruction in terms of “Enduring Understandings” and “Essential Questions.”

Learning List is a “resource review service by and for educators™.” We recognize that our reviews are only as good as the educators we hire to do the reviews. We are often asked, “Who are your reviewers?” The bios of our Leadership Team members and of our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are available on the Our Team page of our website.

USHistory.org provides free open-education resources (OERs) to support social studies instruction in high school and home schooling environments. The website provides comprehensive online textbooks for courses in American History, Ancient Civilizations, and American Government. Course authors are not identified.

Has your district ever purchased instructional materials that fail to live up to their claims? If so, you’re not alone. Learning List has reviewed over 500 instructional materials, and only half (54%) of those that claim to be aligned to 100% of the state standards, actually are. Ever wondered why that happens?

Pearson Education’s Texas High School Math Series provides comprehensive Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra II courses for Texas high schools. Each course features “3-Act Math” problems that develop students’ ability to use mathematics to understand and solve real-world problems. Courses are designed for use in blended learning environments and deliver most content digitally.

Earlier this year, we published a blog post that described how the funds for instructional materials in Texas flow from their source to local school districts. Knowing the amount of its IMA allocation for upcoming years can help a district begin planning for its instructional materials purchases.

Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbooks are comprehensive, web-based social studies courses for middle school and high school students. Lessons focus on answering “essential questions” and are organized using the 5E Instructional Model (i.e., Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate).

Pearson Education’s Texas Social Studies Series provides comprehensive middle school and high school social studies courses in print and digital formats. Content is structured using a four-part model: (1) Connect, (2) Investigate, (3) Synthesize and (4) Demonstrate.