Instructional Materials Reviewed

Six Trends in Health Curricula

July 21, 2022November 1, 2021

Learning List recently completed reviews of all materials as listed on the Proclamation 2022 Pre-Adoption Samples documents, made available by the Texas Education Agency, for Health in grades K-12.

We reviewed the materials from six publishers. Two publishers provided materials for elementary grades, two publishers middle school grades, and two publishers span middle and high school.

Learning List reviewers noted six trends in the materials reviewed for health. These trends represent what educators can expect to see with most materials, but they do not represent all materials:

New Product: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Saxon Phonics

August 30, 2022September 10, 2021

Are your primary teachers ready for a new program to support foundational literacy skills? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Saxon Phonics.

Saxon Phonics is a supplemental literacy program for students in kindergarten through grade 2. The program is designed to provide explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency, as well as instructional support for handwriting, listening, and speaking.

New Curriculum Review: Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math for Florida

August 16, 2022August 6, 2021

Does your district need math materials to support the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math for Florida.

Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math is a comprehensive mathematics program for grades K-5. The materials are primarily digital, with a supplemental student print version and Teacher Print Kits available. Learning List recently reviewed the materials, designed specifically for Florida.

The program makes intentional connections to math concepts as they are found in the everyday world. Scopes support student learning through a clear reflection of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) model. Lessons require students to think critically, reflect, and collaborate. The goal of the program is to provide meaningful learning experiences that focus on 21^st century skills and support student success in STEM careers.

New Product: MathWarm-Ups.com’s Countdown to the Math STAAR

August 30, 2022August 3, 2021

Is your district looking for materials to support preparation for the STAAR Mathematics tests? Take a look at Learning List’s review of MathWarm-Ups.com’s Countdown to the Math STAAR.

Countdown to the Math STAAR is a supplemental test-preparation product intended to help Texas students prepare for STAAR mathematics assessments. Content is available in print format, in English and Spanish. Learning List recently reviewed the content for grades 3 and 4.

The materials focus on the specific Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) needed to prepare for the Texas STAAR mathematics assessments. Specifically, Countdown to the Math STAAR provides STAAR-styled questions (e.g., multiple-choice, griddable) organized into multiple practice tests.

New Product: Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness

August 30, 2022July 29, 2021

Do your teachers need additional materials to support phonemic awareness instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness.

Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness is a supplemental set of lessons to develop phonemic awareness for students in kindergarten and grade 1. Materials are available in digital format or in print with some resources available for download on the publisher’s website. Learning List recently reviewed the English and Spanish materials.

The material is intended to support foundational skills instruction. Each lesson includes eight phonemic awareness skills and two early literacy skills. The lessons are designed so that instruction is primarily oral, incorporating the use of hand motions to support student learning. The lessons are logically organized in the teacher’s manuals, and all required materials are included. The material is well organized and easy to use.

New Product: Mentoring Minds ThinkUp! Science

August 30, 2022July 12, 2021

Is your district looking for new Science materials? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Mentoring Minds’ ThinkUp! Science.

Mentoring Minds’ ThinkUp! Science is a comprehensive instructional material that supports TEKS-based instruction in grades 3 through 8. Learning List recently reviewed the content for grades 3-5, which includes a print teacher edition and a consumable print student edition. ThinkUp! Science is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills and connect science skills and knowledge to real world situations.

New Product: Pacific Learning’s El Sistema de Intervención de Lectura (SIL)

August 30, 2022June 21, 2021

Does your district need Spanish reading intervention materials? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Pacific Learning’s El Sistema de Intervención de Lectura (SIL).

Pacific Learning’s El Sistema de Intervención de Lectura (SIL) is a supplemental Spanish reading intervention program for students in grades K-3. The materials include leveled readers and a variety of additional materials to support reading intervention. The program is designed to support foundational literacy skills.

New Curriculum Review: Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math for CCSS

August 16, 2022June 14, 2021

Are your teachers looking for new materials for elementary math instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math.

Accelerate Learning’s STEMscopes Math is a comprehensive mathematics program for grades K-5. Learning List recently reviewed the content for grades K-2, and previously completed reviews for grades 3-5. The materials are digital, with the option of printing PDF documents for most program components.

New Product: Pacific’s El Camino al Exito

August 30, 2022June 11, 2021

Does your district need Spanish reading intervention materials? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Pacific Learning’s El Camino al Exito.

Pacific Learnings’s El Camino Al Exito is a Spanish reading program for Kindergarten students. It is intended to prepare students to enter first grade on grade level. The material includes daily lessons, assessments, extension activities, and all required instructional materials.

Strategies for Reviewing Adaptive Materials

May 10, 2021

Over the last year, many of our subscribing districts requested reviews of adaptive materials. The concept behind adaptive materials is admirable: different content is presented to each student based upon the student’s performance on each task or assessment. In essence, these products offer the promise of an individualized instruction for each student.

However, districts should not assume that “adaptive” means “aligned to standards.” Many adaptive materials assign content based on skill mastery rather than mastery of the standards. Based on our experience, districts would be advised to carefully review the alignment of adaptive materials to the standards they are needed to support before using them.

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