Post about effective practices for reviewing and selecting instructional materials
First, why is alignment so important? Teachers rely on their instructional materials for 80% of their curriculum and expect that the materials the district purchases will be aligned to 100% of the standards. Yet the actual alignment percentage of materials does not always match a publisher’s submitted alignment percentage.
In today’s EdWeek, Catherine Gewertz discusses how some states have relaxed their control over instructional materials and are providing districts with more freedom in choosing their classroom resources. The increased freedom in selecting instructional materials has been a reason to celebrate in many districts. But administrators are quick to acknowledge that the new freedom comes with some challenges…
Purchasing instructional materials is the single largest annual purchase a school district typically makes. Districts often rush to complete their instructional materials selections process by early February or even early March. Solution: To be an informed consumer, you should wait until products are fully developed and physically review the entire complete products before making your purchasing decisions. Waiting until spring (March – May)…
Have you ever purchased instructional materials that your teachers ultimately don’t use? You’re not alone. Join Learning List at TASA Midwinter Conf.: (1) Don’t Make a Million Dollar Mistake! [Session on Tues., Jan. 27, 2:15-3:15PM in Convention Center Level C, Room 10C] & (2) Exhibit Booth #209 (see floor plan below)
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.
As the industry-leading instructional materials review service for schools and districts, Learning List has designed a robust review process specifically intended to inform educator choice. As one curriculum director observed:
“Learning List was built from the ground up to respond specifically to educators’ needs. And it does.”
A recent Gallup poll of superintendents reported that 45 percent of respondents intended to make budget cuts during the upcoming school year. The respondents commented that they intended to make cuts in the areas of operations and maintenance, instruction, salary and wages, and administration. Note: A full copy of the survey results is available here. Given the deep cuts districts …
Today, Learning List released market insights drawn from hundreds of alignment verifications we have completed. Although Learning List reviews both comprehensive and supplemental instructional materials, this analysis only included materials that publishers claimed to be aligned to 100% of the relevant standards. Learning List’s Subject Matter Experts (experienced educators) found that, on average, those materials were aligned to: 87% of Common Core …
Have you ever wondered how your district is going to purchase all the new instructional materials your students need? If funding streams aren’t sufficient to cover the costs of all the new instructional materials your students need, here are five strategies to help you stretch your dollars so that you can afford the instructional materials to maximize your ROI.
Kentucky educator and “teacherpreneur” Paul Barnwell eloquently blogged this week about the fact that teachers need more time to plan and collaborate to improve education. “With so much on our plates, and few opportunities to scale solutions outside of the classroom, we teachers are longing for expanded opportunities to share what we know and can learn from one another. But we …
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