New Product Review: Pathways 2 Greatness SmartPrep Database

MathemathicPathways 2 Greatness’ SmartPrep Database is a test preparation product that supports students in grades 3 through Algebra I in preparing for Texas’ STAAR exams in mathematics. Test bank items are available online and must be printed for student use. Resources allow teachers to create customized assessments that address specific Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) at each grade level. [Read more…]

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New Product Review: Edmentum Courseware™

Edmentum's Plato Courseware Algebra I

Edmentum’s Courseware™ is an online program that supports instruction in self-paced, remediation, and credit recovery programs. Courseware provides comprehensive instruction in each of the core subjects, as well as in other content areas (e.g., world languages). Learning List recently reviewed resources for the Texas Algebra I and Texas Algebra II courses. Instruction is provided online and includes printable materials. [Read more…]

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New Product Review: Scientific Minds Science Sidekicks

Scientific Minds Science SidekicksLearning List has reviewed Scientific Minds’ Science Sidekicks, which is a supplemental product that supports science instruction in grades 3-5. Content is web-based and includes some printable components.  Instruction focuses on “chunking” standards into small, manageable amounts of content that are easy for students to understand. Lessons are presented using interactive slideshows that include opportunities for teacher-led whole group instruction, small group work, and independent study. [Read more…]

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New Curriculum Review: Special Topics in Social Studies Courses

BookLearning List has reviewed both of the comprehensive products submitted for state-adoption in response to Texas’ Proclamation 2018 for “Special Topics in Social Studies” courses. These products include:

Kendall Hunt’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) Toolkit.  The course emphasizes the experiences of Mexican Americans in Texas, particularly in the Houston area, and focuses heavily on how racism and bias have influenced Mexican American lives. Instruction addresses contemporary issues affecting Mexican Americans (e.g., Arizona’s 2012 ban on ethnic studies).

Discussion prompts and collaborative learning activities are interspersed throughout the text.

Content is available in print and eBook formats.

Tanglewood Publishing’s Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz. Instruction focuses on using a memoir of the Holocaust as the basis for a book study that explores themes related to perseverance, love, and forgiveness. Although the text deals with disturbing subject matter, it does so in a manner that is appropriate for young adults. The memoir eschews gruesome detail and emphasizes the themes of perseverance through unimaginable hardship, commitment to family, and, ultimately, the importance of forgiveness. Content is available in print format and includes an Educator’s Guide. [Read more…]

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Frequently Asked Questions About Learning List

As the school year shifts into high gear, we are getting a lot of questions about our service. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

What is Learning List?
Learning List is a subscription-based instructional materials review service designed to help improve student learning by empowering educators to chooseand use instructional materials most effectively.

We created Learning List in 2013 to help districts become better informed consumers of instructional materials. Initially, districts used our reviews to facilitate their selection of materials. Over time, subscribers began telling us that our reviews also helped them identify the best parts of their existing materials to use to teach each standard. As one instructional coach explained, “We use your alignment reports as a GPS through our materials to ensure that we’re using the pages that teach each standard fully.”

What types of materials do you review?
We have reviewed over 2500 of the most widely used instructional materials, including:

  • Materials in the four core subjects, 12 Advanced Placement courses, Tech Apps and 85 CTE courses;
  • Comprehensive and supplemental materials, including RtI, testprep, criterion-referenced test banks, and professional development resources;
  • Publisher produced and free open educational resources (OERs);
  • State-adopted and non-adopted materials (i.e., materials that were not submitted for state adoption); and
  • English and Spanish versions of materials.

Subscribing districts get access to all published reviews and may request reviews of additional materials as part of the subscription. That’s why Learning List is a service, not just a website. [Read more…]

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New Product Reviews: Odysseyware Middle School Mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (Texas Editions)

Odysseyware (Glynlyon)Learning List has reviewed Glynlyon’s Odysseyware Texas middle school products for mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Both products are Texas Editions that were developed to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Both math and ELAR products are comprehensive resources that cover a full year’s content. [Read more…]

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New Curriculum Review: Odysseyware High School English Language Arts Courses

Odysseyware (Glynlyon)

Learning List has reviewed several of Odysseyware’s high school English language arts products, including English I, English II, English III, and English IV and the “Fundamentals” version of each course (e.g. English I Fundamentals). Each product supports year-long instruction in self-paced and credit-recovery programs and blended learning environments.  [Read more…]

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New Curriculum Review: Pacific Learning’s CSI Literacy

Pacific Learning's CSI Literacy KitLearning List has reviewed Pacific Learning’s CSI Literacy for grades 7 and 8. CSI Literacy is supplemental product that supports literacy development in grades 3-8. Content is available in print and online formats and includes digital resources (i.e., USB drives). Instruction emphasizes the development of close reading skills and the comprehension of complex texts. Resources support instruction in blended learning environments.[Read more…]

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New Product Reviews: Glynlyon’s Odysseyware High School Social Studies Courses

Learning List has reviewed five of Glynlyon’s Odysseyware comprehensive social studies courses for Texas high schools. Each course addresses the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and supports instruction in self-paced and credit-recovery programs and blended learning environments. Content incorporates instructional videos, grade-appropriate texts, games, and interactive learning activities. A brief description of each course is provided below. [Read more…]

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