Being an independent instructional materials review service for schools and districts, Learning List focuses on serving educators. However, in meeting the needs of districts, we also create value for publishers of instructional materials. We have identified 15 questions that are most commonly asked by those who develop and deliver instructional content. In this and two subsequent posts, we’ll answer each of these questions.
- What criteria does Learning List use to rate/rank the materials?
Learning List does not rate or rank instructional materials. Our purpose is to provide districts with unbiased, independent information about each instructional material to enable them to choose the materials that are most appropriate for their students. To accomplish this, we provide three types of reviews: a verification of the material’s alignment to state, Common Core, and other relevant standards, an editorial review that describes the product’s features and highlights important qualitative information about the product, and educator ratings and reviews based on specific criteria aligned with effective teaching practices.
- Does Learning List re-review materials that have been reviewed by the state and are state-adopted?
For products that have gone through the state’s adoption process: if the state produces a detailed alignment report showing specific citations that the state checked for alignment to state standards, Learning List features the state’s alignment report. If the state does not produce a detailed alignment verification, then Learning List will produce an independent verification of the material’s alignment to state standards.
For products that have not gone through a state-adoption process (e.g., non-adopted materials), Learning List produces an independent verification of the material’s alignment to state standards.
For all materials, Learning List develops an editorial review and educator ratings and reviews.
- Do publishers get to preview and/or respond to the information before it is published?
Yes. For each product, we give publishers one week to preview the information before it is made available to subscribers on LearningList.com. During this period, publishers can correct any errors of fact in the editorial review and provide written comments and/or additional citations for Learning List to review in response to the alignment verification. The publisher’s comments on the alignment verification are published on LearningList.com along with the alignment verification.
- How much does it cost to submit materials?
Submitting materials to Learning List for review is free. There is no out-of-pocket cost for publishers to submit materials.
- If it’s free for publishers, where does Learning List’s revenue come from?
Learning List is a subscription-based service. Schools and districts subscribe to Learning List to access our reviews. Subscribers may also request that Learning List review materials that are not yet available on LearningList.com. Stay tuned for the next two parts of this series. If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to read Teacher Collaboration: A Key to Success.