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Learning List has reviewed McGraw Hill’s Mader Biology (Mader & Windelspecht), 12 th Edition. This comprehensive resource supports instruction in high school Advanced Placement (AP) Biology courses. Resources are available in print and eBook formats with additional online components. Instruction is inquiry-based and focuses on developing students’ understanding of biology concepts as well as critical thinking and communication skills. Mader Biology integrates the College Board’s “Big Ideas” and Science Practices for AP Biology. The text begins with a preface (i.e., chapter 1) titled “A View of Life” that introduces students to the study of biology, the AP Big Ideas for the course, the AP science practice skills, and the scientific method. Chapters begin with a set of essential questions that frame content and reference the relevant essential knowledge statements in the course framework (e.g., “How have humans manipulated plants to better serve our needs? 1.C.2.b”) and a “Following the Big Ideas” feature that highlights the Big Idea addressed by content. Additional online resources for Mader Biology include SmartBook adaptive reading materials, OnBOARD interactive learning tools, and ScoreBOARD adaptive review resources. SmartBook adaptive reading materials highlight important information in the text and present practice questions at key points in the reading. ONBoard for AP Biology provides self-paced modules that support introduction to and/or the review of content. SCOREBoard for AP Biology is an adaptive test preparation program that provides self-study resources to help students prepare for AP exams. About McGraw Hill Education* At McGraw-Hill Education, we believe that our contribution to unlocking a brighter future lies within the application of our deep understanding of how learning happens and how the mind develops. It exists where the science of learning meets the art of teaching. Our mission is to accelerate learning through intuitive, engaging, efficient and effective experiences – grounded in research. Educators have been and always will be at the core of the learning experience. The solutions we develop help educators impart their knowledge to students more efficiently. We believe that harnessing technology can enhance learning inside and outside of the classroom and deepen the connections between students and teachers to empower greater success. By partnering with educators around the globe, our learning engineers, content developers and pedagogical experts are developing increasingly open learning ecosystems that are proven to improve pass rates, elevate grades and increase engagement for each individual learner while improving outcomes for all. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from McGraw Hill Education . Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

We recently gave a presentation about three trends we are seeing in instructional materials. This blog post discusses the first: trends we are seeing in RtI materials. The goal of Response to Intervention (RtI) is to bridge the gap between the breakdown in a student’s understanding of concepts or skill development and current grade level expectations. We have observed that while RtI materials do a good job of spiraling instruction back to lower grades where the student’s knowledge deficit began, the materials do not always bring the student up to the current grade level. Another observation is that materials designed for RtI typically do not address all grade level standards.   Teachers must know which standards a material does not address so that they do not inadvertently use that material to reteach those standards. Our next observation:  “adaptive” does not necessarily mean “aligned.” Some RtI materials are “adaptive,” meaning that the material customizes instruction with built-in flexibility to permit students to take various routes to, and the amounts of time for, individualized learning (Wang & Lindvall, 1984). The path of learning is prescribed according to the students' learning needs, as indicated by their responses to questions, tasks and experiences most often determined in a diagnostic assessment. We commonly find that lessons listed in RtI materials (i.e., the lessons that make up students’ customized learning pathways) are not aligned to the standards they intend to teach.  Students cannot learn what they’re not taught. If an adaptive RtI material is not aligned to the standards a student is struggling with, the material will not help the student learn the knowledge and/or skills he or she is lacking. The bottom line: When using an adaptive RtI material, don’t set and forget . If you want that material to effectively remediate your students’ learning gaps, you must ensure that the lessons in each student’s pathway are aligned to the standards the student is struggling with. Lastly, “adaptive” does not mean that the material has adaptions for each of the special student populations.  Here, for example is the section of our Spec Sheet for a popular adaptive RtI material showing that this product does not have leveled readers. We hope these observations, as well as our prior blog post on the same topic; will help you use your RtI materials most effectively to remediate your students learning gaps.

One of the topics we are often asked to present at conferences is how to align a material to state standards. Before you begin the hard work of aligning instructional materials, you must ensure that teachers understand the knowledge and skills each Student Expectation requires students to learn. Each Student Expectation contains three parts, which we call the "Three Cs of the Standard": the content, context and cognitive demand. The Content of the Expectation states what students are required to learn . The content is typically the noun(s) of the Student Expectation. The Context of the Expectation is where/when the learning should be taking place. In the Common Core State Standards, the context may be articulated in the Expectation itself, or the Cluster or Domain may articulate the context for the Expectation. In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the context may be articulated in the Student Expectation or in the Knowledge and Skills Statement. In ELA, for example, the context of an Expectation is a particular genre. In social studies, the context for an Expectation is often the time period or type of history (e.g., US history, World history, Texas history, etc.). For science, the context is where the learning should be taking place (e.g., in the laboratory, in field investigations, on the Earth's surface). The Cognitive Demand is what the Expectation requires students to be able to do . The cognitive demand is typically the verb(s) of the Student Expectation. To determine whether a citation (i.e., a page, unit, lesson) in the material is aligned to a Student Expectation, you have to make sure that the citation addresses all three Cs of the Student Expectation. This may be more difficult than it sounds, because Student Expectations are often both compound and complex sentences. Thus, an Expectation typically contains several nouns and several verbs. If a single citation does not address all of the nouns and verbs contained in an Expectation, teachers must be aware of the citation's deficit or else their students may not learn all of the knowledge and skills the Expectation requires. Teachers can adjust their instruction to make up for the material's deficit or assign multiple citations that align to different portions of the Expectation to ensure that students are exposed the entire Expectation. If you would like to learn more about standards alignment, consider our two-hour, online professional development course, What Alignment Means, Why It Matters, and How to Do It!

Learning List has reviewed Wiley Publishing’s Calculus, 11 th Edition. This comprehensive calculus product supports instruction in Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC courses. Resources are available in print and eBook formats and additional online instructional materials are available from Wiley. Content is presented in 15 chapters that address limits and continuity; derivatives, including graphing and applications; differentiation; integrals, including applications and the principles of evaluating integrals; modeling with differential equations; infinite series; parametric and polar curves; conic sections; vector-valued functions; partial derivatives; multiple integrals; and topics in vector calculus. Appendices include a review of trigonometry and summaries of functions, including families of functions and inverse functions. Additional “Web Appendices” are available online and address additional topics, such as the use of technology (e.g., graphing calculators), selected proofs, and differential equations. Online resources available at WileyPLUS facilitate teacher-led instruction and student self-study. These include ORION adaptive practice tools, video tutorials, animations, and printable study guides and solutions manuals for each chapter. ORION adaptive software provides a diagnostic assessment that evaluates students’ understanding of chapter content by each objective. Animations and videos demonstrate key concepts (e.g., graphing a piecewise function) with voiceover narration. Study guides summarize and review learning objectives, vocabulary, and key ideas from each chapter and each chapter section. Solutions manuals provide answers to odd-numbered exercises. About Wiley Publishing* Wiley’s mission is to help teachers teach and students learn. Wiley maximizes the value of its content by publishing it in all media, notably through WileyPLUS, the online solution which has been used by nearly 1 million students in about 20 nations worldwide. Available in virtually all our disciplines, WileyPLUS courses contain the full online version of the text, plus all of the integrated teaching and learning resources instructors and students need to solve the problems inherent to their courses. Using WileyPLUS, instructors automate the assigning and grading of homework, and build highly visual presentations to engage students. Students complete assignments online with instant feedback as they are working, link directly to specific portions of their online text, and track their own progress in a personal gradebook. Students using WileyPLUS have consistently reported better understanding of material, better performance in class, and greater interest in learning. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Wiley Publishing .   Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

Learning List has reviewed the standards alignment of thousands materials. After reviewing a material's alignment, we calculate the percentage of standards to which the material is aligned. When you log into  LearningList.com , you will see the alignment percentage for each product. Be aware that an alignment percentage of 100%, does NOT mean that  every citation (e.g., page, lesson, video) listed in the publisher’s correlation was found to be aligned to the relevant standard. Rather, 100% alignment means that Learning List's subject matter experts found at least one aligned citation for each standard.  In other words, 100% aligned means that every standard was fully addressed at  least once  in the material.*  Learning List's subject matter experts review multiple citations for alignment to each standard.** As this table reflects, typically one or two of the citations reviewed are found to be aligned to the standard; several others are found not to be aligned. In order to be sure that students will learn  all  the knowledge and skills the standards require, teachers must know which citations are aligned to the standards and which are not. Our detailed alignment reports show (1) which citations (from the publisher’s correlation) were reviewed for alignment to each standard, (2) which of those were found to be aligned to the standard, and (3) which were found to not to be aligned. Moreover, a reviewer’s comment accompanies each non-aligned citation to explain precisely which part of the standard the citation failed to address. These alignment reports make it easier for teachers to assign citations that have been  verified  to be aligned to each standard. If teachers want to assign a non-aligned citation, the reviewer's comment explains how they should  adjust their instruction to make up for the material’s deficit(s). Preparing your students for success requires you to be a critical consumer of the instructional materials you are using. The alignment percentage of a material alone does not tell the whole story. Even when a material has an alignment percentage of 100%, there are likely citations in the publisher's correlation that are  not aligned  to the standards. The alignment reports on LearningList.com provide the  critical  information you need to use your instructional materials effectively  in your instruction. *Learning List recognizes that a single "aligned" citation may not be instructionally sufficient to help students "master" the standard.  Some level of repetition is typically required for students to understand, internalize, and master content and skills. That is the reason Learning List reviews  multiple  citations for alignment to each standard. **If the publisher's correlation lists  fewer than three  citations as aligned to a standard, Learning List's subject matter experts review all of the citations listed. If the publisher's correlation cites  more than three citations for a standard, Learning List subject matter experts review up to eight citations looking for at least three citations that are aligned to the standard. If teachers want to use a citation that Learning List has not been reviewed, they should check the alignment of the citation themselves. However, Learning List's alignment report serves as a guide as to how likely it is that any additional citation would be aligned to that standard.

Edmentum’s Courseware for Texas Algebra I, Texas Geometry, Texas Algebra II, and Texas Math Models with Applications is an online program that supports instruction in self-paced, remediation, initial credit, and credit recovery programs. Instruction is provided online and includes some downloadable materials.  Courseware  also provides comprehensive instruction in each of the core subjects, as well as in other content areas (e.g., world languages, College Board approved AP courses). Courses are made up of units that are broken into a set of short lessons. Most lessons are structured as a tutorial followed by application activities and a mastery test. The tutorial provides direct instruction and guided practice in an interactive slide show format. Application activities include a brief review of tutorial content followed by sets of practice problems with corrective feedback. Mastery tests are short, ten-question tests over lesson content. Students must pass the test with a score of 80% or better. If a student scores below 80%, they may repeat the tutorial and retake the mastery test. Each unit ends with a Discussion, a printable “Unit Activity,” and a post-test. Discussion questions are open-ended (e.g., “Do you know any real-life applications of variables?). Students respond to the question and view their classmate’s responses using the course’s chat features. Unit Activities require students to synthesize their learning to solve multi-step, real-world problems (e.g., calculating the amount of time it will take a skydiver to reach the ground). Post-tests are made up of a variety of question types, including multiple choice, multiple response (i.e., select all that apply), sequencing, matched pairs, fill-in-the-blank, number line, and “hot spot” items, where students select the correct image on a visual element. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition of solid research, sound pedagogy, and applied innovation. Edmentum develops rigorous, relevant curriculum that challenges your students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether your students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, accommodate their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Courseware can be used in a lab setting, a blended model in which online courses supplement the traditional classroom, or through a completely virtual experience. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Edmentum . Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

ELASuper Teacher Worksheets (STW) is a supplemental resource that provides printable worksheets, flashcards, and learning games across content areas for grades K-5. Resources are accessed online and must be printed for student use. Learning List recently reviewed STW English language arts and reading (ELAR) materials. STW addresses the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and supports reinforcement, remediation, and re-teaching of specific skills (e.g., common and proper nouns, sight words, descriptive writing). Content is organized by subject (e.g., phonics and early literacy, reading and writing, grammar) and topic (e.g., cause and effect, punctuation). Each resource includes a clear title, a short overview, and the grade level(s) for which it is appropriate (e.g., K-2). Worksheets and other activities allow students to practice concepts and improve fluency and skills through repeated practice and games. Reading worksheets are available for fictional stories and informational articles, and some worksheets are available in English and Spanish. STW also provides resources that support the development of print and cursive handwriting skills. Many worksheets are available at no cost at www.superteacherworksheets.com ; membership is required for full access to STW materials. About Super Teacher Worksheets* STW is the largest and most popular website created and managed by T.P.W. Websites. TPW’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable teaching resources on the Internet for teachers, parents, and homeschoolers. STW features thousands of educational printables to help students learn and review essential reading, writing, math, science, and social studies concepts. This information is provided by or adapted from TPW Websites .   Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

As standards are revised, you may have to purchase new or supplemental instructional materials to align to 100% of the new standards. When standards change, Learning List will review the alignment of materials already featured on our site against the new standards. The Learning List alignment reports will highlight changes in the standards to help you identify gaps in your current materials. As publishers submit an updated correlation (i.e., identifying citations in their existing materials that align to the new standards), Learning List will verify those correlations, and the alignment reports will show citations in your  existing materials that align to the new standards, as shown below. Contact  us to find out how reviewing Learning List’s alignment reports for your current instructional materials helps to determine whether gaps exist before purchasing new materials.You may find that you can save a lot of money!

Learning List has reviewed McGraw-Hill’s Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, Updated 6 th Edition.  This comprehensive resource supports instruction in high school Advanced Placement (AP) World History courses.  Content is available in print and digital formats with additional online resources. Instruction emphasizes overarching themes (e.g., Interaction Between Humans and the Environment) to help students make connections across regions, cultures, and periods in time. Traditions & Encounters begins with a preface that introduces students to the course’s features, the AP themes for world history, historical thinking skills, the format and types of questions on the AP exam, and how the exam is scored. Subsequent content is organized in seven parts.  Each part addresses a chronological period (e.g., The Formation of Classical Societies, ca. 500 B.C.E. to ca. 500 C.E.) and is made up of chapters that focus on particular phases or developments of the period (e.g., The Unification of China).  Content is presented using an engaging and highly readable writing style. Chapters include features titled “Sources from the Past” and “Reverberations.” Sources from the Past presents a primary source document from the period for students to analyze. Reverberations provides a brief discussion of how momentous events, ideas, and processes (e.g., “Urbanization and Patriarchy”) affect different regions and historical periods. Reverberations content helps students make connections across chapters. About McGraw Hill* McGraw Hill Education’s mission is to accelerate learning through intuitive, engaging, efficient and effective experiences – grounded in research. McGraw-Hill believes that its contribution to unlocking a brighter future lies in the company’s deep understanding of how learning happens and how the mind develops. It exists where the science of learning meets the art of teaching. Educators have been and always will be at the core of the learning experience. The solutions McGraw Hill develops help educators impart their knowledge to students more efficiently. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from  McGraw Hill Education . Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

McGraw Hill’s Thrive™ powered by Time To Know® is a comprehensive, online resource to support English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science instruction in 1:1 computer-based learning environments. Resources support teacher-led, data-driven instruction in classrooms that integrate technology. Learning List recently reviewed Thrive math resources for grades 3 – Algebra 2. Thrive math presents content at each grade level in units that focus on developing students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, fluency skills, and ability to solve real-world problems. Units are framed by an essential question (e.g., “What does multiplication mean?”) and are made up of lessons that include teacher-led and student-directed activities. Lessons include animations, videos, and learning games to engage students and frame content. Engaging digital manipulatives (e.g., number lines) are integrated throughout instruction. Students have access to audio readers and interactive math tools, such as number lines, place value charts, and graphic organizers. Students may share their work with the class using the program’s “Gallery” feature. Teachers have access to a set of tools to facilitate learning in a 1:1 environment. The “Eyes on the Teacher” tool alerts students that the teacher requires their attention. “Follow Me” and “Stop Line” tools allow teachers to control students’ navigation and progress. When using Follow Me, teachers control students’ navigation through the lesson. Stop Line allows teachers to place a “stop line” that prevents students from progressing past a particular point in a lesson. About Thrive Math* A focused, rigorous progression of concepts essential for math comprehension grounds the Thrive math program, engineered to meet the new standards. Engaging and age‐appropriate lesson animations and videos, explicit definitions of key terms and concepts, and scaffolded problem‐solving with instant and targeted feedback ensure students are ready for high‐stakes testing. Interactive lessons that balance conceptual understanding with procedural fluency ask learners to make sense of real‐life questions as they figure out, engage with, and look for structure and meaning in the world around them. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from McGraw Hill Education .   Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.

If you’ve concluded your Beginning of Year (BOY) assessments, then you’re probably planning RtI for struggling students. When selecting instructional materials for intervention support, these two questions are critical to your students’ success: Is the material aligned to the standards students are struggling with? Does the instructional material provide sufficient practice for students to master those skills? Imagine that your assessments show that a 2 nd  grade student needs help decoding multiple syllabic words (a) in context and (b) independent of context by applying common letter sound correspondences. The table below shows a popular intervention material’s alignment to the Elements of the Standard that addresses decoding words in context .  The material is aligned to each Element of the Standard; in fact, all 3 of the citations Learning List reviewed* were aligned to each Element. Standard 2.A.1: Decoding words in context: In contrast, the table below shows the material’s alignment to the Elements of the Standard that addresses decoding words independent of context .  One of the citations Learning List reviewed was aligned to each Element of the Standard, but five other citations reviewed were not aligned. Standard 2.A.2: Decoding words independent of context: While the instructional material is aligned to both of the standards the student is struggling with, this material would provide only one opportunity for the student to learn/practice each Element of the second standard, decoding multisyllabic words independent of context. Some level of repetition is typically required for students to understand, internalize, and master content and skills. If this is an adaptive material, this material’s single "aligned" citation may not be instructionally sufficient to help the student "master" decoding multisyllabic words independent of context. If this were your student, you would be advised to look for a different material that contains more citations aligned to each Element of these two standards, or use the reviewer’s comments in the alignment report to adjust instruction to match the full intent of the standard. Learning List’s alignment reports make it easy to identify materials that are aligned to the standard your students are struggling with and help you determine whether the material provides sufficient practice for your students to master those standards. *If the publisher's correlation lists  fewer than three  citations as aligned to a standard, Learning List's subject matter experts review all of the citations listed. If the publisher's correlation cites  more than three  citations as being aligned to a standard, Learning List employs a "spot check" verification methodology - at least three and up to eight citations are reviewed for alignment to the standard. If teachers want to use a citation that Learning List has not  reviewed, they would be advised to check the alignment of the citation themselves. However, Learning List's alignment report serves as a guide as to how likely it is that any additional citation would be aligned to that standard.

McGraw Hill’s ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is a comprehensive, online program that provides adaptive math instruction for students in grades 3-12. Content is available online and includes some printable resources (e.g., worksheets). Instruction is presented using individualized, interactive tutorials that focus on a specific concept. Learning List recently reviewed ALEKS resources for middle and high school math courses. Students take an “Initial Assessment” that evaluates they know and the concepts they are ready to learn. Based on the results of the Initial Assessment, each student receives a “Student Assessment Report” that clarifies the topics they will be assigned in “ALEKS Learning Mode.” In ALEKS Learning Mode, students receive direct instruction and have opportunities for guided and independent practice. Instruction focuses on a single topic or concept (e.g., the multiplicative property of equality with decimals) and begins with an example problem, its solutions, and an explanation of the strategy used to find the solution. After the example problem, students are presented with a set of similar practice problems. ALEKS supports instruction in a variety of learning environments, including teacher-led, self-directed, and distance learning programs. Content is fully customizable and available in English and Spanish. About McGraw Hill Education and ALEKS* McGraw-Hill Education, a leading digital learning company, acquired  ALEKS Corporation in 2013 At the time of the acquisition, McGraw-Hill Education had marketed and sold ALEKS for math in the higher education space for more than 10 years. * The content in this section is provided by or adapted from  McGraw Hill Education   Subscribe to Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and detailed alignment report for this material.