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Are your teachers requesting materials to help students prepare for the Biology End-of-Course Exam? Take a look at Learning List’s review of USATestprep Biology. USATestprep provides a supplemental program that includes online test preparation and digital instructional resources for Texas STAAR End of Course (EOC) exams, national exams, such as ACT or SAT, Advanced Placement Exams, as well as others. Learning List recently reviewed the content intended to support student learning specific to the Biology TEKS and preparation for the State of Texas Biology End of Course exam. The program includes both direct-teach and independent student practice materials. It supports test preparation through repeated practice of key concepts and skills by providing STAAR-styled questions, organized by student expectation, with process standards addressed separately from other TEKS. USATestprep provides teachers with multiple opportunities to customize materials for students and monitor student progress by assignment and over time. Students can work through the program at their own pace. The program can translate some, but not all of the student materials into Spanish. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about how USATestprep can be used to meet specific student learning needs. Learning List has also completed a standard-by-standard review of the alignment of the material, and a review of the product’s technology compatibility.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About USATestprep * USATestprep has been helping students with high-stakes tests since 1998. They offer a multitude of review products for subject area end-of-grade, end-of-course, graduation level, career readiness, and college entrance assessments. Their programs are tailored to both individual state and/or Common Core standards. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from USATestprep .

Do your early childhood teachers need a program to supplement math instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Istation Math. Istation Math is a supplemental program for students in grades PK-5. Learning List recently reviewed the teacher directed lessons and the student digital app for grades PK-1.  The material is designed to support students in developing mathematical skills through instruction that is sequenced from concrete, to representational, to abstract. The program focuses on development of strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, procedural fluency, and conceptual understanding by providing math lessons and practice through teacher-directed lessons and a digital app. Through the digital app, students receive ongoing, corrective and supportive feedback. The digital app enables teachers to track student progress in real time. Additionally, the material encourages a home-school connection through the “Parent Portal”, which allows parents to monitor student progress. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about how Istation Math can be used to meet the varied learning needs of students. Learning List has also completed a standard-by-standard review of the alignment of the material, and a review of the product’s technology compatibility.  These reviews will not only inform selection decisions, they facilitate curriculum mapping and instructional alignment, as well. To learn more about this material and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Istation Math* Istation provides richly animated, game-like educational technology. Istation is the winner of several national educational technology awards. Their programs “immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn.” Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Istation .

Effective critical thinking involves asking questions, problem-solving, using reasoning and evidence to reach conclusions, and approaching situations with an open mind. Helping students become critical thinkers is a goal of many school districts, but ultimately, it is up to the teacher to create a learning environment conducive to developing students' critical thinking skills. The instructional materials used can either greatly aid or hinder the teacher's efforts in fostering critical thinking. Based on our experience reviewing thousands of instructional materials, this blog offers five considerations to help educators evaluate the degree to which an instructional material supports the development of critical thinking skills. Multiple levels of questions and activities Activities and questions should be scaffolded at multiple levels, and should encourage students to ask, as well as answer questions. While questions and activities might not be overtly identified as such, educators should be able to identify resources at multiple levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy or Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. Instructional materials that reinforce critical thinking should offer activities, questions, and assignments that are open-ended and accept multiple correct answers and interpretations. Defending and explaining answers Closely related to the level or rigor and types of questions the material provides is the type of answers the material expects from students. Materials that consistently require students to support their answers/arguments with evidence or justify and explain their answers are more likely to bolster the development of critical thinking. For example, a science material may promote critical thinking by requiring students to defend the findings of their experiments; a math material might do the same by requiring students to explain how they solved a problem rather than simply answering the question. The ability to defend and explain answers, to use evidence to justify an argument, are key critical thinking skills. Complexity Materials designed at varied and increasing levels of cognitive complexity will reinforce the development of critical thinking. Materials should become increasingly complex within each unit and across the entirety of the material. Perhaps this means that students are considering more complex topics, reading texts that require high levels of cognitive processing, or engaging in discourse that requires increased levels of analysis. The degree to which students are required to think deeply, explore ideas from multiple perspectives, and consider ideas that challenge their own thinking are important indicators of the material’s support of critical thinking. An appropriate level of challenge for all students Critical thinking is developed when students are challenged. An instructional material must, therefore, provide an appropriate level of challenge for all students. This means the material must include options and suggestions for differentiating instruction. This goes beyond the provision of “extension” activities for gifted or high-achieving students. Differentiation must provide multiple entry points to grade-level instruction for struggling learners, as well as increasing challenges and opportunities for depth and complexity for all students. Organization and Integration Integration, whether through subjects, content, or skills, contributes significantly to students’ abilities to make connections and construct their own meaning. The more deeply integrated the material, the more likely the material is to foster the development of critical thinking. For example, materials that focus on students acquiring facts are less likely to support the development of critical thinking than materials that are organized around global themes or concepts, require students to engage with cross-disciplinary or real-world essential questions or offer opportunities for inquiry and research. At Learning List , our goal is to help educators choose and then use instructional materials most effectively to best support student learning. To that end, we provide two types of reviews to help educators evaluate the degree to which instructional materials support critical thinking. The first of these is our Alignment Reports. Critical thinking skills are embedded within most state standards. Our alignment reports assess the degree to which a material is aligned to the content, the context, and the cognitive demand or rigor of each grade level standard. Thus, these reports make it easy for educators to see which critical thinking skills a material supports and which it does not, and how thoroughly each skill is supported. The second review that helps educators assess how well a material facilitates the development of critical thinking skills is our Editorial Review. The Editorial Review provides a qualitative analysis of the overall instructional quality of the material, including an assessment of its rigor and complexity and the other indicators mentioned above. Learning List’s Editorial Reviews help educators quickly identify the features of the material that support differentiated instruction and promote students’ development of critical thinking skills.

When implementing an instructional material during in-person instruction, teachers can adjust instruction, add instructional strategies, and differentiate instruction for their students. During remote instruction, however, teachers may not have as many opportunities to adjust instruction to meet their students’ needs. Therefore, the quality of instructional materials used for remote instruction is more important than ever. Learning List has reviewed thousands of instructional materials, and we consider many factors in our qualitative reviews. In previous blogs, we have written about considerations for selecting materials to support continuous learning and things to look for if selecting online materials .   This blog takes a deeper look at assessing the quality of instructional materials used for remote instruction. Alignment to standards To support student learning and achievement of grade level expectations, comprehensive instructional materials must be aligned to as many of the standards for the grade level or course as possible. The materials must offer learning opportunities that reflect the content, context and cognitive rigor of the expectations of the standards. Supplemental materials must be aligned to the standards that are the focus of the instruction. For example, a reading material must, at a minimum, be aligned to all of the reading comprehension standards; a material that addresses fractions must be aligned to all of the standards that help students learn fractions.  Engagement and Instructional model Students engage with the materials in a remote setting differently than they would in the classroom.  For example, students working in an asynchronous environment will have significantly less interaction with other students and with the teacher than their face-to-face peers.   This may cause students to feel stressed and disengage from the learning. When students have limited opportunities to interact with classmates or teachers, it is important for their materials to provide active engagement . Instructional materials that support active learning offer a variety of activity types, choices in assignments and/or resources, and self-assessment. These materials also provide diverse opportunities to learn content, such as through videos, text, images, animations, game scenarios, or simulations. Engagement is crucial for student focus for longer periods of learning in any setting and even more important for independent, remote learning. Rigor During in-person instruction, teachers may provide instructional rigor by designing challenging tasks, collaborative groups, and projects. When students are learning remotely, their instructional materials should support the same level of rigor. Materials designed with rigor in mind include questions, activities, and assessments that challenge students across a range of Bloom’s Taxonomy or Webb’s Depth of Knowledge.  Open-ended activities, simulations, and projects with rubrics to assist students in assessing their own work are often present in rigorous instructional materials. Students engaged in remote learning have to rely on their materials even more than they do when they are in class. Therefore, the quality of the materials used for remote instruction is critical to the effectiveness of that learning experience. Alignment, engagement, and rigor are three criteria to focus on when selecting materials for remote instruction. Other important quality indicators include: scaffolding of instruction, differentiated pathways, and adaptions to support all students’ learning. Considering these factors, how would you answer the question: “Do the materials you are using for remote instruction support a high-quality learning experience for your students?”

Having facilitated many districts’ adoption processes and listened to educators articulate what they are looking for in instructional materials, we have observed that assessments are often  under assessed  during an adoption/selection process. Assessments are a critical component of the instructional cycle. Therefore, as part of Learning List’s qualitative, Editorial Review of each instructional material, we evaluate the material’s assessments. Based on our review of thousands of instructional materials, we offer the following four key considerations to help you determine whether the assessments embedded in an instructional material will meet your needs. Variety in assessment purposes and types Because students have a variety of learning needs and learning experiences, in determining whether the assessments in a material will be sufficient, look for: a mix of  diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments;  options for pre-assessment, checks for understanding, and chapter/unit tests; and a mix of assessment types, such as objective (i.e., multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank), constructed response (i.e., short answer, essay), and performance-based. Additionally, as this blog explains , if your state assessments have changed since you purchased the material, make sure that the material's assessments reflect the types and variety of the questions in the new state assessments. Usefulness of information provided by the assessments Publishers create materials for a broad audience of students and educators. In order to inform your instructional decisions, the material’s assessments should provide timely information about whether your students learned what you intended them to learn. Are the assessments designed to measure the material's stated learning outcomes? Do the assessments provide information specific to each student’s level of achievement on the learning outcomes? Will the information provided by the assessments help you plan the pacing of instruction, differentiate instruction, structure small group instruction, and/or provide intervention?   Flexibility and customization of assessments Publishers create materials for a broad audience. Consequently, you will likely need to customize assessments to meet your needs and the needs of your students. For example, an assessment may cover content that you are not teaching. Perhaps you need to reduce the number of answer choices or revise a prompt for a constructed response. Are you able to delete or edit questions in the assessments? Options for customization and flexibility are essential in determining how useful and effective you are likely to find the material’s assessments. Match between types of assessments and learning activities The assessments in a material need to measure acquired skills, knowledge and understanding, and the ability of students to transfer skills and knowledge to new situations. In order to effectively measure what students know and are able to do, consider the degree to which the assessment type matches the type of learning experience. For example, if the material requires students to read a text independently with the goal of measuring reading comprehension, then a multiple-choice reading selection quiz might be sufficient. However, if the material requires students to demonstrate their understanding of math skills through hands-on, project-based activities, a multiple-choice assessment will likely not yield effective evidence of student learning. Assessment is a necessary part of any instructional cycle. Thus, when reviewing an instructional material, it is important to also assess the assessments. Does the material include a variety of assessments? Do the assessments address the material’s and your learning objectives? Will the assessments provide the type of information you need to inform your instructional decisions? Can you customize the assessments? And finally, are the assessments well suited to the material’s content? These criteria, which are addressed in Learning List ’s Editorial Reviews, are important to keep in mind when you are purchasing new materials.

Does your district need instructional materials to support middle school students who have selected home learning? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s Texas English 6-8. Edmentum’s Texas English 6-8 provides a fully digital, comprehensive program for middle school English Language Arts.  The material provides a variety of activities to support students’ development of reading and writing skills. The goal of the program is to provide rigorous, relevant instruction through interactive, media-rich content.   The material sequences instruction so that it becomes increasingly complex and builds on students’ prior knowledge. Units begin with a discussion topic and questions designed to encourage students to begin connecting the concepts in the unit with information they already know. While students complete the course individually, the design of the LMS and the way the instruction is provided enables middle school teachers to customize instruction to meet individual students needs. Additionally, the platform provides numerous tools to help teachers monitor student progress, and pre- and post-tests for each unit measure student learning of the targeted skills.  Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about the instructional features of this material and how it supports collaboration through virtual instruction. Learning List has also completed a standard-by-standard alignment review, as well as a review of the material’s technology compatibility. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition research, pedagogy, and innovation. Edmentum develops curriculum that challenges students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, Edmentum accommodates their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Plato 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 .

Is your district looking for materials to support students in credit recovery? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s Texas English II. Edmentum’s Texas English II is a fully digital, comprehensive program for English II.  The material provides a variety of activities to support students’ development of reading and writing skills. The goal of the program is to provide rigorous, relevant instruction through interactive, media-rich content.   Students complete the course individually and measure their learning through pre- and post-tests at the beginning and end of each unit. The material sequences instruction so that it becomes increasingly complex and builds on students’ prior knowledge. Units begin with a discussion topic and questions designed to encourage students to begin connecting the concepts in the unit with information they already know. Learning experiences are provided through a learning management system (LMS) that is easy to navigate. The LMS enables teachers to customize course content to meet the needs of individual students and provides numerous tools to help teachers monitor student learning and progress. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about the instructional features of this material and how it supports collaboration through virtual instruction. Learning List has also completed a standard-by-standard alignment review, as well as a review of the material’s technology compatibility. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition research, pedagogy, and innovation. Edmentum develops curriculum that challenges students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, Edmentum accommodates their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Plato 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 .

8 Features of “Culturally Responsive” Materials As schools are tackling all of the demands of educating students during Covid-19, teachers continue to focus, and re-focus, on building relationships with students and providing supportive environments. Part of providing a safe, supportive learning environment is providing a culturally responsive classroom. “Culturally Responsive” is a term frequently heard in educational circles today. It goes beyond building relationships to ensuring academic growth for all students. While culturally responsive teaching is a complex topic, there is one piece of it that does not have to be challenging. Consider how you would answer this question: “Do students see themselves in the instructional materials I am using?” In formulating your answer, think about the following factors: Connections: To what degree do the materials I am using enable students to connect to the learning? While instructional materials cannot do this work in isolation, a student’s ability to see themselves, their culture, their experiences, or their interests in the materials fosters a feeling of belonging. Perspectives: Do my materials present multiple perspectives on topics? Consider the idea that learning about topics from multiple perspectives enables students to learn about others and appreciate different points of view, and value people who are different from themselves. Identity: Materials should help students discover who they are. Do my materials help students answer questions about who they are as person, as a reader, a mathematician, historian, or scientist, as a family member, and as a member of society as a whole? Social and Emotional Learning: Do my materials support SEL? While SEL is not equivalent to culturally responsive teaching and learning, materials that support social and emotional learning support students. They teach them to value themselves and others. This goes hand-in-hand with creating a culturally responsive classroom. High Expectations: Are my materials appropriately rigorous for all students? Your materials should support a consistent message that you expect ALL students to achieve. Equity: Do my materials offer an equitable learning experience for all students? Think about the degree to which the materials include adaptions to support students with specific learning needs. Materials that provide adaptions support teachers in providing a quality learning experience for all students. They also allow students who face learning challenges to see that they can be successful with the same materials used by their peers. Collaboration: Do the lessons in my materials provide consistent opportunities for students to work collaboratively both inside the face-to-face or virtual classroom and in the world? Learning to work together, to support one another, is part of providing the supportive environment that is a culturally responsive classroom. Alignment: Is my material aligned to the standards my students must learn? Providing a culturally responsive classroom sets the stage for improving the academic achievement of all students. At Learning List , we recognize that there is so much more to providing a culturally responsive learning environment than simply providing the right instructional materials, but the instructional materials either support your efforts to create a culturally responsive environment or they do not. The factors we have suggested are not a comprehensive list; rather, they are just a beginning, a jumping off point to spark a conversation with your colleagues to ensure that your materials are furthering your efforts to create a classroom environment that supports the academic growth of all students.

Is your district looking for a math-focused, developmentally appropriate program? Take a look at Learning List’s review of The Math Learning Center’s Bridges in Mathematics. The Math Learning Center’s Bridges in Mathematics for Pre-K is play-based and provides a comprehensive mathematics curriculum for prekindergarten students. The material is sequenced according to developmental progressions of mathematics concepts and skills and is organized in nine units.  The program addresses standard areas of math instruction, including numbers, operations, geometry, patterning, measurement, and data analysis.  The material uses games, stories, manipulatives, and visual models to teach math concepts and skills. The design supports critical thinking and problem-solving skills through scaffolded and hands-on activities, providing developmentally appropriate mathematics instruction. Bridges in Mathematics provides an abundance of teacher resources in print and online. These resources include step-by-step teacher guidance to support teachers with various levels of experience. The program is available in English and Spanish and includes instructional suggestions to support EL students. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about the adaptions the material provides to support students’ specific learning needs. Learning List has also completed a guideline-by-guideline review of the materials alignment to the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines for the mathematics domain, as well as a review of the material’s technology compatibility. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About The Math Learning Center* The Math Learning Center (MLC) is a nonprofit organization serving the education community . Their mission is to inspire and enable individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability.  They offer innovative and standards-based curriculum, resources, and professional development. Their products and services are used by educators throughout the United States and in many international locations. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from The Math Learning Center

Is your district looking for materials to support students working virtually? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s Texas Algebra II . Edmentum’s Texas Algebra II is a fully digital, comprehensive program. The material provides a variety of activities to support students’ development of skills required for Algebra II. The goal of the program is to provide rigorous, relevant curriculum through interactive, media-rich content.  Students complete activities that are similar to teacher-led mathematics classroom instruction in that the lesson blends direct instruction with opportunities for students to explore the concept and sample problems to help them develop an understanding of the concepts and skills. Further, the inclusion of digital math tools ensures that students have what they need at point-of-use. The learning management system is easy to navigate and provides opportunities for collaboration among students and between the teacher and students through the Virtual Learning Collaboration Space (VLCS). For teachers, Edmentum Sensei provides numerous tools to assist in monitoring student learning and customizing instruction to support students’ individual learning needs. Read Learning List’s standard-by-standard alignment review to learn more about how Edmentum’s Texas Algebra II supports student mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, and read our full editorial review to learn more about how the program supports individual student learning needs. Learning List has also completed a review of the material’s technology compatibility. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition research, pedagogy, and innovation. Edmentum develops curriculum that challenges students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, Edmentum accommodates their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Plato 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 .

Have you thought about using the arts to teach prekindergarten? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of TPS’s Prekindergarten programs. TPS offers two different comprehensive programs for prekindergarten, STEAM Themes and Live and Learn . The materials are available in print and digital forms, in a variety of configurations. Live and Learn focuses on four principles: every child is unique, positive relationships, enabling environments, and children learn and develop differently. STEAM Themes focuses on “conceptual learning, basic skills, meaningful experiences, and thinking, reasoning, and communicating.”  Both programs provide lessons that are specific to individual Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. STEAM Themes is organized around a central theme and thirteen different unit themes. Live and Learn’s organization is based on the domains of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. Both programs support typical prekindergarten learning structures: whole-group, small-group, and stations. The materials for both programs are only provided in English.   Read Learning List’s full editorial reviews to compare the features of the programs and to learn more about the adaptions provided for special populations. Learning List has completed a qualitative review of the instructional content and a review of the technology compatibility for this material.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About TPS* TPS (Teachers, Parents, Students) Publishing Inc. is a teacher/writer group focused on providing innovative inquiry based STEAM programs, TK-G12, to exactly align to Common Core Mathematics, NGSS and by State curriculum. Programs include STEM and Arts inclusive projects. TPS has created a teacher toolbox offering you an opportunity to use career targeted, exciting project based learning tools together with traditional practice. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from TPS .

Is your district looking for additional courses for online instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edgenuity’s United States Government, Economics, and World History Studies . Edgenuity’s United States Government, Economics, and World History Studies are comprehensive, online courses that support instruction in blended learning and self-paced environments. Video-based lessons focus on developing students’ understanding of social studies topics, such as the Cradle of Civilization and the importance of Constitutional rights. The U.S. Government and Economics courses each provide instruction for one semester, and the World History Studies course provides instruction for a full year. The courses organize content into relevant units that each include multiple lessons. Each lesson centers on a guiding question. A variety of teachers provide instruction in short video lectures, supported by guided notes, demonstrations, guided practice, and brief checks for understanding. Logically sequenced lessons, designed in small, manageable segments, support student motivation, ability to work independently, and conceptual understanding. Edgenuity provides numerous options for differentiating instruction, including course customization and the ability for students to access the platform in multiple languages. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about the rigor of the material and the ways the Edgenuity LMS supports management of the course for students and teachers. Learning List has completed a standard-by-standard review of this material’s alignment, a qualitative review of its instructional content, and a review of its technology compatibility.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Edgenuity* Edgenuity provides engaging online and blended learning education solutions that propel success for every student, empower every teacher to deliver more effective instruction, and enable schools and districts to meet their academic goals. Edgenuity delivers a range of Core Curriculum, AP®, Elective, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and Credit Recovery courses aligned to the rigor and high expectations of state, Common Core and iNACOL standards and designed to inspire life-long learning. * The content in this section is provided by or adapted from Edgenuity .