The Next Generation Science Standards are impacting science education for approximately 71% of United States students. As of January 2020, twenty states have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which are based on the National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Education. An additional twenty-four states have adopted their own standards that are based on the National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Education. As teachers across the country have realized, NGSS changes the expectation for what science instruction looks like. NGSS moves students beyond just knowing science and demonstrating their knowledge through completing scripted science experiments and demonstrations to doing science and solving problems like scientists and engineers. This means the materials for science instruction have to change, too. At Learning List, we have seen a shift in the design of materials to support the implementation of the NGSS. There are clear distinctions between products that are designed specifically to support NGSS and products that were previously designed for other science standards and then correlated to NGSS. In the strongest materials, designed specifically for NGSS, we have noted the following commonalities: Materials consistently integrate three-dimensional learning. They reflect a clear connection among the Disciplinary Core Ideas, the Cross-Cutting Concepts, and the Science and Engineering Practices. The three dimensions are not simply present in the material. They work in conjunction with one another to provide a cohesive learning experience. Students actively participate in learning experiences, such as designing and completing labs, as they learn the concept/content. These learning experiences are the vehicle for learning the content, so that students make connections, explain scientific phenomena, or design solutions.   Materials employ scientific phenomena as the basis for learning . They require students to study, experience, and explain scientific phenomena. Phenomena are frequently paired with statements of big ideas or guiding/driving questions.  While the phenomena may begin as the “hook” that encourages student interest in the concept, the value of phenomena quickly evolve. As students work through units of study, their goal is to find the explanation for the scientific  concept that is demonstrated by the phenomena.  Materials require students to “do science,” rather than simply learn about it. Students design their own experiences and formulate their own expectations and solutions.  The strongest materials consistently place students in the role of scientist. Their daily work in the classroom mimics the daily work of scientists. Students are actively engaged in scientific thinking by answering open-ended questions, designing the questions for themselves, designing experiments, and proposing solutions to problems. Materials designed for NGSS support mastery of the performance expectations and provide culminating activities that require students to demonstrate learning. In these materials, assessments reflect instruction. Students are required to demonstrate their learning toward mastery of the performance expectation throughout the unit. Materials are rich with opportunities for real-world formative assessment and generally include performance tasks, opportunities to design experiments, and other non-traditional assessments. Materials provide abundant teacher support . Publishers recognize that implementation of NGSS is a shift in thinking and practice for teachers. As a result, NGSS materials provide implementation resources, videos and documents to support the development of teachers’ content knowledge, and specific references to support the change in pedagogy demanded by the NGSS.  A goal of the NGSS is for students to leave high school as informed consumers and learners of scientific information. As the NGSS change the face of science instruction, instructional materials will continue to evolve to support teachers in designing lessons  and students’ ability to make sense of the world around them.

When our Learning List team talks to district staff, we hear a variety of responses to the question, “How are you currently selecting resources to support Tier I intervention?” Answers range from systemic processes with district-wide solutions to teachers each selecting their own materials from multiple sources. The results of intervention are equally varied. Ensuring successful intervention requires consideration of multiple factors that can be addressed by answering the following questions: Do the intervention materials fully address each student’s specific learning gaps? The goal of intervention is to bridge the gap between the student’s current understanding of concepts or skill development and the required grade-level expectations. While most intervention materials provide resources for below-grade-level instruction, they may or may not fully align to the grade-level standards to which they are intended to align. Further, teachers will likely need multiple resources to address the needs of different learners as most supplemental materials are not designed to align to all grade level standards.  In order to provide successful intervention, teachers must know to which standards the material does and does not align before using with students for intervention. Are the district’s adaptive programs providing appropriate and targeted intervention? Most adaptive programs provide a diagnostic assessment that is the basis for student choices of learning pathways within the program. In theory, this means that the learning pathway is customized to address the students’ learning gaps. However, adaptive does not mean aligned. In Learning List’s review of adaptive materials for reading and mathematics, we find that it is common for adaptive material to be aligned to less than 50% of grade-level standards. If the diagnostic assessment and the resulting learning pathways are not fully aligned to the standards where students are struggling, students are not practicing the standards they need to learn. Are the intervention materials age- and grade-level appropriate? Most materials intended for on-grade-level use are age and grade-level appropriate. This means that they include content that appeals to and is appropriate for the age group for which the material is intended. However, Learning List’s editorial reviews of intensive intervention materials, typically for Tier II and Tier III intervention, reveal that in their effort to address below-grade level standards and needs of students who have significant learning gaps, publishers sometimes include content or graphics that appeal to younger students. Learning List’s Alignment Reports provide a standard-by-standard analysis of the alignment to the standards to which the publisher claims alignment. Alignment matters because using mis-aligned materials leads to mis-aligned instruction. The aligned citations on the alignment report can be used to plan standards-based instruction by directing the teacher to portions of the material that are aligned to the standards they need to teach. Learning List’s Alignment Comparison Tool enables districts to compare materials the district owns by showing which material is aligned to each standard. The Fill in the Gap Tool allows the district to add additional materials to the comparison to determine how those materials would fill the gaps of the existing materials. Learning List’s Editorial Review provides a qualitative review of the experience of the teacher and student while using the material. This review helps districts determine if the material is appropriate for their students.   Intervention is about addressing learning gaps. Teacher’s must have access to well-aligned, age-appropriate materials in order to teach what students need to learn. As district’s continue to provide intervention for students and plan for systemic and classroom solutions, Learning List is here to help.

Districts invest significant time, resources, and money into the development of curriculum and the purchase of instructional materials. A lack of consistency between the sequence of the curriculum and the sequence of instructional materials can be a hurdle to implementation of both. Mapping instructional resources to the district curriculum will support teachers with planning so that lessons and activities from instructional materials are in sync with the curriculum.  The following considerations support the development of a sound process for mapping instructional materials to curriculum. Inventory instructional materials and determine which ones should and should not be mapped. To make decisions regarding the order of instructional materials, the curriculum team must have access to all relevant instructional material(s). Are there some materials that are outdated or weakly aligned that should not be mapped? Which materials should be listed as the primary resource? Since many materials include multiple components, it is also important to have access to all the instructional components of the materials you will be mapping. Match the standard in the district’s scope and sequence to the standard in the publisher’s correlation for that material. Select a standard. Identify the unit or grading period in the district curriculum where mastery of that standard is expected. Use the publisher’s correlation to identify activities and assessments in the material that may reflect mastery of the standard. It is important to note that not all citations in a publisher’s correlation indicate alignment to mastery of the standard. If there are many citations, the publisher may have listed in the correlation locations in the material that introduce the skill or concept and scaffold learning, as well as those that reflect mastery of learning.  Be sure to verify the citations’ alignment to the standard yourself before mapping them to your curriculum. Then, determine where the standard is introduced, taught, and reinforced within the district’s curriculum and map additional citations from the instructional materials to the curriculum. Consider appropriate placement of assessments. If teachers are going to use assessments from the instructional materials make sure that students to have had the opportunity to learn the skills and concepts represented in the assessment items.  If any assessment items are out of sequence with the sequence of the curriculum, communicate in the district curriculum documents the assessment items that should be used or deleted. Identify gaps Once you have mapped each of your relevant materials to the district curriculum, determine if there are adequate resources to support each unit of instruction. You may be able to fill gaps by inserting instructional guidance in the district curriculum or you may need to purchase additional resources. If purchasing new materials, verify that the new material is aligned to the standards gaps in your current materials. Monitor implementation Gather feedback regarding the materials’ support of the sequence of instruction as teachers use the district curriculum documents to plan. Adjustments may be needed in the number and type of materials mapped to the district curriculum. This feedback will assist in improving the viability of the curriculum and effective use of the instructional materials the district has purchased. How can Learning List help? Districts that subscribe to Learning List have access to alignment reviews and tools that will facilitate this process.  Our detailed alignment reports show which citations were reviewed and found to be aligned to each standard, which were found not to be aligned and which part of the standard those citations failed to address. Curriculum teams can download aligned citations and copy them into the district curriculum documents. If multiple materials are being mapped to the curriculum, Learning List’s Compare Alignment tool shows where each material is and is not aligned to the standards.

Is your district looking for a digital program to provide personalized math practice? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of IXL Learning’s Math for grades 4-6. IXL Learning is a supplemental online program providing content for grades PK-12 that includes language arts, math, social studies, and science. Learning List recently reviewed the math content for grade 4-6, which provides math practice problems and explanations based on diagnostic assessment results.  The program intends to offer a personalized learning experience to meet students’ individual learning needs. IXL Math is an adaptive program that uses continuous diagnostic assessment to provide each student with individualized math practice sets. Each practice set, called a Recommendation, is based on a discrete skill, such as putting integers in order or equivalent fractions, and includes practice problems, explanations, and ongoing diagnostic assessment. The program enables students to make choices about their own learning by selecting from among multiple assignments. Students are able to monitor their own progress through reports on the student dashboard. Likewise, the teacher dashboard allows teacher to monitor student progress in real time and recommend specific content to students. Read Learning List’s alignment report to see how well aligned to the TEKS this adaptive material is, as well as the full editorial review to learn more about how IXL Math meets the specific learning needs of students, including details about adaptions for special populations. Learning List has also completed a review of the technology compatibility for the material. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About IXL Learning* At IXL Learning, we are passionate about creating and supporting the best educational technology possible. We develop first-of-their-kind products used by millions of learners, from children to adults. People count on us to make learning as effective as it can be, and we are deeply committed to solving the real-world challenges faced by students and teachers around the planet. IXL Learning products are used in classrooms and homes in more than 190 countries around the world. We touch the lives of millions of educators and learners daily—from teachers providing personalized guidance to each student, to parents looking for high-quality educational games for their kids, to a university student tackling a foreign language, and more. IXL alone is used by over 400,000 teachers and over 8 million students (who have answered a whopping 60 billion questions to date!). *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from IXL Learning

Districts increasingly are contacting us for assistance finding high quality materials to support ELs.  Whether , and if so,  how  materials support ELs is part of Learning List's quality review rubric. Having reviewed thousands of materials, we have observed seven trends in how instructional materials address the needs of ELs: The availability of materials designed specifically to support language acquisition and development is limited, as is the number of materials available in languages other than English.  There are significantly more materials that support language acquisition at the elementary level than there are for secondary students. As a result, districts often choose reading intervention programs, which are generally provided in English, as support for their secondary EL students. These materials, however, do not typically support students’ acquisition of content knowledge in subjects other than English Language Arts.  Materials for elementary ELA/R generally provide instructional strategies to support ELs but may lack the level of systematic, explicit instruction in foundational skills that ELs need.  Research has proven that explicit, systemic instruction of foundational skills is best for most students, and it is vital for ELs. Materials that include a significant amount of digital content tend to provide more language adaptions than print-only materials.  If publishers of digital materials offer to print content to meet a district's needs, districts should be aware that the printed copies may not contain as many EL supports as the digital version contains. Comprehensive materials provide adaptions more often than supplemental materials do. Few materials provide EL-specific supports or adaptions, even if they are labeled as such.  Comprehensive materials that have supports, commonly only provide  general  instructional strategies or adaptions to support  any  special population. For example, an instructional material might suggest that teachers front-load vocabulary instruction or that they work with students in small groups. Generalized adaptions might include a bilingual glossary or screen readers.  Materials with  strong  support for English Learners provide instructional suggestions or adaptions to content based on students’ levels of English proficiency.  For example, an ELA/R product we recently reviewed allows the teacher or student to adjust the complexity of reading selections based on level of English proficiency. A science product we reviewed provides language acquisition strategies that address listening, speaking, and reading. Other products provide instructional suggestions, such as scaffolded suggestions for teaching academic vocabulary that are specific to the students’ level of English proficiency. Few materials provide translation support for ELs whose native language is something other than Spanish.  When translations are present, they are most often provided for Spanish speaking students. We have seen only a handful of instructional materials that support instruction in additional languages. One digital product we have reviewed provides the content in more than 15 languages. Given the demographic trends in the United States, it is likely that the number of English Learners and the variety of languages spoken in our schools will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. As a result, there will continue to be a significant need for quality instructional materials. At Learning List, we will continue to be part of the conversation and part of the solution by continuing to review materials for the supports EL students and the teachers who serve them need to be successful.

Do you need a product to support student mastery of the TEKS for math? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Mentoring Minds ThinkUp! Math. Mentoring Minds ThinkUp! Math is a comprehensive mathematics product that supports TEKS-based instruction in grades 1 through 8. Content is available in print with an online pre-assessment. ThinkUp! Math is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills and connect math to real world situations.  The material  also supports instruction in the 9 Traits of Critical Thinking™ as defined by Mentoring Minds. ThinkUp! Math is intended to help students understand and develop math skills, concepts, and processes. Instruction combines math content with critical thinking by addressing Mentoring Minds’ 9 Traits of Critical Thinking™: Examine, Communicate, Inquire, Collaborate, Adapt, Strive, Reflect, Link, and Create. Materials include a print teacher edition, a consumable student edition, and an optional online pre-assessment. Instruction is organized in units, each focused on a different topic. The material provides concise, organized instruction and practice focused on the Math TEKS and development of critical thinking traits. It includes consistent opportunities to incorporate the process TEKS. The rigor and rigor and complexity of instruction is enhanced through open-ended questions and activities. Student engagement and flexibility for teachers is supported through a variety of activity types and student groupings. Want to see how well this material aligns to the TEKS? See Learning List’s full alignment report.  Learning List has completed a standard-by-standard alignment report, qualitative review of the instructional content and a review of the technology compatibility for each grade level covered by this material.  Our alignment reports not only inform selection decisions, they facilitate instructional alignment and curriculum planning with this material, as well. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Mentoring Minds* Mentoring Minds is an educational publisher focused on the success of students. Mentoring Minds’ passion is to develop quality educational materials that encourage students to think critically for effective problem solving. Equipped with many years of educational experience, Mentoring Minds’ product development team creates materials that address relevant issues in the classroom such as critical thinking, vocabulary development, the prevention of bullying, classroom management, and accommodations for students with special needs. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Mentoring Minds .

Does your district have students who would benefit from teacher-led reading intervention? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Voyager Passport published by Voyager Sopris Learning. Voyager Passport is a teacher-led reading intervention for students with reading challenges. The materials are available in both print and digital formats. The digital materials mirror the print materials. The goal of the program is to help students develop the skills and strategies they need to be on-grade-level readers. Voyager Passport provides explicit instruction on the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) and includes language and writing. The program is intended for small group instruction. The recommended implementation time is 30 minutes per day, in addition to the ELAR block. The program contains comprehensive teacher guidance to support implementation and instruction, including recommendations for instruction by para-professional staff. It includes a teacher dashboard which allows teachers to input and manage student data and access additional resources. The material is available only in English, but consistently provides instructional suggestions for EL students. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about how Voyager Passport addresses adaptions for special populations. Learning List has also completed standard-by-standard analysis of the alignment of this material to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), as well as a  review of the technology compatibility for the material. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Voyager Sopris Learning* Voyager Sopris Learning is part of the  Cambium Learning ®  Group , a leading educational solutions and services company committed to helping all students reach their full potential. Voyager Sopris Learning provides innovative,  evidence-based instructional solutions  and  professional development  services to preK-12 students and their teachers. With evidenced-based, award-winning products in  literacy ,  math  and  professional development , we work in collaboration with schools and school districts to provide a full range of services from implementation to online and on-site support services. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Voyager Sopris Learning.

Scientific Learning’s Fast ForWord® K12 is a digitally-based reading intervention program for students in grades K-12. It is comprised of two primary components, Fast ForWord ® and Reading Assistant Plus. The purpose of the program is to support the development of foundational literacy skills and is intended for students who are struggling readers. The program is adaptive and is designed to work in conjunction with a campus’s comprehensive language arts curriculum. It adjusts the assignments based on student performance, and provides ongoing support and re-teaching as students progress. Fast ForWord ® is available in English, but includes directions and some support materials in Spanish. A variety of reports on the teacher dashboard, along with customizable setting and content, enable teachers to meet the needs of individual students. Read Learning List’s alignment report to understand more about the degree to which the program addresses grade-level standards. Learning List has also completed a qualitative review of the instructional content and a review of the technology compatibility for each grade level covered by this material.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Scientific Learning* The story of Scientific Learning begins with four research scientists: Michael Merzenich, William Jenkins, Paula Tallal, and Steven Miller. When the work of these four scientists intersected, their collaboration proved that the underlying cognitive processes that influence speech and language problems could be identified—and permanently improved. These findings led to the development of the Fast ForWord® program, a groundbreaking computer-based reading intervention. The scientists then founded Scientific Learning to bring their program out of the lab and into the lives of struggling readers. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Scientific Learning .

Does your district need a digital program to supplement core instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s Study Island.   Edmentum’s Study Island is a digital, supplemental program designed to support student learning in the four core subjects for students in grades K-12. Learning List recently published reviews of the content for grade 8 social studies and grade 7 and 8 ELA; reviews of Study Island content for other subjects and grade levels were published previously.   The purpose of the program is to support student learning of state standards. The material provides general lessons and practice on key content and allows teachers to customize the content and assessments to meet the needs of individual students. Edmentum Sensei and the teacher dashboard provide numerous tools to help teachers monitor student progress and customize instruction. Students can monitor their own progress through reports on the student dashboard. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn about the strategies the program uses to support student engagement and review our alignment reports to see how well this material is aligned to state standards. Learning List has also completed a review of the technology compatibility for the material. 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. 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 .

The goal of credit recovery programs is to help students recover credit and increase the likelihood of on-time high school graduation. Credit recovery is challenging to schedule and manage and is frequently a significant expense for districts. State requirements for credit recovery vary, but one element they have in common is the need to provide quality instructional materials that meet the needs of the students. Learning List has reviewed numerous credit recovery materials. We share the following 5 factors to consider when selecting instructional materials for credit recovery. Compliance with State and Local Policy --Do the instructional materials you are considering allow your district to meet state and/or local policies governing credit recovery? For example, some states prohibit students from taking an abbreviated course for credit recovery; other states do not regulate credit recovery at all.  When selecting materials, keep your state and/or district's policies in mind.  Efficacy Research —Does the material you are considering have a proven track record of success for students in need of credit recovery? Has the publisher provided a list of independent research supporting the material's effectiveness? Define the Audience  — Will only students who have failed the course previously be allowed to take the credit recovery course, or does your district allow students to take credit recovery courses for original or accelerated credit, as well?  Ensure that students who have not had previous success with the content area will find the materials you are considering engaging. Consider whether or not the materials include the adaptions necessary for the students your course will serve. For example, if you know that the students enrolled in your credit recovery program are unlikely to read large quantities of text, perhaps you need a video-based program. Content —This factor has two considerations. First, do you need to purchase materials for all content areas? If so, is there a publisher that offers everything you need in a single package, or could you pair some of your existing materials with new materials to meet your needs? Second, are the materials you are considering aligned to all of the course standards? In some states, students in credit recovery are required to address all the standards. In other cases, students may be able to “test out” of standards they already know. In order for credit recovery to close the gaps for all students in your program, the material has to be aligned to all of the standards for the course. Format and Platform — Will students take the credit recovery course in-person, online, or in a blended model? If in-person, do the instructional materials you are considering provide the resources teachers will need to meet the varied needs of their students? How are these materials different from the materials you have? If students will take the course online or in a blended model, is the platform and content designed to enable students to function independently? We hope you find these considerations useful. Planning ahead and considering instructional materials as a primary component in the overall design of your credit recovery program will help you best meet the needs of your students while saving your district thousands of dollars.

Is your district looking for a digital product to support math instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of MobyMax for math. MobyMax is a supplemental online program that supports a variety of content areas for grades K-8. Learning List recently reviewed the math content for grades K-8.  The program focuses on filling learning gaps and helping struggling learners achieve grade-level performance. MobyMax Math is self-paced, fully-digital program. Students begin the program by completing a diagnostic assessment that addresses their competency on a variety of math skills. Based on the assessment results, the program assigns students to a pathway of lessons. Alternatively, teachers can assign specific lessons or alter the program-assigned sequence, by standard or skill, based on a student’s individual learning needs. Teachers can also set daily or long-term goals for students, including the number of skills per day and number of minutes per day. Teachers are able to control most elements of the program and monitor student progress in real time. The Parent Portal encourages a home-school connection. Adaptions for special populations are limited, and the program is only available in English. Read Learning List’s full editorial review of MobyMax Math to learn more about the adaptions for special populations and the alignment of the program to the TEKS. Learning List has completed a standard-by-standard review of the alignment of the material, a qualitative review of the instructional content and a review of the technology compatibility for each grade level covered by this material.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About MobyMax* MobyMax was founded in 2010 with the goal of enabling all children to learn twice as fast. Moby Learning includes 27 complete subjects covering all grades between kindergarten and eighth grade. MobyMax was the most awarded edtech company in 2018, earning 49 industry awards, including the prestigious CODiE award for Best Pre-K/Early Childhood Learning Solution and the 2018 Tech Edvocate Award for Best Global EdTech Company. MobyMax solutions create the foundation needed to achieve the gains that make teaching so rewarding. We look forward to working with you in helping your students make tremendous progress this year. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from MobyMax.

Is your district looking for a material that provides integrated grammar and conventions instruction? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Patterns of Power. Stenhouse’s Patterns of Power Inviting Young Writer into the Conventions of Language and Patterns of Power Plus are supplemental ELA programs for grades 1-5. The material is print-based. Patterns of Power Inviting Young Writer into the Conventions of Language is the teacher resource book for grades 1-5. Patterns of Power Plus consists of grade-specific kits that include a teacher’s guide with lessons, a Lesson Display Flip chart, Student Notebooks, Focus Phrase Cards, and access to the Companion Website. Patterns of Power is the primary resource; therefore, Patterns of Power Plus is intended to supplement Patterns of Power , not to be used as a stand-alone material. The Patterns of Power materials focus on providing an inquiry-based approach to grammar and conventions instruction. Lessons focus on finding patterns in grammar and conventions and on understanding how grammar and conventions impact author’s craft and purpose. The materials are intended for teachers. Student material is limited to a Student Notebook, designed like a journal. Additional student materials, assessments, and adaptions for special populations are not included.  Read Learning List’s full alignment report to learn how well this material aligns to the English Language Arts TEKS. Learning List has conducted a standard-by-standard review of the alignment of the material to the English Language Arts TEKS, and a qualitative review of the instructional content. Our reviews and comparison tools inform selection decisions and facilitate instructional planning, instructional alignment and curriculum writing, as well. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About Stenhouse* Stenhouse provides quality professional learning resources by teachers, for teachers. Their goal is to offer PreK–12 educators a set of proven strategies from which they can choose and adapt to their students’ needs and their school culture. All of Stenhouse’s resources, ranging from literacy and math instruction to classroom practice, are grounded in a philosophy of education that respects both teacher and learner. They are designed to integrate theory, research, and practice in an accessible manner, enhancing educators’ professional knowledge and building their students’ skills as readers, writers, and thinkers. Stenhouse is a subsidiary of Highlights for Children.  *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Stenhouse .