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Is your district looking for digital instructional materials for high school English?  Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of StrongMind’s Texas English Language Arts . StrongMind’s Texas English Language Arts is a comprehensive English language arts program for grades 9-12 (English I-IV). The materials are fully digital. StrongMind Courseware focuses on delivering a powerful and engaging learning experience.  Materials are organized topically and/or thematically in a logical sequence.  The materials require students to read, analyze text, and write in every lesson. All required reading selections are included with the material, but may not fully represent the selections traditionally used in English classes. Writing instruction is embedded throughout each unit. Texas English Language Arts is intended for independent learning, but provides opportunities for collaboration among students through the consistent use of discussion boards. Instruction is segmented into manageable chunks to support student success. Material includes a text-to-speech reader, but does not provide any additional adaptions for special populations or any suggestions for differentiated instruction. This fully digital product provides resources and materials on the Canvas platform to support blended learning or a flipped classroom. Teacher facilitation will increase student success with this material. Learning List has conducted 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. Our reviews not only inform selection decisions, they facilitate instructional planning and curriculum writing, as well. About StrongMind* For nearly two decades, StrongMind has blazed the trail in online education. It was founded by Damian Creamer as the exclusive technology and curriculum partner for Primavera Online High School. Through collaboration and innovation, Primavera has become the largest high school in Arizona and one of the most successful online high schools in the country, serving more than 22,000 students each year. StrongMind’s purpose is to reinvent the learning experience. They strive to unlock the magic of learning and foster student success by creating the most engaging digital curriculum.  Information in this section is provided by or adapted from StrongMind.

During our many conversations regarding the alignment of instructional materials we have found that the concept of curriculum alignment and even the phrase “aligned to standards” means different things to different people. For example, the marketing director of a publishing company recently told us that “aligned to standards” in their marketing material means that their material generally addresses the  concepts  contained in the standards. In contrast, when we ask educators what they understand when they read that a material is “aligned to standards,” they repeatedly tell us they expect the material to address the content knowledge and skills the standards require students to learn. Since  Learning List  is a review service for districts, we review materials from the educators' perspective. We use the definitions and criterion educators most commonly use when reviewing materials. Thus, when we review materials for alignment to the standards, we check to ensure that the material addresses all of the content and skills the standards require students to learn.     Each standard has three components: Content  describes what the student is expected to learn. The "content" is typically reflected in the nouns of the standard.  Context  describes where/when the learning is taking place. Examples of the context of a standard include: time periods in history, in informational texts, poems, myths, 2-step word problems, lab experiments, the area of science being studied, and investigative questions. Cognitive Demand  describes the skills students must use. The cognitive demand is most often reflected in the verb(s) of the standard. Examples of the cognitive demand of a standard include: understand, ask and answer, describe, analyze, compare and contrast, or solve. Learning List  reviews citations (e.g., page or page range, lesson, video, activity) in the publisher’s correlation for alignment to the  content, context and cognitive demand  of each standard. Each citation is reviewed by multiple subject matter experts (SMEs).* Therefore, our alignment decisions are not just one person’s opinion. We review multiple citations for each standard with the goal of finding three aligned citations so that teachers can use the material to teach and reteach each standard. Each reviewed citation is listed as “aligned” or “not aligned” in our alignment report , and each non-aligned citation is accompanied by a Reviewer’s Comment explaining precisely which part of the standard the citation failed to address. We do not give publishers credit for aligning to a standard if their material addresses only part of the standard.  However, since standards state what students must have learned by the end of the course, comprehensive materials often scaffold instruction throughout the product. This is particularly true when standards are written as complex sentences, with multiple nouns and verbs. For example, a citation in unit one of the material may address the first part of a standard; a citation in unit five may address the second half of the standard, and a citation in unit seven may address the final part of the standard. Though our SMEs review citations individually for alignment to each standard, if multiple citations each address a different part of the same standard and together completely align to the standard, we provide a Reviewer’s Comment explaining which citations must be “bundled” in order to teach all the knowledge and skills a standard requires. If we find a “bundle” of citations aligns completely to the standard, we give the publisher credit for aligning to that standard. Once we have completed the alignment review, we calculate the percentage of standards to which the material is aligned. Though our goal is to find multiple aligned citations for each standard, when calculating the alignment percentage, we give the publisher credit for aligning to a standard as long as at least one of the citations reviewed is aligned to that standard. Why does alignment matter? Because students won’t learn what they are not taught. If teachers are using non-aligned citations to teach a standard, then students may not learn all the knowledge and skills the standard requires them to know. Their learning gaps will impede their ability to answer questions on standards-aligned assessments. We allow educators in subscribing districts to export the aligned citations from our alignment reports into their lessons and intervention plans, so that they know that they are using the parts of their material that will teach students what they need to know. 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’s subject matter experts are current or  recently  retired educators with at least 5 years of teaching experience, who are certified in the grade and subject and have experience teaching the standards of the material they are reviewing.

Is your district looking for a product to improve argumentative writing? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of BetterRhetor’s College-Ready Writing Essentials. BetterRhetor’s College-Ready Writing Essentials (CRWE) is writing-based program for grades 11 and 12 (English III and IV). The program focuses on preparing students for the writing, skills, and behaviors they will be expected to demonstrate in college. The program is the same for students in English III and English IV. This five-week unit provides comprehensive guidance about argumentative (persuasive) writing for teachers and students. The unit requires students to read extensively to complete assignments, think critically, research, and synthesize information for composition. Reading selections are limited; however, and primarily provide examples/models to support the research and writing process. All students follow the same lessons. Differentiation and adaptions consist of general suggestions for ELL students. Learning List has conducted 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 BetterRhetor* BetterRhetor is dedicated to helping more students succeed in college. They provide instruction and assessment that helps teachers better prepare students for college-level academic work. They place special emphasis on college-ready writing, since writing is a foundational skill essential for success across disciplines. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from BetterRhetor.

Does your district want to adopt a high school ELA product that allows students to choose the texts they read? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of McGraw-Hill’s StudySync. McGraw-Hill’s StudySync is a comprehensive literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 6 -12. Content is available in print and digital formats. Learning List recently reviewed the material for English I-IV. The program focuses on developing students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities while making connections outside the classroom. StudySync organizes student learning in thematically based units. Essential questions and a brief overview of the theme engage students at the beginning of each unit by connecting to students’ lives. The flexibility of the unit design in this material makes it well suited to support a variety of instructional models, including workshop and Gradual Release of Responsibility. Learning List’s reviewers noted that a distinguishing feature of this material is the focus on students making choices about their learning. Another benefit is that all resources are easily accessible at point-of-use from the teacher or student eBooks. Unlike in many materials, in this product, teachers and students are not required to exit the core content to access resources. Read Learning List’s full editorial review to learn more about how the flexible design of this material contributes to the rigor of the instruction and product’s ease of use. Learning List has 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 McGraw Hill * McGraw-Hill Education’s mission is to accelerate learning through intuitive, engaging, efficient and effective experiences – grounded in research. By partnering with educators around the globe, McGraw-Hill 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 .

Are your English teachers looking for an anthology that provides an abundance of reading material? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of EMC School’s Mirrors and Windows: Connecting with Literature. EMC School’s Mirrors and Windows: Connecting with Literature is a comprehensive English language arts program for grades 9-12 (English I-IV). The materials are available in print and digital form. Mirrors and Windows focuses on literature that “provides mirrors that help students reflect on their world and windows that lead them into new worlds.” Learning List recently reviewed the student and teacher editions of the eBooks and material linked within them. Mirrors and Windows emphasizes development of independent reading skills. The material provides numerous texts for independent reading. Additionally, there are an abundance of reading selections across multiple genres to encourage comparisons across texts during class instruction. Accompanying each selection are numerous questions, identified by level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, to ensure student comprehension and support textual analysis. The material provides support for teachers by providing multiple resources including extensive content and pedagogical support. Workshops to address skills frequently tested on state assessments are included and are separate from the core instruction. Learning List has conducted a qualitative review of the instructional content and a review of the technology compatibility for each grade level covered by this material. Learning List's reviews not only inform selection decisions, they facilitate curriculum mapping and instructional alignment, as well. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About EMC* EMC School has grown steadily into one of the nation’s leading producers of blended learning solutions for K-12 schools throughout the country.  EMC School  offers K-12 programs in Language Arts, World Languages, Business Education, and Social Studies with supplementary and multimedia materials. EMC is a division of  Carnegie Learning, Inc. , a comprehensive, dynamic and progressive learning technology company. Advocating a belief in teaching and determination to help students develop as learners and thinkers, Carnegie Learning is seeking to re-define the role of technology across the K-16 landscape. For more information, please visit  www.carnegielearning.com  and  www.emcp.com . *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from  EMC .

Do your English teachers need new instructional materials for Proclamation 2020? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of College Board’s SpringBoard English I-IV. The College Board’s SpringBoard English I-IV is a comprehensive English language arts program for grades 9-12 (English I-IV). The materials are available in print and digital form. SpringBoard empowers students to take charge of their own learning and provides a learning experience that will support student success in AP courses. The design of the material provides rigorous learning experiences with multiple assignments in each unit at the Apply level and above on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Materials focus on developing students’ skills in analyzing complex text, using close reading as an overarching strategy. Writing instruction is fully integrated with reading, listening, speaking, and thinking across each unit. Students consistently use strategies regularly seen in Pre-AP and AP courses, such as marking the text, OPTIC, SMELL, and TP-CASTT. SpringBoard Digital  provides an abundance of teacher resources, including pedagogical support. From the platform, teachers can monitor student progress, make assignments, and communicate with students.  Learning List has conducted 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 The College Board* The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success—including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit collegeboard.org. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from The College Board .

Is your district looking for a way to improve students’ critical thinking and writing abilities? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of ThinkCERCA for Practical Writing. ThinkCERCA is a supplemental literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 3 -12. Learning List recently reviewed the material for high school Practical Writing. This fully digital program scaffolds instruction through close reading and academic writing.   The lessons for Practical Writing are a subset of the lessons for English language arts. The material organizes student learning around an academic writing process, using the CERCA framework, which consistently requires students to cite textual evidence to support their statements. The editorial review notes that the program differentiates instruction by student level and provides extensive practice for students who need support with critical reading and analytical writing. Learning List’s alignment report can support your teachers’ successful implementation of this product by identifying precisely to which standards the material is and is not aligned. 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.  To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information,. About ThinkCERCA* ThinkCERCA’s personalized literacy platform helps educators teach critical thinking skills through argumentative writing. With students and teachers using its platform in all 50 states and 130 countries, the company has partnered with leaders in education, including Follett Corporation, and has been featured by The Atlantic and EdSurge. In a recent controlled study of 26 ed-tech tools by LEAP Innovations, ThinkCERCA was proven to help students achieve two years of academic growth per year on average. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from ThinkCERCA.

Is your district looking for a way to improve students’ critical thinking and writing abilities? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of ThinkCERCA for grades 9-12. ThinkCERCA is a supplemental literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 3 -12. Originally submitted for state adoption, this product was withdrawn and submitted to Learning List for review instead.   This fully digital program scaffolds instruction through close reading and academic writing with the goal of developing students’ critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. The materialorganizes student learning around an academic writing process, using the CERCA framework. ThinkCERCA focuses heavily on authentic, informational text and critical writing. The program can be used as the core ELA material with supplemental resources or as supplemental material in ELA or other content areas. Learning List’s reviewers found that one strength of this material is how it is organized around themes based on current events. The themes and reading selections are engaging and help students make connections to the real world, to science and social studies content, and to current events. Since this product did not go through the state adoption process, Learning List completed an alignment review showing to which standards for English I-IV the material is and is not aligned. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information. About ThinkCERCA* ThinkCERCA’s personalized literacy platform helps educators teach critical thinking skills through argumentative writing. With students and teachers using its platform in all 50 states and 130 countries, the company has partnered with leaders in education, including Follett Corporation, and has been featured by The Atlantic and EdSurge. In a recent controlled study of 26 ed-tech tools by LEAP Innovations, ThinkCERCA was proven to help students achieve two years of academic growth per year on average. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from ThinkCERCA.

Are your teachers ready for new ELA materials for high school?  Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) Into Literature. Into Literature is a comprehensive literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 9 through 12. Content is available in print and digital formats. Instruction develops students’ reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking skills with learning activities that provide numerous opportunities and structures for effective group and partner work. The material integrates reading and writing instruction. An abundance of high-quality, thought provoking reading selections are provided.  Text sets for each unit correlate to numerous themes and topics. Formal writing instruction occurs at the end of units and generally serves as a culminating task. Into Literature supports a blended learning environment with numerous online tools and resources. Online teacher and student resources are housed in HMH's Ed: Your Friend in Learning platform.  A robust set of online teacher resources provide content knowledge, pedagogy, and implementation assistance. Successful implementation of this program will require time for professional learning and planning throughout the school year. Learning List has completed a standard-by-standard alignment report, instructional quality review, 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 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt* Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global learning company committed to delivering integrated solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental solutions and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students’ potential and extend teachers’ capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 3 million educators in 150 countries, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Is your district looking for a product that provides flexibility for teachers and choice for students?  Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Savvas’s myPerspectives. Savvas’s myPerspectives is an English language arts program for grades 6-12.  Learning List has reviewed the materials for English I-IV.  The material focuses on making learning relevant for students and on developing skills to support college and career readiness. Most lessons focus on text analysis and writing to learn and demonstrate learning. Lessons encourage students to set goals, make choices, and reflect on their learning. Student choice is a key component of this product. Students are encouraged to make choices about reading material, writing topics, and activities. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are seamlessly and consistently integrated throughout the materials. A substantial number of resources, including texts at varying levels and numerous differentiated activities, are available to support students with specific learning needs. Many of the student and teacher resources are part of the online platform, so access to the online resources for teachers and students is necessary to realize the full benefit of this program. Read Learning List’s full editorial review of MyPerspectives to learn more about the student learning experience with this product, the rigor of the instruction, the instructional models it supports and other critical attributes that will help you determine whether MyPerspectives will meet your students’ needs. Learning List has 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 Savvas* Savvas provides expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Savvas’s mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. Bringing digital learning to school children worldwide, Savvas is helping to transform education with full-time online and blended schools, online courses, technology, and host of support services. With a focus on successful student outcomes, these programs deliver high-quality, highly personalized, and flexible learning experiences -- students are able to complete schoolwork when and where they learn best, 24/7. Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Savvas .

Learning List recently completed reviews of the instructional materials submitted for state adoption in Texas for the following courses: English I-IV, Practical Writing, Reading, Journalism, English Learner Language Arts (ELLA), and College Readiness and Study Skills (CRSS). We reviewed materials from eleven publishers for English I-IV, two publishers each for Journalism, College Readiness and Study Skills, and Practical Writing Skills, and one publisher each for Reading and ELLA (middle school). All reviews are published on the Learning List.com . Learning List reviewers noted the following seven trends in the materials reviewed for English I-IV. We did not review a sufficient number of materials for the ELA elective courses to observe trends. To varying degrees, most materials integrate reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking . The strongest materials reflect an intentional design that requires students to consistently think, write, and speak about the selections they have read. There are a few materials that focus more strongly on reading or on writing. Writing instruction is embedded as an integral part of the learning experience in most materials. Instruction often stresses writing for specific purposes and audiences. Writing assignments typically require students to write in order to learn and to process their thinking through writing often embedding some form of writing in each lesson. Formal writing instruction, including modeling and use of the writing process, is part of the strongest materials. Close reading is a primary instructional strategy for many of the materials. Most publishers include a diverse anthology, although there are some publishers that do not include reading materials. Reading selections are generally a mix of classics and modern texts, across genres and time periods. Some materials include qualitative and quantitative measures of text complexity. Some of the publishers have distinguished their materials by capturing the TEKS’ emphasis on student choice and independent reading . These materials provide numerous opportunities for students to make choices about their learning, their reading selections, and their writing topics. The majority of materials provide a level of rigor appropriate for most students by including questions and activities at all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy or DOK and a variety of options for differentiating instruction. Some of the materials include open-ended writing assignments, projects, or culminating tasks to develop and/or assess students’ critical and analytical thinking. These often require students to collaborate and to use the writing or speaking skills they are developing to present evidence of textual analysis or results of research. Most publishers have included resources to differentiate instruction . The most robust materials provide instructional resources and strategies, at point-of-use, to support teachers in meeting the instructional needs of all students (i.e., above-, on-, and below-level). Several materials include a comprehensive student and teacher dashboard that allows full digital access to the materials. In some cases, all resources are provided “at your fingertips” and are accessible on a variety of devices.  While educators can expect to see these trends in many of the materials submitted for state adoption, they are not present in all of the materials. Learning List’s editorial reviews distinguish each material, providing a qualitative analysis of the program’s strengths, instructional model, rigor, ease of use, adaptions for student populations, and teacher resources.  A technology review accompanies the editorial review to show with which devices and operating systems each materials is compatible with and provide other critical interoperability information. Learning List’s reviews will be published before the end of September. In October, the SBOE will release the List of Instructional Materials Eligible for Adoption Under Proclamation 2020. In Novembers the SOBE will take action regarding materials submitted under Proclamation 2020. In early December, the List of Instructional Materials adopted Under Proclamation 2020 will be posted on the TEA website.

Does your district have students who need to work at their own pace in English? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of Edmentum’s Texas English I. Edmentum’s Texas English I is a fully digital, comprehensive program for English I.  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 curriculum through interactive, media-rich content.   Students complete activities that are similar to those completed in traditional, face-to-face English classes, such as literary analysis, writing about reading selections, and collaborating with other students. The material requires the students to write for a wide variety of purposes and audiences. Learning List reviewers recognized the variety of high-quality reading selections, and the provision of all required reading selections as distinguishing features. They noted, however, that students have limited choice in their reading assignments. Read Learning List standard-by-standard alignment review to understand how this material is aligned to the TEKS, and see our full editorial review to see what teachers in the classroom thought about the instructional features of the program. 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. 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 .