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Vocabulary.com is a supplemental online product that supports the development of academic vocabulary across core subject areas in grades 5-12. Content is fully online and some resources, such as vocabulary lists, may be printed. Instruction is adaptive. The program adjusts the level of difficulty based on individual student responses. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> Vocabulary.com provides a variety of activities to help students build their academic vocabulary. Teachers may assign vocabulary using the program’s pre-made lists or teachers may develop customized vocabulary lists that address their specific needs. Vocabulary lists may be printed and include detailed definitions of each word, including etymological information and explanations of usage. Instruction is adaptive. As students demonstrate mastery of basic definitions, the program provides questions that test their understanding of more nuanced usage and peripheral meanings. Based on individual student response patterns, the program uses data to predict words that may present challenges. Vocabulary.com’ s “Personalized Learning Programs” customize instruction for each student. Students may add words to their lists, and the program automatically adds words that students have struggled with. About Vocabulary.com* Vocabulary.com has its roots in the  Visual Thesaurus, the interactive thesaurus and dictionary developed by the team at  Thinkmap , a software company known for using visualization to facilitate communication, learning, and discovery. As the Visual Thesaurus evolved, we recognized the need for an instructional technology that would empower learners to unpack the complexity and nuances of the English language in a way that was systematic, engaging and adaptive. Our multidisciplinary team of educators, lexicographers, data scientists, and developers, united by a love of words and a good challenge, designed and built Vocabulary.com. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Vocabulary.com . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

Edmentum’s Study Island is a supplemental online product that helps students in grades K-12 master standards. Learning List recently reviewed resources for high school English I and English II. Instruction emphasizes preparation for standardized tests. Content supports teacher-guided instruction and independent study. Teachers may create their own lessons and assessments using online tools. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> Both English I and English II begin with a multiple-choice diagnostic test that assesses students’ ability to read and understand literary and informational texts, revise compositions, and recognize correct grammar and usage. Instruction is presented in short text-based lessons for each topic (e.g., theme) followed by a set of “Sessions” with practice activities. Lesson texts include definitions of new terms, examples, and illustrations to support understanding. Many lessons have interactive flashcards for new vocabulary and terms; flashcards may also be printed. Study Island has comprehensive monitoring resources that allow teachers to track student and class progress in multiple, easy-to-use and -understand formats. Reports track student usage and performance data, and enable comparisons between classes and state averages of other Study Island users. Teachers may monitor student performance by topic and standard and track performance trends, such as student time spent using resources. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition of solid research, sound pedagogy, and applied innovation. Edmentum develops rigorous, relevant curriculum that challenges your students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether your students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, accommodate their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Courseware can be used in a lab setting, a blended model in which online courses supplement the traditional classroom, or through a completely virtual experience. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Edmentum . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

Pathways 2 Greatness’ SmartPrep Database is a test preparation product that supports students in grades 3 through Algebra I in preparing for Texas’ STAAR exams in mathematics. Test bank items are available online and must be printed for student use. Resources allow teachers to create customized assessments that address specific Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) at each grade level. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> The SmartPrep Database enables teachers to create customized assessments using a test bank of multiple-choice questions that address specific TEKS at each grade level. Each test bank item references the TEKS it assesses. Teachers search the test bank, select questions, and save them to a folder as PDFs. Tests must be printed for paper and pencil administration. Some test items may be printed in Spanish. Teachers have access to answer keys that identify patterns in mistakes by identifying the distractors chosen most often by individual students (e.g., calculation error, wrong operation). Teachers can then group students with similar learning needs. About Pathways 2 Greatness* Pathways 2 Greatness provides a large state-aligned question bank for teachers to print test prep questions and receive an innovative misconception analysis. You can search through folders or our search bar, find the questions you love, and push print! A PDF file downloads on your browser. Resources then take you through the process of analyzing student data to plan for your next lesson. *information in this section is provided by or adapted from Pathways 2 Greatness . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

Edmentum’s Courseware™ is an online program that supports instruction in self-paced, remediation, and credit recovery programs. provides comprehensive instruction in each of the core subjects, as well as in other content areas (e.g., world languages). Learning List recently reviewed resources for the Texas Algebra I and Texas Algebra II courses. Instruction is provided online and includes printable materials. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> Both courses are broken into two, semester-long courses, each comprised of four units. Each semester’s units begin with a pre-test that covers the learning objectives addressed in the unit. Based on pre-test results, teachers may exempt students from some or all of the unit’s lessons or use results to provide targeted remediation. Each unit ends with a “Unit Activity” and a post-test. Unit Activities are performance tasks that require students to synthesize their learning to solve multi-step, real-world problems (e.g., modeling rabbits’ population growth over a period of years). Unit activities include rubrics to help teachers and students evaluate their work. Semesters end with a cumulative exam. About Edmentum* Edmentum’s Courseware is a standards-based online learning program grounded in a tradition of solid research, sound pedagogy, and applied innovation. Edmentum develops rigorous, relevant curriculum that challenges your students with a 21st century approach - engaging them with interactive, media-rich content. Whether your students are falling behind, at grade level, or advanced, accommodate their unique needs in an environment in which they will thrive. Courseware can be used in a lab setting, a blended model in which online courses supplement the traditional classroom, or through a completely virtual experience. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Edmentum . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

The College Board recently updated the course frameworks for several of the Advanced Placement courses for which Learning List has reviewed materials. We have worked with the College Board to revise our alignment templates to reflect the following changes: AP History  Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills The Historical Thinking Skills were reorganized and renamed "AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills." The number of practices and skills were reduced. There are now two practices and four skills. "Periodization" and "Synthesis" were eliminated as separate skills. The revised "AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills" are part of the frameworks for AP US History, AP World History, and AP European History. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> AP World History and AP European History The scope of these courses has not changed, but course content has been reorganized. The frameworks are organized by Period, Key Concept and Thematic Learning Objectives. Overarching Questions have been eliminated from the course frameworks. Each Period contains multiple Key Concepts, and Thematic Learning Objectives often repeat across Key Concepts. The descriptions of some of the Key Concepts has changed, and some Thematic Learning Objectives have been consolidated. For European History, some of the previous Thematic Learning Objectives have been regrouped to create a new theme. While Learning List previously reviewed materials for alignment to the Overarching Questions, we now will review materials for alignment to each  Thematic Learning Objective  within the context of the relevant Key Concept and Period. AP Physics 1 and 2 AP Physics 1 and 2 now have "stand-alone" course and exam descriptions. Each course framework is organized by Content Areas, Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, Learning Objectives, Essential Knowledge Statements, and Essential Knowledge Statement Components. Each Content Area contains multiple Big Ideas. Some Enduring Understandings, Learning Objectives and Essential Knowledge statements repeat across Big Ideas and Content areas. Learning List will review citations for alignment to the Learning Objectives and Essential Knowledge Statements or Essential Knowledge Components within the context of the relevant Enduring Understanding, Big Idea and Content Area. Learning List is reviewing materials for alignment to these revised course frameworks. Please  contact us  if you have any questions.

Learning List has reviewed Scientific Minds’ Science Sidekicks , which is a supplemental product that supports science instruction in grades 3-5. Content is web-based and includes some printable components.  Instruction focuses on “chunking” standards into small, manageable amounts of content that are easy for students to understand. Lessons are presented using interactive slideshows that include opportunities for teacher-led whole group instruction, small group work, and independent study. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> Science Sidekicks is structured in units that address topics in life science, physical science, earth and space science, and science and engineering practices. Units are made up of module-based lessons that are organized using the 5E Instructional Model (i.e., engage, explain, explore, elaborate, evaluate). Each module’s instruction is accessed through an interactive slideshow. All student resources are also available in Spanish, and instruction in Spanish mirrors the content, organization, and format of instruction in English. Each module contains an inquiry-based activity, a printable “Guided Notes” page, and a set of three Exit Tickets. Guided Notes contain fill-in-the blank and open-ended journal questions for students to complete as they learn new content. Exit Tickets support lesson closure and formative assessment of students’ understanding. About Scientific Minds* Scientific Minds is a teacher-built company that provides online teaching tools for grades 3-12 science.  Schools love Scientific Minds’ programs because they are teacher-friendly and promote  student success . Scientific Minds’ programs support scientific literacy, vocabulary acquisition, test preparedness, and college readiness.  Programs offer tools for review, remediation, and English language proficiency. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Scientific Minds . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

myON is a supplemental online product that supports cross-curricular reading instruction in grades K-12. Content is formatted as a digital library of authentic texts organized by theme and reading level. Most texts are non-fiction and informational. The library is searchable by keyword and a variety of filters, including standards. Resources enable independent student reading and group instruction using interactive whiteboards. Learning List conducted and editorial review for myON’s K-12 library. We did not conduct an alignment review because myON is a library focused on developing students' reading skills; it does not teach state standards. < Read=">Read" me... ="me..."> myON is a digital library designed to meet the needs of students at every reading level. Students begin their work in myON by indicating their interests (e.g., sports, science) and whether they prefer texts in English and/or Spanish. Students then take an adaptive placement assessment that measures their reading level. After the assessment, the program automatically recommends books that match the student’s reading level and interest areas. Students may search books by keyword, browse by topic (e.g., “Scary & Gross”), and save their selections to a reading list. myON provides Spanish-language texts for grades K-9. Many texts at grades K-2 are bilingual and present content in both English and Spanish. myON contains a “News” feature that provides age-appropriate reports of current events (e.g., the Supreme Court starts its new session). Reports include a mapping tool that locates where events occur (e.g., Washington, DC) and relevant information about the location, such as the language spoken, the distance to the location, and fun facts (e.g., “Workers completed the Supreme Court building in 1935.”). About myON* myON is designed to provide a student centered, personalized literacy environment that offers unlimited access to thousands of enhanced digital books, dynamically matched to each individual learner’s interests and Lexile reading level, along with a suite of literacy tools that foster engagement and achievement. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from myON . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

Learning List has reviewed both of the comprehensive products submitted for state-adoption in response to Texas’ Proclamation 2018 for “Special Topics in Social Studies” courses. These products include: Kendall Hunt’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) Toolkit.  The course emphasizes the experiences of Mexican Americans in Texas, particularly in the Houston area, and focuses heavily on how racism and bias have influenced Mexican American lives. Instruction addresses contemporary issues affecting Mexican Americans (e.g., Arizona’s 2012 ban on ethnic studies). Discussion prompts and collaborative learning activities are interspersed throughout the text. Content is available in print and eBook formats. Tanglewood Publishing’s Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz. Instruction focuses on using a memoir of the Holocaust as the basis for a book study that explores themes related to perseverance, love, and forgiveness. Although the text deals with disturbing subject matter, it does so in a manner that is appropriate for young adults. The memoir eschews gruesome detail and emphasizes the themes of perseverance through unimaginable hardship, commitment to family, and, ultimately, the importance of forgiveness. Content is available in print format and includes an Educator’s Guide. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> About the Publishers* Kendall Hunt Publishing Since 1994, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company has been a stand-alone company and the only part of the original William C. Brown Publishing Company to remain under the ownership of the Brown family. With more than 6,000 titles in print we serve both the higher education and PreK-12 markets and offer traditional and non-traditional publishing solutions in both markets. The mission of Kendall Hunt is to be a dynamic provider of quality educational products and services. The company strives to meet the specific needs of the marketplace in a unique and progressive manner, and is committed to excellence and employee growth and development. Tanglewood Publishing The legendary editor, Ursula Nordstrom, said she published “good books for bad children.” Rather than books oriented toward adult mores, she looked for books with authentic characters whose speech and spirit and experiences reflected the real world and issues of young readers. Tanglewood Publishing strives to do the same. With a focus on inspiring readers to pick up a book for the pleasure of reading, Tanglewood’s list features titles with strong sales and critical acclaim, often by authors and illustrators who may have been overlooked by others. Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

Learning List has reviewed UTeach Computer Science (CS) Principles. This comprehensive product supports instruction in Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles courses. Content is available in a web-based format and may be downloaded as a PDF. Instruction is project-based and emphasizes collaborative learning activities that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Student materials are available at no cost. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> UTeach CS Principles is organized in learning progressions that provide the context for and the application of computer science concepts. Units are grouped in terms of “Core,” “Application,” and “Exhibition” learning activities.  Core units cover computational thinking, programming, and data representation. Application is made up of three units that address digital media processing, big data, and innovative technologies. Exhibition is a single unit that contains the College Board’s “Explore” and “Create” performance tasks for AP Computer Science Principles. Teachers are advised to participate in UTeach professional development prior to teaching with CS Principles materials. Training is offered in a five-day summer workshop or in a six-week online course. Professional development addresses the course, its materials, and UTeach’s approach to project-based learning. Training covers the College Board’s requirements for AP Computer Science Principles About UTeach* For two decades, the  UTeach  pre-service teacher preparation program at The University of Texas at Austin has prepared large numbers of STEM majors to enter (and stay) in secondary classrooms. And since 2007, the  UTeach Institute  has recruited and supported almost 50 universities across the U.S. to establish their own UTeach programs. With support from the National Science Foundation, the UTeach Computer Science program leverages the expertise and partnerships its developed to scale UTeach CS Principles through the College Board’s  AP Computer Science Principles  program. About 300 teachers are teaching the curriculum across the U.S. in 2016–2017! *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from UTeach . Subscribe to  Learning List  for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources.

As the school year shifts into high gear, we are getting a lot of questions about our service. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions. What is Learning List? Learning List is a subscription-based instructional materials review  service designed to  help improve student learning by empowering educators to  choose and  use  instructional materials most effectively. We created  Learning List  in 2013 to help districts become better informed consumers of instructional materials. Initially, districts used our reviews to facilitate their  selection  of materials. Over time, subscribers began telling us that our reviews also helped them identify the best parts of their  existing  materials to use to teach each standard. As one instructional coach explained, "We use your alignment reports as a GPS through our materials to ensure that we're using the pages that teach each standard fully." What types of materials do you review? We have reviewed over 2500 of the most widely used instructional materials, including: Materials in the four core subjects, 12 Advanced Placement courses, Tech Apps and 85 CTE courses; Comprehensive  and  supplemental materials, including RtI,  test prep , criterion-referenced  test  banks, and professional development resources; Publisher produced  and free  open educational resources (OERs); State-adopted  and  non-adopted materials (i.e., materials that were not submitted for state adoption); and English  and  Spanish versions of materials. Subscribing districts get access to all published reviews and may  request reviews  of additional materials  as part of the subscription . That's why Learning List is a  service , not just a website. What type(s) of reviews does Learning List provide? For each material, we provide the three  professional  reviews described below. We also allow educators in subscribing districts to rate and review the materials they have used. Spec Sheet*  - a two-page overview of the product’s key  academic attributes  and technology compatibility . As part of this review, we test the material's compatibility with commonly used  devices, browsers and operating systems. Editorial Review  - a description of the material's instructional content and design using a researched-based protocol that includes approximately 200 criteria. Alignment Report  - an independent verification of the material's alignment to  each  grade level standard. Caveat : Out of respect for the state adoption process in Texas, Learning List does not review the  alignment  of state-adopted materials to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). For Texas state-adopted materials, we publish the state's alignment report and alignment *The Spec Sheet review was initiated in mid-2016. Products reviewed  prior  to 2106 have a Spec Sheet only if the publisher allowed Learning List to access the material to develop that review.

Learning List has reviewed Glynlyon’s Odysseyware Texas middle school products for mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Both products are Texas Editions that were developed to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Both math and ELAR products are comprehensive resources that cover a full year’s content. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> Middle school math instruction provides the foundation for the study of algebra. Across grades, courses address problem solving, number theory, proportional reasoning, statistics, and the relationship between numeric, algebraic, and geometric concepts. ELAR courses develop close reading, critical thinking, writing, speaking, and listening skills.  Instruction centers on high-quality literary and informational texts that span a variety of genres (e.g., short story, biography). Students encounter increasingly complex texts as instruction progresses in each grade level. Writing instruction focuses on argumentative, narrative, and expository essays and creative works, such as poetry. At grades 7 and 8, instruction is theme-based. Grade 7 addresses themes related to earth, space, and survival. Instruction at grade 8 uses historical themes (e.g., world civilizations) to structure content. About Odysseyware* Odysseyware takes the question of where students can learn out of the equation. With its fully HTML5 course library, students can learn anywhere, anytime, on any device, via a powerful Learning Management System delivering hundreds of multimedia-based courses. Students have access to CTE, Advanced Placement®, core and elective options, all aligned to national and state standards. They also have access to powerful supports including translations in 23 languages, vocabulary and reference libraries, text-to-speech, and immediate coaching for writing skills via the Writer Tool. *Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Odysseyware . Subscribe to  Learning List for access to the spec sheet, full editorial review and alignment reports for these materials and thousands of other widely used PreK-12 resources. Learning List's reviews not only inform selection decisions, they facilitate curriculum mapping and instructional alignment, as well.

The increased emphasis on ensuring that all students are able to read and understand complex texts has prompted  MetaMetrics , the developer of the widely used  Lexile Framework  for text complexity, to extend the Lexile scale to enable more precise measurement of text complexity in grades  K-2. In the past, the Framework identified texts with Lexile levels below zero (i.e., 0L) simply as Beginning Reader and included a “BR” code  without  an associated Lexile level. With the extension of the scale, BR texts will now include a numeric Lexile value after the BR code. For example, BR100L represents a Lexile level of -100L and BR300L represents -300L. < Read=">Read" more... ="more..."> The Lexile scale itself has not changed. It has only been extended to include measures of text complexity below zero, with larger BR values indicating lower reading levels. Educators may want to use the analogy of a thermometer to help them understand Lexile measures below zero. A text at the BR300L level is written at lower level than a text at BR100L, much as a temperature of -30 is colder than a temperature of -10.The use of the BR code ensures that no text is ever associated with a negative number.