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ORIGO Stepping Stones  is a comprehensive, mathematics curriculum for grades K-5 available in English and Spanish. It provides a conceptual approach to math instruction using digital and print resources. The module-based program aligns with the Common Core State Standards ( CCSS ) and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills ( TEKS ). Embedded videos provide teachers with on-time professional development in the content base and pedagogy needed to effectively address standards in classroom instruction. In addition, lessons include step-by-step guidance for teachers and explicit links to the relevant standards Learning List has verified that Stepping Stones is aligned to 100% of the Common Core math standards in grades K-5, and with newly developed content , is aligned to 100% of the TEKS in grades 1-5, as well. Submitted for state adoption in Texas as part of Proclamation 2014, the Stepping Stones was found to be less than 100% aligned in each grade level. The publisher subsequently developed new content in both English and Spanish to address the unmet TEKS and submitted that content to Learning List for review. Learning List has verified that the new content aligned to each of the initially unmet TEKS in grades 1-5. Thus, Stepping Stones is aligned to 100% of the TEKS in grades 1-5 and 97% aligned in Kindergarten. Stepping Stones teaches elementary math using real world problems and reinforces learning through visual models and games. Lessons combine discussion and examples to provide comprehensive, differentiated instruction with clear links to standards. The program scaffolds instruction, frequently revisiting content from earlier modules and grade levels. Instruction includes cross-curricular connections that link math to other subject areas, including social studies, science, and language arts. Online resources, including manipulatives, interactive tools, and games, allow students to practice skills through meaningful and engaging activities. Multiple representations of content ensure instruction addresses differences in students’ learning styles. About ORIGO* ORIGO was established in 1997 when co-founders James Burnett and Dr Calvin Irons identified the need to meet a growing demand for professional development in mathematics. With the vision of making a positive contribution to children's education, James and Cal began writing and producing mathematics resources from a makeshift office in James' home. Today, ORIGO provides a complete education solution to its customers by combining an innovative range of mathematics products with quality professional learning services. Originally trading as Prime Education, in 2002 the company name was changed to ORIGO – Latin for "original" or "the source" – reflecting their commitment to ORIGO becoming the premier source of inspiration for math teachers. Their product range illustrates this commitment, with a diverse selection of creative products that bring a renewed enthusiasm to students' learning experience. ORIGO covers all facets of elementary mathematics education: from traditional printed products to digital interactive resources and professional learning.  ORIGO Stepping Stones  delivers a world-class mathematics program that seamlessly blends digital and print resources. ORIGO demonstrates a commitment to excellence by creating products that inspire and empower teachers & students. ORIGO provides mathematical resources and professional learning to educators throughout the world. National headquarters is based in St. Charles, Missouri, and provides customers with quality service, support and resources. *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from ORIGO Education . © 2015 Learning List

Over the last several weeks, several curriculum directors have called to ask what information they should take to the school board about the materials they are proposing for local adoption. The same question has been posted on regional instructional materials list serves. Districts that have posted responses generally state that they provide their board with the following information: (1) Information about the district’s local adoption process; (2) An inventory of the materials recommended for adoption, including: Product title; Publisher; ISBN; and alignment percentage; and (3) The TEKS Certification form That information will generally not be sufficient to legally support the board and superintendent’s certification of the district’s compliance with the 100% Rule. Why? Texas law provides: (1) School boards are legally responsible for selecting instructional materials. (Texas Education Code (TEC) § 31.104(a)) (2) State-adopted materials are not necessarily aligned to 100% of the TEKS. Materials are eligible for state adoption if they cover at least 50% of the TEKS for the grade and subject. (TEC§ 31.023) (3) The board president and superintendent have a legal responsibility to certify annually to the SBOE and the commissioner that the district provides each student with instructional materials that cover 100% of the TEKS for each grade and subject in the required curriculum , except physical education. Both state-adopted and non-state adopted materials may be considered for that certification. The entire board must ratify the certification in an open meeting; thus, the legal duty for compliance with the 100% rule applies to the whole board, not just the board president. The commissioner may require districts to submit supporting documentation describing the instructional materials on which the certification is based. (TEC § 31.104(a), 19 Texas Administrative Code § 66.1305) Since the commissioner may ask for documentation to support the superintendent/board’s TEKS certification (i.e., to prove that the district’s materials are aligned to 100% of the TEKS for each grade and subject in the required curriculum, except PE), district staff would be prudent to provide the board with an alignment report or evidence that the district can access the alignment report for each material submitted for local adoption, especially all non-adopted materials (including supplemental materials) and state-adopted materials that are aligned to less than 100% of the TEKS. How can districts access the alignment reports for an instructional material? State-adopted materials: The state develops an independent alignment report for each material that goes through the state adoption process. The report provides the alignment percentage for the Teacher and Student editions and lists the citations (e.g., page or unit numbers, or lesson titles) that the state panel reviewed for alignment to each TEKS breakout . Each alignment report is over 100 pages. TEA does not publish the reports for state adopted materials , but any district can request a copy through a public information request (PIR). Alternatively, districts that subscribe to Learning List have immediate, online access to the state alignment report for every state-adopted product in the four core subjects. State-adopted materials that are 100% aligned : If the district’s staff is recommending a state-adopted product that is aligned to 100% of the TEKS, then it is probably not necessary to provide a copy of the alignment report to the board. State-adopted materials that are less than 100% aligned : If however, staff is recommending adoption of a state-adopted material that is less than 100% aligned, the district should provide the board with the state alignment report (or evidence that the staff has it). The reason is: if a material is less than 100% aligned, the district is going to have to use one or more supplemental resources (e.g., apps, lesson plans, other instructional materials) to fill in the gaps, so that in the aggregate , the district’s resources align to 100% of the TEKS for the grade/subject. Non-state adopted and open educational resources (OERs) materials: Just as for state-adopted materials that are less than 100% aligned, district staff should provide the board with an alignment report for each non-state adopted (comprehensive or supplemental) and OER being recommended for local adoption. Districts may be able to get an alignment report from the publisher, may develop their own alignment report or can subscribe to Learning List for access to alignment reports for over 850 materials, including state-adopted and non-adopted materials and OERs. What Other Product Might Be Useful to the Board? In addition, district staff can use Learning List’s “Comparison” tool to create a dashboard of critical information about materials being recommended for local adoption in any of the four core subjects. The dashboard includes a description of the product, the price, technology requirements (for online materials), a summary of Learning List’s review of the product and a link to either the state alignment report (for state-adopted products) or Learning List’s alignment report (for non-adopted materials). The dashboard is customizable; district staff can delete or add information they want to share with their board. The comparison tool can be used to create a dashboard for a single product or up to three products at a time, if staff wants to show the board which materials were compared in the selection process. Guidance on how to create a data dashboard to take the board is available under the Help section on the site. Board members are ultimately responsible for the materials their districts adopt. They are legally responsible for ensuring that all students receive instructional materials that will help teach them the knowledge and skills the state standards require them to learn. Board members are politically responsible to their community to ensure that the district is selecting high quality materials with the supports necessary to help their students and teachers achieve success. When considering which information to provide to the board, district staff should provide board members with the information they will need to uphold their duty to their students, to the state, to their voters.

Born in Chicago on April 22, 1902, Ralph W. Tyler was a visionary educator and a leading proponent of student-centered learning. His seminal work “Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction” was a best seller when it was published in 1949, and it continues to influence curriculum development to this day. In it, Tyler lays out what has come to be known as “Tyler’s Rationale,” which asserts that effective instruction is organized around four basic questions: What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes? How can purposes be organized? How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? “Basic Principles” also introduced the concept of student-centered instruction, establishing that “learning takes place through the active behavior of the student; it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does (p. 63).” Tyler worked with the Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson administrations to shape the nation’s education policy, contributing to the development of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. At the request of the Carnegie Corporation, he chaired a committee that developed the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, in 1967. At the time, the introduction of a national test was controversial. It ignited fears of a federal takeover of education and unfair comparisons of students and schools. However, Tyler insisted that NAEP would not produce scores for individual students and schools. Instead results would be disaggregated across students’ demographic characteristics. Today, NAEP is known as the “ Nation’s Report Card ” and it remains the most reliable national data on student achievement. About NAEP The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representativ​e and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in  mathematics , reading ,  science ,  writing ,  the arts ,  civics , economics ,  geography ,  U.S. history , and beginning in 2014, in  Technology and Engineering Literacy​  (TEL). Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear p​icture of student academic progress over time. As NAEP moves into computer-based assessments, the assessment administration will remain uniform continuing the importance of NAEP as a common metric. Read more about the  future of the NAEP assessment . here=">here" to="to" subscribe="subscribe" the="the" Learning="Learning" List="List" blog.="blog.">

LearnZillion is an online, open educational resource (OER) that provides supplementary English language arts and reading (ELAR) instructional materials for grades 2-12. Resources are free and address the Common Core State Standards ( CCSS ). Instruction focuses on developing students’ close reading, writing, and language skills and supporting teachers’ understanding of the CCSS. Content is presented in short video lessons that include detailed lesson plans that focus on a particular standard or set of standards. Learning List recently completed reviews of their materials for grades 2-12. Lessons are organized in three overarching categories: (1) Close Reading: Informational Text, (2) Close Reading: Literary Text, and (3) Writing. Close Reading instruction is presented in units focused on particular text (e.g., The Diamond Necklace) and made up of five lessons (i.e., about a week’s worth of instruction). Writing instruction focuses on writing skills (e.g., write opinions that can be supported with facts) and language skills (e.g., recognize and correct run-on sentences). About LearnZillion* LearnZillion is dedicated to championing teachers and supporting their ongoing professional development. Teachers develop expertise and insights while working with students, and have exceptional ideas for how to improve classroom learning. However, they have never been able to integrate that expertise into a curriculum that keeps getting better. LearnZillion believes that empowering teachers to collaborate and share best practices creates new possibilities for students, and the profession. LearnZillion  Content Philosophy: It's hard to teach a lesson. It's harder to teach it well. And it's particularly hard to teach it in a way that resonates and sticks with students. Teachers not only have to understand their content, they have to know the best way to teach it. This idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) - knowledge of the content and the way to make it accessible to students - is at the heart of LearnZillion. PCK has become even more important with the depth that is now required by the Common Core State Standards. Their offerings are meant to help get teachers started with lessons that were designed with PCK in mind. The resources on their site were built by a talented group of hundreds of practicing teachers (a.k.a. the LearnZillion Dream Team) for teachers everywhere. Collectively, as a community, LearnZillion will continue to improve upon these lessons, building more practical resources and PCK as they move forward. here=">here" to="to" subscribe="subscribe" the="the" Learning="Learning" List="List" blog.="blog."> *The content in this section is provided by or adapted from LearnZillion.

American Legacy Publishing’s Studies Weekly Texas K-5 Social Studies Series provides resources to support elementary social studies instruction in print and online formats. Content is presented in weekly student magazines that focus on developing reading skills, with a particular focus on informational texts. Student magazines are available in Spanish. With newly developed content, Learning List has verified that Studies Weekly is aligned to 100% of the TEKS for grades K-5. Studies Weekly was submitted in Spring 2014 for state adoption in Texas as part of Proclamation 2015 and found to be less than 100% aligned at each grade level. The publisher subsequently developed additional content to address the unmet TEKS and submitted the new content to Learning List for review. Learning List has verified that the new content (English version only) is aligned to each of the initially unmet TEKS. Thus, Studies Weekly’s updated alignment percentage is 100% for grades K-5. The publisher is in the process of developing new content for the Spanish version will submit the new Spanish content to Learning List for review, as well. Texas school districts will receive all yearly materials at the beginning of the year. Magazines present short blocks of age-appropriate text, vivid illustrations of historical content, writing prompts, and related games and activities. At grades K-2, Studies Weekly introduces students to important historical events and figures, social studies concepts (e.g., rules, responsibility, patriotism), and tools (e.g., timelines, maps, globes). Instruction at grade 3 focuses on the role of community and the importance of citizenship. Students learn about Texas history at grade 4 and U.S. history at grade 5. You can request free samples of Studies Weekly materials here . here=">here" to="to" subscribe="subscribe" the="the" Learning="Learning" List="List" blog.="blog.">

The Neuhaus Education Center’s Scientific Spelling is a supplemental resource to support spelling instruction in grades 1-8. Materials are available in print format. Instruction focuses on the patterns and rules for spelling in the English language and strategies for memorizing the spelling of words that do not fit these patterns and rules. Learning List recently completed reviews of the materials for grades 1-8. Instruction is systematic and focuses on the structure of words in English, including recurring spelling patterns and rules, and provides strategies to support the spelling of words that do not adhere to patterns and rules. Content is broken into five chapters: (1) Phonology, (2) Regular Words, (3) Rule Words, (4) Irregular Words, and (5) Procedures. Phonology instruction is emphasized in the early elementary grades, and teachers are encouraged to revisit phonology instruction as needed in later grades. Subsequent instruction focuses on analyzing and categorizing words in three groups: Regular Words, Rule Words, and Irregular Words. Regular words are those that follow clear patterns or the rules of English; students generally can sound these words out (e.g., cat). Lessons addressing regular words emphasize the breaking of words into their component letters, clusters of letters, and syllables and then analyzing sounds to determine spelling. Rule words may be spelled by sounding out, so long as students are aware of some spelling rules. Instruction on rule words presents spelling rules, such as the Doubling Rule (e.g., hop+ed=hopped) or Dropping Rule (hope+ed=hoped), that help students sound out words. Irregular words are words that students must memorize in order to spell correctly (e.g., ghost), and the chapter addressing irregular words provides memorization strategies. More information about Neuhaus Education Center products is available here .

On March 24, Superintendents received TEA’s “ To the Administrator Addressed ” letter regarding ordering instructional materials and certifying their district’s compliance with the  100% Rule . The commissioner of education may require districts to  submit supporting documentation  about the instructional materials on which the certification is based. State-adopted, non-adopted, comprehensive and supplemental materials may be considered when certifying that the district’s materials align to 100% of the TEKS for each grade/subject.   Can you prove that your district’s instructional materials, individually or in the aggregate, are aligned to 100% of the TEKS for each grade/subject? Learning List has reviewed over 800 comprehensive  and  supplemental materials in all four core subjects. For each state-adopted and non-adopted material, Learning List provides an independent alignment report showing to  which  standards the material is aligned and the alignment percentage. Subscribing districts can access all completed reviews  and  can also request reviews of additional materials, including materials the district is using, at no additional cost. Please contact us for more information about how our service can provide confidence that your district is in compliance with the 100% Rule.

Dear supporters, We won … now it’s on to Washington, D.C. for the 1776 Challenge Cup Finals! THANK YOU for helping Learning List become the People’s Choice education candidate in the 1776 Challenge Cup. We are overwhelmed not only by your votes but also by notes like the ones below from subscribers who shared how Learning List is helping them improve instruction for their students: "I’ve just spent my first day really working in the website, and WOW, I am amazed by the information that it provides!  Not only am I going to be able to sign the TEA Certification with confidence, but more importantly, I am also going to be able to provide tools to my principal and teachers which will vastly improve our instructional program.  You have made my job as superintendent infinitely easier!  I can’t say it enough:  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Our district is a tiny school district (just over 200 in PreK-12), and the principal and I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the task of providing high quality resources to our teachers and for our kids. We sometimes feel very alone out here in the rural Texas Panhandle, but your email reminded us that we are part of a bigger team and that there ARE people out there like us who truly care about being of service to others. Clearly, that is what you and your company are about. When I saw all that Learning List offered, it became apparent that you could charge far more for a Learning List subscription....but you don't." To publishers who sent the link around their companies to help us move forward in this competition: THANK YOU for helping us get the word out so that more districts/schools and publishers will hear about Learning List and have the opportunity to benefit from the service we provide. With my deepest gratitude, Jackie

Learning List has been nominated to compete for the “People’s Choice” position in the international 1776 Challenge Cup competition. Only four education startups internationally have been afforded this opportunity. The competition will take place in Washington DC early next month; we need your vote to get there. Please take a minute (literally) to vote for Learning List : Click HERE to vote . The publicity Learning List would receive as the People’s Choice contender would amplify our subscribers’ voice with publishers and garner publicity for the publishers whose products we’ve reviewed. Please forward this link to others in your district/company to vote as well. Every vote counts!

Bedford, Freeman, & Worth’s Mathematical Models with Applications  is a comprehensive high school mathematics course available in print format . Content emphasizes concepts presented in Algebra I and Geometry in order to prepare students for Algebra II; all prerequisite topics for Algebra II are addressed. Instruction emphasizes the development algebraic, graphic, numeric, and geometric reasoning, as well as the use of functions to model real-world applications. Learning List recently published a review of this course. The first part of the course focuses on algebra and the use of linear equations and functions. Concepts in geometry are presented at naturally occurring points throughout algebra instruction. The course’s latter chapters separately address personal finance, data analysis, and probability. Throughout instruction students learn to identify the relevant elements of a real-world problem, represent them symbolically in a mathematical model, and explain their reasoning in written and spoken formats. Each chapter includes four types of lessons: (1) Activities, (2) Investigations, (3) Regular Lessons, and (4) Review and Practice. Activities are hands-on experiments that introduce topics and allow students to work collaboratively to collect and analyze data and answer related questions. Investigations are guided discovery activities in which students work with peers to analyze and solve real-world problems (e.g., create a function to help a business price its T-shirts). Regular Lessons provide direct instruction in key concepts. Each chapter includes one Review and Practice (RAP) lesson that reviews previously learned skills.

What determines when an instructional material is characterized as a comprehensive or a supplemental material? Generally, a comprehensive or core material addresses all, or nearly all, of the standards for a particular grade and subject area, and a supplemental product focuses on a particular set of standards. However, sometimes we find that materials designed for supplemental instruction (e.g., test preparation resources) address nearly all of the standards for a given course. This prompted us to examine our thinking about what the labels “comprehensive” and “supplemental” mean in terms of instructional materials. States' Definitions of Comprehensive and Supplemental Materials To clarify our understanding, we examined how some states and districts define these terms. For example, California defines comprehensive, or “ basic ”, instructional materials to be “instructional materials that are designed for use by pupils as a principal learning resource and that meet in organization and content the basic requirements of the intended course (Educ. Code § 60010(a)). In California, supplementary materials are materials designed to serve one or more of the specific purposes listed in the statute, including providing more complete coverage of a subject in a course, addressing diverse learning needs, and supporting the use of technology in the classroom (Educ. Code § 60010(I)).  Similarly, the New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) defines core instructional material as “the comprehensive print or digital educational material, including basal material, which constitutes the necessary instructional components of a full academic course of study in those subjects for which the department has adopted content standards and benchmarks” (NMAC, Title 6, Part 2, 6.75.2.7(C)). A supplementary instructional material is a supporting material used to reinforce, enrich, or enhance instruction driven by core instructional material (Title 6, Part 2, 6.75.2.7(W)).  Comprehensive Materials Both definitions of comprehensive materials clarify that a comprehensive material is one that supports instruction for a course’s full curriculum and is provided for all students. Such materials would include broad, deep discussions of content; remediation and enrichment activities; formative and summative assessments; as well as teacher resources. Although neither definition specifies that a comprehensive resource must address 100% of the standards for a course, it seems reasonable that a “principal learning resource” or a “primary source of instruction” would need to be highly aligned to standards. Comprehensive materials typically address all or nearly all of the standards for a particular grade or subject area. Supplemental Materials Both definitions of supplemental materials indicate that supplemental resources are not designed to be the sole or the primary instructional resource for a course. Instead, supplementary materials complement, enrich, or extend the content of comprehensive resources. As such, supplemental materials typically do not address all standards and, based on our reviews, vary significantly in the percentage of standards to which they are aligned. Some supplemental products focus on a narrow set of standards, while others, such as test preparation resources, provide a brief review of all standards. The rigor of supplemental materials also varies, depending on the material’s purpose. For example, a supplemental material designed for skills practice may provide less challenging content than one designed to support project-based learning or interdisciplinary connections. Finally, supplemental materials generally have fewer components, such as assessments, monitoring tools, and teacher resources, than core materials and vary significantly in the components they offer.   Therefore, teachers should use their comprehensive material as their primary resource for instruction. Supplemental resources should be used in a complementary fashion, such as to fill in gaps when the core resource is not aligned to specific standards, to engage students, to help differentiate instruction, to provide skills practice, or to extend learning. Even if a supplemental material is aligned to all of the standards being taught, teachers should not use it as the primary resource for the course because it will likely not provide the depth or breadth of instruction (explanations, examples, practice) that a core material would provide.  For more information about selecting and using instructional materials most effectively to support student learning, see our L earning List's Insights white papers.

Jarrett Publishing’s Mastering the TEKS in World Geography is a supplemental test preparation resource for the STAAR end-of-course exam in world geography available in print format. Content provides complete coverage of the high school world geography TEKS . Instruction addresses physical, human, and political geography, as well as globalization. Learning List has recently published an alignment report and editorial review of this resource. The first unit of Mastering the TEKS in World Geography addresses test taking, geography, and problem solving skills. Test taking instruction provides guidance in answering different types of questions (e.g., multiple choice, data analysis) and introduces the three-step “E-R-A” strategy: (1) E xamine the Question, (2) R ecall What You Know, and (3) A pply What You Know. Instruction in geography skills teaches students how to use and interpret different types of maps (e.g., thematic, historical, political). Instruction in problem solving outlines a set of steps to help students make informed decisions. Subsequent units cover physical, human, and political geography; geographic change(s) over time; and issues in globalization. Each chapter begins by identifying the TEKS and geographical terms addressed in instruction. Chapter openers list the “Important Ideas” students will learn and pose several essential questions to guide students’ thinking. Chapters include application exercises in which students apply their learning to new situations and “Acting as an Amateur Geographer” activities in which students complete short research projects. Chapters end with Study Cards, “Checking Your Understanding” questions, and Concept Maps that help students prepare for the STAAR test. Study Cards summarize the key concepts and vocabulary covered in the chapter. Students are encouraged to illustrate the back of each card with a picture that visually represents the concept or term. Study Cards support student review individually and in groups. “Checking Your Understanding” presents a set of practice questions formatted to reflect the STAAR end-of-course exam.