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Triumph Learning’s Common Core Performance Coach provides supplemental instructional materials for mathematics and English language arts and reading instruction in grades 3-8. Performance Coach materials are available in print format and are aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Resources include practice questions formatted to reflect the CCSS-based standardized exams (i.e., PARCC, Smarter Balanced). Learning List has recently published alignment reports and editorial reviews for these materials in grades 3-8. Common Core Performance Coach: English Language Arts organizes instruction in four strands: (1) Working with Literature, (2) Working with Informational Texts, (3) Writing, and (4) Listening. Common Core Performance Coach: Mathematics is organized in terms of the CCSS Mathematics domains for each grade level. Content in both products is structured using the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) instructional model which gradually shifts responsibility for learning from the teacher to students. To achieve this goal, lessons are presented in three parts: Getting the Idea: Teachers introduce new concepts, model new skills, provide examples, and make connections to prior learning. Coached Example: Teachers coach students as they practice new skills and work with peers. Lesson Practice: Students practice new skills independently. The Performance Coach Teacher Guide provides teachers with a detailed pacing guide for the full instructional year that references additional resources to support instruction. Guides provide correlations to the CCSS and background information to help teachers transition to the new standards and assessments. Guides include strategies for working with English language learners, rubrics to guide the evaluation of student writing, and comprehensive lesson plans.

A Texas school district administrator recently stated that his district subscribed to Learning List in order to be good stewards of taxpayer funds. In an NPR interview, a curriculum director of an Ohio school district offered the same explanation for her district’s decision to subscribe. How does Learning List help districts become better stewards of taxpayer funds? Promotes educational equity. Learning List seeks products to review from large publishers, smaller, boutique publishers and open education resources. Subscribing districts can also request reviews of the materials of greatest interest to them. And, once Learning List reviews a material, the review is available to all subscribers. Thus, if Dallas Independent School District (ISD) requests a review, Dimmit ISD has access to our reviews of the product. So all subscribers have the same product information and selection, regardless of the district’s size or geographic location. Provides cost-effective options. Learning List seeks a wide variety of products to review. Some districts are looking for materials with many different types of support for their teachers and students. Others want a well-aligned consumable print material. And, many schools/districts want materials with features and functionality somewhere in between. Learning List’s mission is to provide high quality reviews of instructional materials offered at various price points to help districts make cost-effective purchases of instructional materials for their students. Saves staff time and school/districts money. Educators in schools and districts across the country spend countless hours reviewing the same instructional materials. In some cases, schools even hire substitutes to free teachers to review materials. Learning List’s in-depth reviews help educators identify the materials with the features and functionality their students need to narrow the number of materials they have to review themselves. As a result, teachers spend less time reviewing materials and have more time to teach. Increases transparency and accountability. Millions of dollars worth of purchased instructional materials go unused each year. Why? Because the materials purchased fail to live up to the publisher’s claims. Learning List’s independent reviews examine the alignment, instructional content and instructional design of each material to help schools/districts avoid purchasing materials that won’t meet their students’ needs. By holding publishers to a higher level of transparency and accountability for their claims, our reviews help educators make better informed purchasing decisions and thus become better stewards of taxpayers’ funds.

Cengage Learning provides comprehensive high school mathematics courses in print and eBook formats. Courses include Mathematical Models with Applications , PreCalculus with Limits , and PreCalculus with Limits: A Graphing Approach. Mathematical Models with Applications begins with a “Chapter R” review of concepts students learned in algebra courses, and then introduces students to the uses of modeling in multiple real-world situations. Instruction addresses functions, graphing, systems of equations, probability, and statistics. Each lessons begins with a short narrative describing content, why it’s important, and how it connects to students’ lives. Informational text uses a conversational tone and is written at a level most high school students will understand. Explanations begin and end on the same page to support readability and comprehension. Important concepts are summarized in textboxes and illustrated in ample example problems that provide step-by-step solutions. The course’s page layout is uncluttered and allows students to focus on examples and easily identify solutions. PreCalculus with Limits addresses concepts from algebra, geometry, and trigonometry in order to prepare students for calculus. The course includes an introduction to calculus and the concept of limits, and its final chapter addresses concepts in statistics. Chapters open with photographs that illustrate the real-world applications of content and references to the chapter examples or exercises to which they apply. Lessons open with clear statements of learning objectives and photographs that help students connect content to everyday experiences. New content is presented with clear, concise explanations and relevant visual elements, such as graphs, photographs, and figures. Explanations begin and end on the same page to support readability and comprehension. Some examples include side-by-side demonstrations of different approaches to solving a particular problem (e.g., graphical, numerical, algebraic). Examples are followed by “Checkpoints” that ask students to solve a similar problem as an immediate check for understanding. PreCalculus with Limits: A Graphing Approach includes instruction in the use of graphing calculators, including “Explore the Concepts” graphing calculator activities and “What’s Wrong?” examples of common mistakes made with graphing utilities. About Cengage : Engaged with you. Cengage Learning believes that engagement is the foundation of learning…engagement is at their core and their focus is on engaging with learners, both in the classroom and beyond, to ensure the most effective product design, learning solutions and personalized services — all to help people learn. Cengage Learning understands that an engaged learner is a successful one and they are leading the transition to digital with a unique faculty AND student perspective to transform learning through engagement. The name itself reinforces this core commitment — “engage” is at the “center” of all they do.

Following the recent release of the State Board of Education’s adoption list, three of the five largest school districts in Texas have subscribed to Learning List for independent reviews of instructional materials. Learning List, the industry-leading instructional materials review service for schools and districts, has reviewed the state-adopted materials, as well as many other products not submitted for state adoption in all four core subjects. This announcement today was shared at the Instructional Materials Coordinators  Association of Texas ( IMCAT ) conference in Fort Worth, Texas (Learning List is at Booth 315). “We need to make sure that we’re being good stewards of the taxpayer’s funds,” said Matt Tyner, Textbook Manager for Dallas Independent School District . “Learning List’s reviews provide our selection committees with the information they need to help them decide if a material will meet our students’ needs. We’ve told publishers that Dallas ISD won’t consider purchasing materials that are not either on the state-adopted list or reviewed by Learning List.” Learning List reviews comprehensive as well as supplemental products which are designed for a specific niche. Three types of reviews are featured for each instructional material: a detailed alignment report to state standards; an editorial review and educator ratings and reviews . “We must ensure that we are purchasing the best materials for our students. Learning List expands the selection of materials we can consider. Their reviews then help us narrow our choices so that teachers spend less time in selection committees and have more time to teach,” said Dr. Linda Mora, Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction for Northside ISD . Not only can subscribing districts access Learning List’s completed reviews, they can also request reviews of additional materials. In that way, Learning List becomes an extension of the district’s curriculum department. Austin ISD was one of the first subscribing districts. According to Dr. Suzanne Burke, Associate Superintendent for Academics for Austin ISD , “Our district used Learning List last year and found the service to be well worth the subscription price. With so many product choices these days, we simply don’t have the staff or time to review materials as thoroughly as Learning List does. Their reviews provide a great starting point for our selection process and give us greater confidence in our purchasing decisions.” Visit LearningList.com for more information about the service or schedule a free webinar to see the reviews/tools on the site and qualify for a free trial. Learning List is exhibiting at IMCAT on Monday, December 8th and Tuesday, December 9th. Jackie Lain, President of Learning List, will be presenting at 2:15PM on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 2:15PM at the Omni Texas I conference room. The session is " Learn How to Project Your IMA & Strategies for Stretching Your IMA Funds ."

Cengage Learning ’s Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System is a comprehensive, semester-long high school economics course. Resources are available in print and eBook formats . Instruction introduces students to basic concepts in economics, including market structures, money and banking, global trade, and the role of government and business in shaping economic policies. Each unit begins with an overview of chapter content and a set of projects that incorporate 21 st century skills (e.g., communication and collaboration). Chapters begin with a “Free Enterprise in Action” feature about an individual (e.g., an entrepreneur) or event (e.g., the housing crash) related to economics. Informational text is written in a conversational style that most high school students will understand. Content includes relevant visual elements, such as: photographs, charts, figures, and graphs, and frequent checks for understanding. The course includes profiles of key figures in economics (e.g., Steve Jobs) and a set of textbox features. Textboxes include connections between economics and mathematics, explorations of the role of ethics in economic decisions, investigations of global issues, and activities that encourage students to examine problems from the perspective of an economist. Teacher editions provide guidance in implementing activities with students, strategies for differentiating instruction, and references to additional course resources. Point-of-use resources, such as discussion questions, answer keys, and notes to support instruction, are also included. About Cengage : Engaged with you. Cengage Learning believes that engagement is the foundation of learning…engagement is at their core and their focus is on engaging with learners, both in the classroom and beyond, to ensure the most effective product design, learning solutions and personalized services — all to help people learn. Cengage Learning understands that an engaged learner is a successful one and they are leading the transition to digital with a unique faculty AND student perspective to transform learning through engagement. The name itself reinforces this core commitment — “engage” is at the “center” of all they do.

Lone Star Learning ’s TEKSas Target Practice™ Digital Edition is a supplemental, online mathematics program to help K-6 students master the TEKS and prepare for STAAR exams. The program is designed for use with interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and provides a daily framework for teacher-led review of the TEKS. Learning List recently reviewed TEKSas Target Practice™ products for grades K-2. TEKSas Target Practice™ provides short, daily activities that address each of the TEKS at each grade level. Activities focus on improving fluency and skill with concepts that have been introduced during core math instruction. The program includes activities for each day of a 36-week school year. Instruction is organized in 18 ten-day blocks of instruction (i.e., two weeks). Each day presents a set of review activities that address related math concepts and skills (e.g., place value, using number lines, writing numbers), and each activity is aligned to one or more TEKS. To facilitate ease of use, each of the ten days in an instructional block follows a consistent system of color coding (e.g., Day 1 is gold, Day 8 is pink). The day’s color appears on a banner when displayed using IWBs and students have corresponding, color-coded worksheets that include space to work out problems and record answers. Student worksheets may be completed online or downloaded for paper and pencil completion. Teacher resources include teaching notes, strategies for organizing student work, answer keys, and a comprehensive correlation of the specific TEKS addressed by each day’s activities. Instructional tools include a clock with minute hands only to support counting by ones or fives, a coin graphic to help students count money, a classroom calendar, a hundreds/tens/ones chart, tiles to illustrate concepts (e.g., addition), and a chart displaying numbers from 0 to 99. More information about this digital edition is available here .

Learning List launched a year ago in September; There are many things for which we give thanks and remember: Selection committees that said our reviews saved them time; Curriculum directors who thanked us for providing peace of mind; Superintendents who subscribed for legal compliance and support; Publishers who refined their materials based on our alignment reports. We thank educators and publishers for their commitment each day To provide resources that help students reach their potential in every way.

Today, the Texas State Board of Education adopted 89 social studies, 55 high school math and 172 fine arts materials. Learning List has reviewed all of the state-adopted social studies and high school math products that were adopted, as well as several materials in those subjects that were not submitted for state adoption. The State Board took another less notorious vote today but one that significantly impacts the amount of state funding school districts and charter schools will receive to pay for instructional materials and technology over the next two school years. The Board set the percentage distribution rate from the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to the Available School Fund (ASF) at 3.5 percent for the 2015-2016 fiscal biennium. As a result of that action, approximately $1 billion a year will transferred from the PSF to the ASF and half of that (~$500M) will be set aside in the ASF for the state instructional materials fund (IMF). Are you wondering how much IMA your district or charter school will receive to purchase new social studies and high school math materials? Learning List’s whitepaper will help you predict approximately how much IMA funding you can reasonably expect to receive in September of each year of the 2015- 16 biennium. However, as you will read, two important steps have yet to be taken before districts can know with certainty the amount of IMA funding they will have available for each year of the next biennium. NOTE : Based upon our analysis  with a 2013-14 TEA enrollment of 5.15 million students, districts can expect approximately $98 /student per year in IMA funds for each of the next two years. You can read or download a copy of How to Project Your District's Instructional Materials Allotment Allocation by clicking here .

Social Studies School Service | Nystrom’s StrataLogica resource is a supplemental, web-based map and atlas program that includes print materials. Resources support core social studies instruction across grades K-12. Learning List recently reviewed StrataLogica’s Early Learning and Readiness Package for grades K-3. The program introduces students to the world using maps and atlases that focus on land, water, continents, oceans, countries, and states. Resources are for use with computers, LCD projectors, and interactive whiteboards. StrataLogica maps are interactive and may be displayed in 2D or 3D formats. Map tools allow users to zoom in and out, pan, and rotate and tilt the image in 3D view. Users may search for specific locations (e.g., Austin, Texas), measure distances, and draw, label, and add symbols and text to maps. A dual map viewer tool allows users to compare different types of maps for the same location (e.g., physical and political maps). Maps are customizable and include premade, editable presentations and projects linked to current events (e.g., Piracy Today), history (e.g., Journey of the Pilgrims), geography skills (e.g., latitude and longitude), and student interests (e.g., Monsters—Real or Hoax?). Maps include “Placemark Pop-ups” with text, videos, and images pinned to specific locations. For example, a presentation about how t-shirts are manufactured includes a placemark pinned to Lubbock, Texas, that displays a short YouTube video about the cotton industry there. Teachers may create their own Pop-Ups with text and uploaded videos and images. Pop-ups may be turned on or off. Atlases and charts are accompanied by activities with lesson plans that provide step-by-step guidance for instruction, discussion questions, and links to other subject areas and related children’s literature. Lessons include hands-on activities and downloadable activity sheets (i.e., PDFs). Atlases for grades 1-3 are available in print and eBook formats and have age-appropriate informational text, vivid illustrations and photographs, glossaries, and abbreviation keys (e.g., TX, St., S). Outline maps are customizable and may be downloaded as PDFs for classroom use.

Social Studies School Service’s Active Classroom series is a set of comprehensive digital resources to support social studies instruction at the middle school and high school levels. Courses focus on developing literacy skills in the context of social studies instruction. Content is organized in “Activity Sets” that address key concepts (e.g., Ratification of the U.S. Constitution) and can be implemented in about a week. Activity Sets include diverse sets of learning experiences related to content, including reading passages, web-based lessons, video and audio segments, maps and images for analysis, and hands-on projects, or “simulations.” Reading passages are provided at different Lexile-based complexity levels and web-based lessons require that students use online resources to analyze primary source documents and conduct research on topics. Videos illustrate key concepts and are followed by questions that require students to think critically about what they have viewed. Simulations present multi-day, creative projects related to content. Many simulations are provided by Interact , a division of Social Studies School Service, and include comprehensive lesson plans and teaching resources. Student materials are organized to support comprehension. Reading passages begin by clarifying learning objectives and defining key vocabulary. Content is presented in short blocks of text with frequent checks for understanding and tips to support students’ retention of content. Student texts include “Think About It” questions that addresses critical thinking skills and an “In Real Life” feature connects content to students’ experiences. Some passages include activities to reinforce and extend learning and most passages conclude with a short quiz.

JUMP Math’s Assessment and Practice (AP) Books provide comprehensive mathematics instruction for grades 1-8. Learning List recently reviewed JUMP Math’s products for grades 4-6. At these grades, instruction addresses number sense, patterns and algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, and probability and data management. Based on the work of mathematician and bestselling author John Mighton ( The Myth of Ability , 2003; The End of Ignorance , 2007), JUMP Math emphasizes building students’ confidence in their ability to solve problems mathematically. Instruction is discovery-based and focuses on helping students explore concepts with teacher support and guidance. Lessons begin with brief period (about 3 minutes) of explicit, teacher-led instruction, followed by guided and independent practice with teacher support, and extension activities. Lessons introduce one or two concepts at a time and present learning tasks that build on one another in a logical progression. Click on the picture to watch a video titled "Everybody Child Can Learn Math and Love it." “Mental Math” activities are included in each lesson. These activities ask students to solve problems without paper or pencil. Mental Math develops number sense and fluency in problem solving and helps students recognize patterns, make predictions, and estimate solutions. Teachers are encouraged to provide continual formative assessment of learning through questioning and observation of student performances on learning tasks and exercises. Bonus questions are provided for students who master concepts quickly. Student AP Books are designed to support students at all reading levels. Each page addresses one or two concepts in simple language and includes reminders of relevant concepts that students have already learned. Textboxes provide the steps needed to solve problems, and some problems include partial solutions to help students understand the process of problem solving. Illustrations are provided to help students visualize concepts. Click here for samples. About JUMP Math: JUMP Math is a registered non-profit that promotes numeracy based on the belief that all children can learn math, all teachers can teach math, and both can enjoy it. Their approach features meticulously crafted lesson plans that enable teachers to explain math concepts in a clear and engaging way.  A careful progression from basic concepts to challenging problems methodically builds student understanding, confidence, and love of math.  You can read about the success teachers have experienced using JUMP Math in the New York Times article “A Better Way to Teach Math ” and explore news reports about JUMP Math.

Sapling Learning’s Dynamic Math Series is a comprehensive, online mathematics program designed specifically for Texas high schools. The series includes interactive, eBook courses for Algebra I , Geometry , and Algebra II . Each course provides a set of interactive learning tools, including videos, virtual manipulatives, animations, and tutorials. Course resources may be used to support instruction in flipped classrooms and self-directed learning environments. eBooks are written in concise, easy to understand language and include visual elements, such as photographs, graphs, and figures, to support understanding. Each chapter begins with a clear statement of learning goals and an explanation of the why the content is relevant to students’ lives. Chapters are broken into manageable sections that identify objectives and new vocabulary and link content to real world problems and events. Instruction includes step-by-step guidance in solving problems and incorporates interactive tools, including virtual manipulatives (e.g., algebra tiles). Content is customizable and teachers may upload their own materials. Each chapter section includes one or more PowerPoint presentations of key content. PowerPoints are editable and include lecture notes for teachers. Presentations are also available as “Power Lessons,” which are video versions of PowerPoints with voice-over narration. Lessons have video tutorials in which an engaging teacher provides instruction in key concepts. Chapter sections also include printable study sheets and interactive coaching activities. Coaching activities facilitate students’ understanding of key concepts and provide questions in multiple formats, including numeric entry, multiple choice, equation entry, graphing and ranking. Coaching questions provide immediate, targeted feedback, including hints and explanations of why responses are or are not correct. Sapling’s eBooks include easy-to-use navigation options and include features that allow students to highlight important information, take notes, add bookmarks, and skim chapters. Search functions allow students to search the text as well as their notes by keyword or phrase. The program includes a library of videos for students that explain how to use the navigation, note taking and mark up tools, as well as a set of professional development videos to guide teachers’ use of resources. Click here to register for a high school demo account through Sapling Learning.