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(1) Learning List is a service : Learning List is not just a review site. Subscriber requests drive our review process. Subscribers can access the over 800 reviews we’ve already completed; and, if we haven’t reviewed a product of interest to them, they can request a review: ·    Campus/district selection committees can request reviews of materials; ·    Principals can request reviews of materials their teachers want the campus to buy; and ·    Teachers can request reviews of materials they hear about from colleagues in other districts. Then, teachers/curriculum teams can use our alignment reports on an ongoing basis to help them assign only the portions of their districts’ materials that are truly aligned to the depth and rigor of each standard.  Thus, Learning List functions as an extension the school/district’s curriculum department. “In order to be good stewards of taxpayer money, we’ve partnered with Learning List to make better educated purchasing decisions.” Misty Swanger, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Jonathan Alder School District “Learning List helps districts use their instructional materials instructionally.” Pat Hardy, Texas State Board of Education member. (2) Learning List reviews comprehensive (year-long) and supplemental materials (specialized): We review instructional materials of all types in all formats, English and Spanish versions. In order to expand subscribers’ choices and help them make cost- and instructionally-effective purchases, we purposefully review products offered at different prices from major and specialty publishers, as well as open-educational resources. The table below lists the Learning List-verified alignment percentages and prices of five of the products reviewed in 6th grade math: While alignment is critical to student success, Learning List also provides an editorial review addressing equally important attributes of each material’s instructional content and design, including focus, coherence, rigor, ease of use and adaptions for special populations.  “Most teachers don’t have the time, expertise or experience Learning List’s reviewers have to review instructional materials. This is a very valuable service for districts.”  John Lopez, Former Managing Director for Instructional Materials and Ed Tech, Texas Education Agency “Our teachers often ask us to buy products, and we don’t know if they’re any good. Learning List’s independent reviews will help us figure out what to buy.” Shelley Reavis, Director of Curriculum, Burnett CISD (3) Learning List is standards agnostic: Learning List has no allegiance to any particular set of standards. Developed in response to requests from educators who were tired of purchasing materials that failed to live up to publishers’ alignment (and other) claims, Learning List reviews materials aligned to a variety of standards, including state-specific,  Common Core  and Advanced Placement. Reviews for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned materials will be released in summer 2015. “Learning List is an invaluable tool for educators, especially those in small and mid-sized districts.  Their objective reviews, absent of political influences, benefit students, parents and school districts.  I cannot recommend them highly enough.” Thomas Ratliff, Texas State Board of Education member (4) Learning List empowers choice. Teachers and students have different needs and capabilities; therefore, each district/campus looks for different attributes in instructional materials. For that reason, Learning List does not rank or recommend materials.  Rather, we provide thee distinct types of reviews to help educators determine which materials will best meet their students’ (and teachers’) needs: a detailed alignment report verifying the material’s alignment to each standard for the applicable grade/subject. Learning List then calculates the percentage of the standards to which the material is aligned; an editorial review describing the material’s instructional content and design using a research-based protocol with over 100 criteria; and,  educator ratings and reviews based on specified criteria consistent with effective teaching practices. Thus, the only “ratings” provided are those of educators who have used the products with students. All products are completely reviewed and reviewed against the same criteria for each of the 3 types of reviews to make it easy for subscribers to compare materials on an equal playing field. Learning List’s reviews are accompanied by a completed publisher questionnaire, in which the publisher presents their product directly to our subscribers; Learning List does not edit the publisher’s responses.  “By using Learning List, our district identified a supplemental math resource that helped raise scores across all elementary grade levels in one year. We couldn’t have done this without your reviews.” Rick Howard, Superintendent, Comanche ISD (5) Learning List is subscription-based. We offer our service for a low, annual subscription rate. Campus- or district-wide annual subscriptions are based on student enrollment with rates starting at $1/student and decreasing as enrollment increases. After all, if a campus/district is going to spend $75+/per student on new instructional materials this year, doesn’t it make sense to spend $1 or less per student to choose and then use their instructional materials more effectively? A nimble company with a sustainable business model, Learning List responds quickly to educators’ evolving needs in a rapidly changing marketplace. “I can’t imagine why any district that heard your presentation would not want to subscribe to your service. Your reviews are awesome.” Doug Rawlins, Principal, Panhandle ISD “Your detailed alignment reports alone would have saved our urban district tens of thousands of dollars in overtime and staff stipends.” Dr. Yolanda Rey, Executive Director, Texas ASCD  More information about Learning List's Features and Methodology is available here .

According to a recent article published on  PBS Newshour , 90 percent of districts in Common Core states said that developing or identifying Common Core curricular materials has posed a challenge. Yet even when instructional materials can be identified, how do districts know what the alignment percentages may be across grade levels? Alignment percentages can vary greatly from grade level to grade level - independent of the standard  < CCSS =">CCSS" (Common="(Common" Core="Core" State="State" Standards),  TEKS=">TEKS" (Texas="(Texas" Essential="Essential" Knowledge="Knowledge" and="and" Skills),="Skills),"  etc.=" etc."> and instructional materials subjects being reviewed . Here are a few examples: Bottom line : Do not assume that the alignment percentage at one grade level is representative of the product’s alignment at all grade levels, or even at all grade levels within a single grade span. Learning List helps identify alignment percentage differences across grade levels and can assist you in selecting supplemental materials that can Fill-in-the-Gap™. Solution:  If your district is going to purchase multi-grade level material, look at the alignment of the material at each grade level . If the material is not consistently aligned, check why. Does the product not attempt to align to a particular domain/strand (i.e., it only addresses information text)? Did the product not align well to a particular domain/strand? If the answer is “yes” to either of these questions, it will be easy to supplement with another material that specializes in the non-aligned domain/strand. However, there simply may not be a logical pattern of non-alignment from grade-level to grade-level. To effectively prepare your students to master the standards, your teachers must know which standards the material is or is not aligned to in each grade level so that they can adjust their instructional strategies accordingly.

Learning List has reviewed Sirius Education Solutions’ Grade 8 Science: STAAR Review and Preparation WorkText. This supplemental, consumable print resource prepares eighth grade students for the STAAR science exam. Instruction reviews the tested science TEKS , including content from grades 6 and 7, and develops students’ test taking skills. The WorkText includes four units that address (1) matter and energy; (2) force, motion, and energy; (3) earth and space; and (4) organisms and environments. Each unit begins with a short diagnostic test, a review of previously learned vocabulary, a preview of new terms, and “Get Ready” question that frames content. Chapters begin by providing the full text of the relevant TEKS followed by student-friendly explanations of each standard. The instructional narrative is written simply and will be readable for most middle school students. New vocabulary is highlighted and defined in context and in a glossary. Content includes visual elements, such as illustrations, diagrams, and photographs, to support understanding. Items from the diagnostic test are revisited when the applicable content is addressed in the chapter. The discussion of test items identifies the correct answer and explains why other responses are incorrect. Each chapter ends with a set of STAAR practice questions. Units end with sets of review activities, a graphic organizer, and a post-test. Review materials include a checklist of the key concepts and vocabulary needed to master each of the TEKS. Each unit includes a diagnostic test and a post-test formatted to reflect the STAAR exam. The WorkText also includes a comprehensive “Mixed Readiness” review formatted to reflect the STAAR test.

First, why is alignment so important ? Teachers rely on their instructional materials for 80 percent of their curriculum. They expect that the materials the district purchases will be aligned to 100% of the standards. If the material is not aligned to the depth and rigor of each standard, and the teacher is not aware of the material’s deficits, he/she will not supplement with additional products or adjust his/her instructional strategies to ensure that the students fully learn all of the standards. If students are not taught the knowledge and skills required by the state’s standards, they will not do well academically. Here's a snapshot of a few instructional materials that show the contrast between the "Publisher Submitted Alignment Percentage" vs. the  "Learning List Alignment Percentage" for the TEKS standards (Texas Education Knowledge and Skills) for ELA/R (English Language Arts and Reading) and Math across various grade levels: Similarly, here's a snapshot of a few instructional materials that show the contrast between the "Publisher Submitted Alignment Percentage" vs. the  "Learning List Alignment Percentage" for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA/R and Math across various grade levels: Bottom line : the alignment of your district’s instructional materials will inevitably impact your students’ scores, which in turn, will impact your teachers’ evaluations and campus and district accountability ratings. Solution : Have two or three teachers carefully check the citations in the publisher’s correlation to make sure that the citations listed are aligned to the content, context and cognitive demand of each standard. Why more than one teacher ? Determining alignment is an inherently subjective endeavor; having a few teachers work together to check the material’s alignment is necessary to reduce the subjectivity of alignment determinations. At Learning List , three and sometimes four subject matter experts (experienced teachers certified in the grade and subject of the products they review) check the alignment of each instructional material. On average, we spend about 14 hours reviewing the alignment of each instructional material featured on Learning List. Support your teachers and students’ success by ensuring that the materials you purchase (either individually or in the aggregate) are truly aligned to 100% of the standards in each grade and subject.

TASBO 2015 is here. Learn what every District should know about purchasing instructional materials: how to stretch your budget $ by optimizing your ROI and how to avoid the most common mistakes in the selection process so that educators can choose and use instructional materials more effectively. Join  Learning List at the  TASBO Conference in Houston (Feb. 17-19) at the: Session on Thurs., Feb. 19th at 12:00 – 12:30PM, Room 352C of the George Brown Convention Center and Exhibit Hall booth # 1616.

In today’s EdWeek , Catherine Gewertz discusses how some states have relaxed their control over instructional materials and are providing districts with more freedom in choosing their classroom resources. Increasingly, states are stepping away from textbook adoption processes in which state-appointed panels review instructional materials and provide lists of state “approved” resources from which districts were required to purchase. The increased freedom in selecting instructional materials has been a reason to celebrate in many districts. But administrators are quick to acknowledge that the new freedom comes with some challenges, particularly as so many new instructional materials designed to address the Common Core State Standards flood the market. With less state guidance on what to choose and more instructional materials to choose from, districts bear a greater burden to ensure the materials they select are aligned to standards and appropriate for students. This is a time-consuming task and requires resources that many districts do not have. Learning List’s mission is to help districts choose and then use high-quality, standards-aligned materials. For each product, Learning List features three types of independent reviews: (1) Learning List's alignment reports verify the citations listed in the publisher's correlation from the educator's perspective. The reports show whether and where the material addresses the content, context, and cognitive demand of each standard; (2) Our research-based editorial reviews assess the material's instructional content and design to help educators understand whether the product will meet their students and teachers' needs; and, (3) Educators can rate and review the products to explain how the materials affected teaching and learning in their classrooms. In the aggregate, Learning List’s reviews provide districts with the information they need to ensure that a product is aligned to standards and contains the features and functionality that their students’ need. The detailed alignment reports also help educators integrate the instructional materials into their curriculum more effectively.  Our service saves districts time and money and provides the documentation required to certify that instructional materials meet state standards.

Caveat Emptor … a Latin phrase meaning, “Buyer Beware.” For centuries buyers have been held to a standard of due diligence; do your homework before you buy or suffer the consequences. Purchasing instructional materials is the single largest annual purchase a school district typically makes. To put it in context: school districts spend more on instructional materials annually than you paid for your house. A purchase that large certainly merits careful due diligence. Traditionally, reviewing instructional materials before the district makes its selection decisions has been delegated to overworked district staff who review the available materials at vendor fairs, in their “spare” time at school and at home, and during interminable selection committee meetings. Furthermore, the task of reviewing and comparing instructional materials has become increasingly difficult in a rapidly evolving marketplace. In a series of blog posts, we will explain some of the key mistakes we see districts making when it comes to purchasing instructional materials and some suggested solutions. Mistake #1: Sooner is better. I often hear districts rushing to complete their instructional materials selections process by early February or even early March. Some do so believing that the law requires boards to approve materials by March or April. There is no law in Texas requiring districts to approve local adoptions by any particular time . Districts are free to purchase materials whenever they need them. The state’s EMAT ordering system is available to districts starting in April of each year. Other states may impose a deadline for purchasing materials, but most states now give districts local control over when and what they purchase. If you purchase early in the season, you likely are purchasing based on publishers’ promises. New-to-market products typically are not completed until a few months before they are to be delivered. Publishers who submit their materials for state adoption may submit the content of their materials for review, even though the product’s features and functionality have not yet been developed. Many more publishers do not submit materials for state adoption because their products are not ready in time for the adoption process. While publishers may intend to develop all of the functionality promised, impediments may arise at the 11 th hour to prevent the final product from containing all of the promised features. _____________________________________________________________________________ Bottom line : purchasing incomplete materials sets you up for disappointment and limits your choices. Solution : To be an informed consumer, you should wait until products are fully developed and physically review the entire complete products before making your purchasing decisions. Waiting until spring (March – May) to make your selection decisions will likely result in less disappointment and more products to choose from. _____________________________________________________________________________ For more information about how to avoid other mistakes made in selecting instructional materials, join Learning List at the  TASBO Conference in Houston (Feb. 17-19) at the: Session on Thurs., Feb. 19th at 12:00 - 12:30PM, Room 352C of the George Brown Convention Center and Exhibit Hall booth # 1616.

The New York State Education Department provides a comprehensive set of free open-educational resources (OERs) to support the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The downloadable materials, known as EngageNY , provide lesson plans in mathematics for students in grades PK-12. Across grade levels, instruction focuses on exploring fewer topics in greater depth. This post discusses EngageNY’s elementary products. Subsequent posts will examine resources for middle school and high school. Learning List has recently published reviews of K-5 OER materials. At the elementary grades, EngageNY develops students’ ability to solve problems using basic operations with whole numbers and fractions. At grades K-2, instruction focuses on addition and subtraction of whole numbers, and at grades 3-5, instruction focuses on multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions (see Grade 5 video example). Content is organized using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, which structures instruction by providing multiple means of engaging students, representing content, and expressing and acting upon learning. Further, lesson plans strive to meet the rigor of the CCSSs by balancing conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and the practical application of mathematics to real-world problems. To achieve this goal, EngageNY lessons are presented in four-parts: Fluency Practice includes activities that develop proficiency, connect to prior learning, and preview new concepts. Concept Development provides core instruction in new concepts and skills. Application Problems allow students to practice using problem sets that are related to the instruction provided in the Concept Development portion of the lesson. Student Debrief provides opportunities for students to discuss and share what they have learned. Debriefs close with an “exit ticket” –a short formative assessment of the day’s learning as students leave the classroom. The Mathematical Practice Standards (MPS) are integrated throughout EngageNY lessons at grades K-5, and teacher resources include comprehensive support to help teachers adapt to the new standards and integrate the practices in instruction. Each lesson addresses one or more MPS and lesson plans highlight how the standards are incorporated in the day’s instruction. Across grades, lesson plans provide opportunities for students to model with mathematics (MP 4), focus on precision (MP 6), make sense of problems (MP 1), and reason mathematically (MP 2). Lessons provide opportunities for students to use mathematical tools (MP 5) and make use of structure (MP 7). Student debriefing sessions provide daily opportunities for students to express their reasoning (MP 8) and construct arguments and critique the reasoning of others (MP3).

Teacher Created Materials’ Exploring Social Studies: Texas Edition is a supplemental social studies resource for students in grades K-5 available in print and digital formats. Courses are inquiry-based and focus on the use of primary sources. Social studies content is combined with literacy instruction and may be integrated into English language arts and reading blocks. Learning List has recently completed and published reviews for this social studies series. At each grade level, Exploring Social Studies develops vocabulary and literacy skills using texts that address social studies content and incorporate primary source materials, such as maps, photographs, letters, newspapers, and historical documents. Most instruction is presented using leveled readers that present age-appropriate text at varying levels of complexity. Leveled readers include vivid illustrations and are available in print, PDF, eBook, and Word formats. Courses also include Primary Source Photo Cards, Reader’s Theater Scripts, Vocabulary Concept Cards, and a Culminating Activity for each grade level. Primary Source Photo Cards present images of primary sources on one side and student activities on the other. Vocabulary Concepts Cards (grade K) present an image on one side and a mini-lesson about the image on the other. Reader’s Theater Scripts (grades 1-5) allow students to dramatize historical events (e.g., immigrants arriving at Ellis Island). Culminating Activities are collaborative projects that draw on what students have learned throughout the year and include rubrics to help students evaluate their work. Courses include blackline masters of graphic organizers, worksheets, quizzes, and assessments. More information about the social studies resources is available in this brochure .

Recently, Texas Commissioner of Education , Michael Williams advised districts: Texas school districts are no longer required to set aside 20 percent of their Title I federal dollars to provide Supplemental Educational Services (SES) for students at low-performing campuses. A district is now free to use those funds on academic intervention programs it deems most effective for its students. Learning List’s detailed alignment reports help districts easily identify supplemental products that will meet their students’ academic needs. Our detailed alignment reports verify the publisher’s correlation, identifying multiple citations (e.g., pages, lessons, videos, etc...) that are aligned to each student expectation and the citations in the publisher’s correlation that Learning List found not to be aligned. Moreover, for each non-aligned citation, Learning List’s alignment reports include a comment explaining the part of the student expectation (i.e., the content, context, or cognitive demand) the citation did not address. If a school/district’s test scores across a class/grade level/subject show a pattern of low performance, the district’s IM – or the teacher’s use of the IM -- may be the cause. Here’s how: STEP 1: Are the district’s materials aligned to that (those) standard(s)? Learning List’s alignment reports show whether the district’s IM is aligned to each student expectation. If the materials are not aligned to the standards the students missed on the test and the teachers did not know the material was not aligned, students likely were not taught the knowledge and skills required by that (those) standard(s). STEP 2: Even if the materials are aligned to that/those standard(s), are there some citations in the publisher’s correlation that are not aligned to the standard(s)? In many cases, Learning List’s alignment report reveals that some of the citations listed in the publishers’ correlation are aligned to a student expectation and others are not. If teachers were assigning the citations that are not aligned to the standard(s) the students missed on the test, students likely were not taught the knowledge and skills required by that (those) standard(s). Moreover, if the district’s IM are not aligned to 100% of the TEKS standards in a grade/subject, Learning List’s “Fill-in-the-Gap” tool identifies other materials, both comprehensive and supplemental (including open education resources) that address the remaining standards. As State Board of Education member Pat Hardy commented, “ Learning List helps districts use their instructional materials instructionally .” Though Texas school districts must no longer set aside 20% of their Title I funding for SES, districts still have a legal and moral obligation to help all students learn what the standards require. Learning List helps districts choose and then also use their instructional materials effectively to help teachers teach and students learn what the State requires them to know and be able to do. Please click here to request a webinar or more information. TEA=">TEA" website .="website .">

Teachers’ Curriculum Institute’s ( TCI ) provides comprehensive and supplemental resources to support social studies instruction in  elementary  schools* and high schools . Instruction is discovery-based and includes hands-on activities and frequent opportunities for students to work with peers. Course resources are designed for use with interactive whiteboards and include some print materials. Learning List has recently completed reviews of this social studies series. Primary instruction combines three resources: (1) an editable, interactive whiteboard- compatible presentation (2) the student text, and (3) the “Interactive Student Notebook.” Presentations contain step-by-step guidance for each activity, vivid illustrations, and references to the accompanying resources in the student text and Interactive Student Notebook. Each presentation begins with an essential question followed by a “Preview” activity that introduces new vocabulary, links to what students already know, and frames new content. Subsequent slides structure discovery-based activities. Activities incorporate some direct instruction, but most learning takes place in hands-on experiences. Presentation slides pose questions and students use their texts and Interactive Student Notebooks to discover answers. Some lessons include “Experiential Activities” that relate historical events to students’ experiences in order to deepen their understanding of key concepts. Instructional materials include the “Reading Challenge” game and “Glossary Cards.” The Reading Challenge checks for students’ understanding through multiple choice questions presented in a game format. The game provides multiple opportunities to answer correctly and provides corrective feedback. Glossary Cards are interactive tools to support vocabulary development. Each card provides a term or word on one side and flips to reveal the definition. Other resources include a glossary, biographies of key figures, and access to a variety of maps (e.g., political, physical). For a Free Trial for any of these programs, please click here . <* note there is no 4th grade texas-based (teks) product from tci.>

Have you ever purchased instructional materials that your teachers ultimately don’t use? You’re not alone. On average, districts purchase over $500,000 of instructional materials that sit unused on closet or warehouse shelves. Instructional materials are generally a district’s largest annual purchase. Learn how to maximize your district’s ROI on IM purchases.  Presenters will discuss common mistakes in the purchasing process, key criteria for assessing instructional materials and the essential questions to ask publishers before you buy. See the postcard below for more details about how to meet Learning List at: 1) Don't Make a Million Dollar Mistake! (Session on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2:15-3:15PM in Convention Center Level C, Room 10C) and 2) Exhibit Booth #209 (see floor plan below)