Learning List recently completed reviews of all materials as listed on the Proclamation 2022 Pre-Adoption Samples documents, made available by the Texas Education Agency, for Health in grades K-12.
We reviewed the materials from six publishers. Two publishers provided materials for elementary grades, two publishers middle school grades, and two publishers span middle and high school.
Learning List reviewers noted six trends in the materials reviewed for health. These trends represent what educators can expect to see with most materials, but they do not represent all materials:
- The materials consistently encourage students to talk to parents and/or trusted adults about health information, questions, and concerns. Some of the publishers have distinguished themselves by ensuring this characteristic is present throughout the material and that students are encouraged to first seek advice from adults, while others have emphasized this characteristic with key topics such as safety, sexual health and wellness, and health relationships and bullying.
- The most compelling materials focus on students as advocates for their own health, the importance of decision making, and the impact of those decisions on health and wellness.
- Publishers consistently address reproductive and sexual health at appropriate grade levels. Some of the publishers address reproductive and sexual health as separate supplements to student material, providing teachers with discretion as to how and when the topic is introduced, while others include it within the primary student material.
- Most of the materials are designed such that they can be used effectively in digital and/or remote learning environments. The most “user-friendly” materials were designed with the intention of digital use, while others provide materials in formats, such as PDF, that are easily adaptable to digital environments.
- The majority of materials provide a level of rigor appropriate for most students by including questions and activities at all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy or DOK and a variety of options for differentiating instruction. The most accomplished materials include open-ended assignments, projects, or culminating tasks that focus on critical thinking, decision making, and community impact.
- Most publishers provide limited resources to differentiate instruction. A few publishers provide support for students at varying levels (i.e., above-, on-, and below-level) or to support students with reading and audio tools. Some secondary materials are available in English and Spanish. Elementary materials are only available in English.
Get a head start on your adoption process by reading Learning List’s reviews for more details about the trends listed in this blog as well as many other topics evaluated by our reviewers. We provide a qualitative review on the instructional content and design of the material, a technology review that will help you determine which materials are compatible with your systems, and an academic inventory that addresses key components of the core instruction.
Remember, our reviewers are practicing Texas Educators who know what you are looking for when you choose instructional materials!