During our many conversations regarding the alignment of instructional materials we have found that the concept of curriculum alignment and even the phrase “aligned to standards” means different things to different people. For example, the marketing director of a publishing company recently told us that “aligned to standards” in their marketing material means that their material generally addresses the concepts contained in the standards. In contrast, when we ask educators what they understand when they read that a material is “aligned to standards,” they repeatedly tell us they expect the material to address the content knowledge and skills the standards require students to learn.
Standards
New (Free) Whitepaper: Why Alignment Matters
Has your district ever purchased instructional materials that fail to live up to their claims? If so, you’re not alone. Learning List has reviewed over 500 instructional materials, and only half (54%) of those that claim to be aligned to 100% of the state standards, actually are. Ever wondered why that happens?
Publishers: Meet Learning List (Part 2)
Earlier this week, we began our series on the 15 questions that are most commonly asked of Learning List by those who develop and deliver content. The series began with the answers to five of those questions. In this installment, we’ll address five more.
Aligning to Standards? How to Align to the Verb
Learning List has reviewed hundreds of K-12 instructional materials. What we’ve learned is that no two materials are alike. Learning List verifies that instructional material is aligned to the content, context and cognitive demand of each standard. One of the most challenging aspects of an alignment analysis is to determine whether the material aligns to the verb of the standard to grade-appropriate level of rigor.
Required Listening: NPR’s “The Long Game”
Yesterday afternoon, KERA broadcast Trey Kay’s radio documentary about the culture wars surrounding Texas’ public school curriculum. The Long Game: Texas’ Ongoing Battle for the Direction of the Classroom provides a rigorous and balanced exploration of the controversies surrounding what is taught in Texas public schools. As Kay reports: For more than a half a century, citizens of the Lone …
Learning List – A Real Time Saver
Some teachers get excited when a new online product is purchased for the campus or the district, other’s don’t. Why is that? For one reason, teachers will have to spend time during the day (or evening) getting to know the product – how to navigate through it, how to input students’ names, how to assign lessons and assess students and …
Alignment to Standards – a Critical Factor In Raising Student Achievement
As you are preparing to welcome students into your classrooms, you’re probably thinking a lot about how you are going to provide the best instruction for your students. Research studies have provided us with the top factors that increase student achievement. Strong teachers and principals with great leadership skills are two factors cited in many studies as central to improving …