Standards-Alignment Information
Learn what it means for instructional materials and assessment to be aligned to college- and career-ready standards.
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Classroom Strategies, Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Top Blog Posts of 2018
Here are our top 25 most-visited posts of 2018.
Part 3
Most Misunderstood Math Standards in Grade 5
Are these instructional mistakes happening in your classroom?
The Connection Between Math Materials and Assessment
What happens when curricula and summative assessments don't match?
Doing Better: Aligned Instructional Practice
An overview of the Instructional Practice Guide suite of tools
Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind
Meet students not only where they are, but also where they're going.
Part 6
Most Misunderstood Middle School Mathematics Standards in Grade 8
Are these instructional mistakes happening in your classroom?
Part 5
Most Misunderstood Middle School Mathematics Standards in Grade 7
Are these instructional mistakes happening in your classroom?
Part 4
Most Misunderstood Middle School Mathematics Standards In Grade 6
Are these instructional mistakes happening in your classroom?
The Role of Educators in Summative Assessment: The Life Cycle of a Question
An inside look at the development of summative assessments
English Language Arts Practices
How do we determine that students are increasing their literacy skills as they progress across grade levels?
Understanding vocabulary standards: Building students’ skills
Differentiation between the vocabulary standards in the Reading and Language Strands
Materials Alignment Quick Check
Introducing a new evidence catcher to facilitate instructional materials decisions
The Math Gap Between High School and College
Educators at the high school and college levels aren't talking to each other. Should they be?
Part 2
Addressing unfinished learning in the context of grade-level work
Not all unfinished learning should be treated the same way
A Five-Course Meal Complete with Strategies for Assessment
Concrete strategies to help classroom educators get involved with assessment design
Don’t be afraid to ask…
Advice for where to ask--and find answers--to your education questions
Part 1
Designing Shifts-Aligned Interventions in the Math Classroom
Avoid common pitfalls when it comes to supporting students with unfinished math learning
Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
The Instructional Practice Toolkit: An Introduction
Learn how the Instructional Practice Toolkit can help teachers make connections between planning, instruction, and student outcomes.
Assessing Grammar and Language Convention Skills
New guidance explains how to assess writing skills through embedded-error passages and multiple-choice items
State of Our Classrooms: Instructional Materials
Findings from a 2017 survey about instructional materials usage among educators
Lessons Learned from a High School Mathematical Modeling Lesson
A high school algebra teacher creates a lesson to engage her struggling students through real-world application
I have an assessment dream: Leading to conquer the big, bad ELA test
A curriculum director explains how to help educators see the potential of aligned assessment
“We’re the best. Just trust us!”
Finding unbiased information about instructional materials.
The Power of Strong Assessments — The Danger of Bad Ones
Avoid sabotaging the Shifts with standardized testing
A Case for High-Quality Instructional Materials
Because we don’t want to confuse the math teachers…and other reasons we need high-quality instructional materials
STEM Integration in Algebra: A Bridge to Opportunity
Relating mathematical thought processes to those in 21st Century careers
Forming a United Whole – The Coherence Map
A K-12 STEM District Supervisor Explains How He Used the Coherence Map to Improve His District's Math Curriculum
The Wild West of Open Literacy Materials
Identifying and using high-quality, ELA Open Educational Resources successfully
Part 6
Math in Focus: The Search for an Aligned Math Program
One district’s implementation of a new elementary math program
Part 4
Using an EdReports Review to Improve My Math Curriculum
A 5th grade teacher explains how she made small adjustments to improve the Everyday Math Curriculum after identifying its weaknesses.
The Essential Elements of an ELA Curriculum
Standards co-author Susan Pimentel explains how the elements of a high-quality ELA program contribute to student learning. She pinpoints where many current programs are missing the mark.
Using Mini-Assessments in a Professional Learning Setting
How a math coach used mini-assessments to spark conversations with her teachers
Taking Ownership over Assessments – A Case Study in Kentucky
Assessments should align to good standards-based instruction. Instruction shouldn’t align to a bad assessment.
Introduction to EdReports
Identifying excellence in instructional materials
Which text set approach is right for you?
Compare the features of popular text set sources
Putting Focus into Practice: The Case of Word Problems in Grades K–2
Standards co-author Jason Zimba explains how word problems can build understanding of addition and subtraction.
Classroom Strategies, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Introduction to Argument Writing
A long-time middle school teacher and writing expert explains how to design strong writing instruction
Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Training Materials for the ELA/Literacy IMET
New training modules on the IMET’s Non-Negotiables and Alignment Criteria
Assessment Item Alignment Modules
Learn how examining assessment items can be a source of professional development and deepen your understanding of the Shifts
The Rectangle Area Formula—How Does Your Curriculum Introduce It?
Standards co-author Jason Zimba unpacks the rectangle area formula and highlights problems with the way textbooks sometimes introduce the formula to students.
Classroom Strategies, Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information
Part 2
Adapting Journeys Common Core
A veteran Journeys user shares recommendations to improve basal lessons and better support teachers and students.
Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Part 2
Piloting New Curriculum Options with Educators
Learn about OUSD’s piloting process and find out what teachers thought of three popular ELA/literacy programs
Lessons from the Fordham Assessment Review
One of the reviewers explains how the assessment review was conducted and what the findings mean for educators and students.
Classroom Strategies, Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Sitting Beside the Learner: The ‘Me’ in Assessments
Common Core-aligned assessments must capitalize on teacher-student relationships
Part 1
Designing a Review Driven by Local Needs
How the Oakland Unified School District designed a teacher-centered materials review selection process
Part 5
Putting the Math Practices into Practice
A K-12 math team collaborated in creating tools about the practices to enhance understanding and planning
Part 4
A Recommendation to Fellow Publishers
The President of Core Knowledge challenges fellow publishers to complete an alignment rubric
Part 5
Unlocking the Power of Aligned Materials
How the Louisiana DOE is developing PD and looking for connections to help all districts maximize the impact of standards-aligned materials
Part 3
How Core Knowledge Supports CCSS-Aligned Instruction
Core Knowledge's approach to literacy instruction
Part 3
CCSS-Aligned Materials for ELL Students
Where to Find High-Quality Curricular Materials for ELLs in the Public Domain
Part 1
Common Confusions about CCSS-Aligned ELA Materials
Core Knowledge's Linda Bevilacqua explains where purchasers can improve their CCSS understanding to make better decisions
Part 1
A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Core Knowledge Language Arts Curriculum
First grade teacher, Adrienne Williams, describes the strengths and challenges of Core Knowledge Language Arts.
Choosing Wisely: A Strategic Approach to Curriculum in Duval County
An interview with Dr. Nikolai P. Vitti, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools
A Publisher’s View on the Changing Instructional Materials Landscape
An interview with Anne Schreiber, Senior VP of Learning Strategies, Renaissance Learning
Training Materials for the Math IMET
New training modules on the IMET’s Non-Negotiables and Alignment Criteria
Part 2
SMP 1: Make Sense of Problems & Persevere in Solving Them
Well-designed materials help students tackle challenging math problems
Creating a Coherent Math Curriculum
The Coherence Map can help you uncover gaps in understanding and find resources to supplement your instructional materials.
Part 1
The Standards for Mathematical Practice & Instructional Materials
What to look for in instructional materials that align to the SMPs
Part 4
K-12 OER Collaborative’s Request for Proposals
Learn how the Collaborative is planning on creating and vetting materials.
Part 4
Collaborative Learning and Updating Materials
Developing a process for teachers to adapt instructional materials in mathematics
Part 2
What Needs to Change in Instructional Materials: Math
A panel of experts met to pinpoint the biggest problems with today’s math textbooks: here’s what they found
Part 4
Publishing Review Results
Why Louisiana chose to share all its curricular reviews online and where you can see the findings
Traditional Reviews vs. the IMET
What are the differences between a traditional review and an IMET review? A teacher who’s done both explains.
Teachers Create Lessons and Adaptations to Strengthen ELA Learning
Common Core-aligned resources for popular read-alouds, basal stories, and anthology selections
Part 3
ELA in the Common Core Classroom
A North Carolina literacy coach explains what the CCSS ELA Shifts mean for classroom materials
Part 2
Mathematics in the Common Core Classroom
A Kentucky teacher explains what the CCSS Math Shifts mean for classroom materials
Building a Review Team that Represents Students and Supports Teachers
How Milwaukee built a review team that reflected the needs of the teachers and students
Materials Adaptation, Research and Reflections, Standards-Alignment Information, Tools and Resources
Lament of a Review Team Member
Conducting a review was harder than expected, but it illuminated how critical this information is for publishers
Introduction to the Publishers’ Criteria for ELA/Literacy
Sue Pimentel, one of the lead writers of the Common Core, introduces the Publishers’ Criteria
Using What You Have
An introduction to supplementing and adapting instructional materials
Reviewing Is a Journey and the Benefits Aren’t What We’d Expected
Educators from Granite Falls uncovered benefits to reviewing that they hadn’t anticipated
How Reviewing Materials Changed My Classroom Practice
A teacher explains the unexpected connection she uncovered between materials reviews and the classroom
When to Use the IMET
When is the right time to use the IMET? Whether you’re purchasing, supplementing, designing, or simply building capacity, the IMET can help.
Why Not Just Crosswalk?
Reviewing instructional materials for CCSS alignment means looking for evidence of the Standards and the Shifts
Should We Bother with Other People’s Reviews?
As instructional materials reviews are made public, how should states and districts use that information?
Building the Right Review Team
Today’s review teams will function differently than review teams of the past, requiring new skills and experience
Top 5 Tips for Building and Training Your Review Team
Advice on selecting and training strong review teams
What My District Gained From Collaboration
Even when districts approach materials review processes from different perspectives – and with different objectives – collaboration provides important benefits
Part 1
Knowing the Common Core = Knowing the Shifts
The Shifts are a powerful frame to help drive understanding of the Common Core
If You’re Not Purchasing, Should You Still Review?
Even though many districts are not in a position to purchase new materials in the short-term, training reviewers now is a smart long-term investment
Working Toward Alignment
Welcome to Aligned, a publication dedicated to the conversation about Common Core-aligned instructional materials
Searching for Aligned Materials Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely
Breaking district and state lines in the journey toward finding Common Core-aligned materials
Part 1
New Standards, New Approach to Reviews
Details Louisiana's instructional materials review process
Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool (IMET)
Designed by some of the lead writers of the Common Core, the IMET is a free tool that states and districts are using to evaluate the alignment of instructional materials to the Common Core
