• Instructional Materials & Assessment Rubrics

    College- and Career-Ready Aligned Materials and Assessment

    The content below is designed to help teachers and those who support teachers to recognize what alignment to the Common Core and other college- and career-ready standards looks like in instructional materials and assessment. The content in this section includes training on the Shifts, rubrics containing alignment criteria, and professional development modules to support effective use of the rubrics. However, instructional materials can and should do more. Instructional materials also play a role in disrupting racist systems that continue to devalue, ignore, and fail to recognize the inherent brilliance of Black students, students who are English learners, and others. Materials must attend to: affirmation and development of students’ identities and empathy for others, development and application of critical thinking and consciousness, and the specific needs of English Learners.

    As we continue to learn from educators and ongoing research about both the critical features of instructional materials and the ways in which educators enact instruction, we will provide additional resources for learning in these areas. Check back for updates.

  • Learn More About the Shifts

    For instructional materials and assessments to be aligned to college- and career-ready standards, including the Common Core, they must reflect the Shifts. Learn more about the Shifts.

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  • Explore Alignment Rubrics

    These tools build on the Shifts and help those who are looking for evidence of alignment to the Common Core and other college- and career-ready standards in instructional materials and assessments. They provide a set of criteria to guide an analysis of the content and structure of instructional materials and assessments and to help reviewers determine whether those materials and assessments include the elements necessary to support progress toward the Standards. Learn more about review tools.

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  • Prepare to Conduct an Instructional Materials Review

    While referring to the criteria in a review tool can help structure a review that is focused on the Shifts, the way the tool's criteria are applied is what will ultimately determine an effective review. Providing targeted training to potential reviewers prior to beginning a review will allow schools and districts to conduct a more productive review and feel confident in the outcomes. Learn more about professional development for reviewers.

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  • Recognize Evidence of Alignment in Assessment

    There are a variety of ways in which assessments can be designed to effectively align to college- and career-ready standards.  Helping assessment reviewers become familiar with the evidence of alignment will support the use of alignment rubrics and lead to more effective and efficient reviews. Learn more about professional development on assessment alignment.

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