Series - Peers and Pedagogy

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Why We Chose this Work

One district leader explains how joining the Instructional Materials Task Force offered an opportunity for collaboration, professional development and deeper clarity on the Standards

04/10/15, Karin Manns

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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

04/10/15,

Part 1

New Standards, New Approach to Reviews

Details Louisiana's instructional materials review process

04/10/15,

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Searching for Aligned Materials Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely

Breaking district and state lines in the journey toward finding Common Core-aligned materials

04/13/15, Nancy Gannon

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Working Toward Alignment

Welcome to Aligned, a publication dedicated to the conversation about Common Core-aligned instructional materials

04/14/15,

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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

04/28/15, Nancy Gannon

Part 1

Knowing the Common Core = Knowing the Shifts

The Shifts are a powerful frame to help drive understanding of the Common Core

05/01/15, Sandra Alberti

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What My District Gained From Collaboration

Even when districts approach materials review processes from different perspectives – and with different objectives – collaboration provides important benefits

05/05/15, Julie Spykerman

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Top 5 Tips for Building and Training Your Review Team

Advice on selecting and training strong review teams

05/07/15, Amy Weber-Salgo

Part 2

Conducting a State-Centered Curriculum Review

Selecting and training the review team

05/13/15,

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Building the Right Review Team

Today’s review teams will function differently than review teams of the past, requiring new skills and experience

05/15/15, Nancy Gannon

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Should We Bother with Other People’s Reviews?

As instructional materials reviews are made public, how should states and districts use that information?

05/20/15, Lisa Goldschmidt

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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.

05/28/15, Catherine Schmidt

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How Reviewing Materials Changed My Classroom Practice

A teacher explains the unexpected connection she uncovered between materials reviews and the classroom

06/05/15, Tresa Watson

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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

06/16/15, Karin Manns

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Using What You Have

An introduction to supplementing and adapting instructional materials

06/26/15,

Part 3

Working with Publishers

How Louisiana communicated its alignment concerns to publishers

06/30/15,

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Introduction to the Publishers’ Criteria for ELA/Literacy

Sue Pimentel, one of the lead writers of the Common Core, introduces the Publishers’ Criteria

07/02/15, Susan Pimentel

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Lament of a Review Team Member

Conducting a review was harder than expected, but it illuminated how critical this information is for publishers

07/07/15, Silas Kulkarni

Part 1

Introduction to Open Educational Resources

What are OER? Where can you find them? How should you use them?

07/09/15, Barbara Soots

Part 2

Open Educational Resources in Action

Washington's work to identify OER and put them to use in classrooms

07/17/15, Barbara Soots

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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

07/24/15, Tracy Stevenson-Olson

Part 2

Mathematics in the Common Core Classroom

A Kentucky teacher explains what the CCSS Math Shifts mean for classroom materials

07/28/15, Jana Bryant

Part 3

ELA in the Common Core Classroom

A North Carolina literacy coach explains what the CCSS ELA Shifts mean for classroom materials

07/31/15, Tanji Reed Marshall

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Teachers Create Lessons and Adaptations to Strengthen ELA Learning

Common Core-aligned resources for popular read-alouds, basal stories, and anthology selections

08/06/15, Student Achievement Partners

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Traditional Reviews vs. the IMET

What are the differences between a traditional review and an IMET review? A teacher who’s done both explains.

08/12/15, Julie Spykerman

Part 4

Publishing Review Results

Why Louisiana chose to share all its curricular reviews online and where you can see the findings

08/13/15, Student Achievement Partners

Part 1

An Introduction to the Adapting Materials Project

The challenging, yet rewarding process of adapting instructional materials

08/20/15, Stacy Wetcher

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

08/28/15, Marni Greenstein

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IMET Evolution: Math

An SAP math specialist explains how small changes to the IMET can have a big impact on users

09/02/15, Marni Greenstein

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IMET Evolution: ELA/Literacy

An SAP literacy specialist explains how small changes to the IMET can have a big impact on users

09/02/15, Meredith Liben

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Six Instructional Materials Articles You Should Be Reading

Keep up-to-date with the latest media coverage of instructional materials

09/11/15, Student Achievement Partners

Part 3

What Needs to Change in Instructional Materials: ELA

A panel of experts pinpointed the biggest problems with today’s ELA/literacy materials

09/15/15, Rachel Etienne

Part 4

Collaborative Learning and Updating Materials

Developing a process for teachers to adapt instructional materials in mathematics

09/22/15, Illustrative Mathematics

Part 3

Working Together to Create Open Educational Resources

The K-12 OER Collaborative is working to create Common Core-aligned resources

09/25/15, Karl Nelson, Jennifer Wolfe

Part 4

K-12 OER Collaborative’s Request for Proposals

Learn how the Collaborative is planning on creating and vetting materials.

09/30/15, Karl Nelson, Jennifer Wolfe

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The EQuIP Review Process and Rubric

Achieve created a rubric and review process to facilitate peer reviews

10/08/15, Student Achievement Partners

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Call for Common Core-Aligned Units

Achieve and SAP are looking for instructional materials aligned to the CCSS to address weaknesses in existing materials

10/15/15, Cristina Marks, Jeremy Thomas

Part 1

The Standards for Mathematical Practice & Instructional Materials

What to look for in instructional materials that align to the SMPs

10/20/15, Sarah Galasso

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Creating a Coherent Math Curriculum

The Coherence Map can help you uncover gaps in understanding and find resources to supplement your instructional materials.

10/29/15, Student Achievement Partners

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Including Tier 2 Vocabulary Instruction in Curricular Materials

Building tier 2 vocabulary is critical to comprehending texts across content areas, yet it often receives insufficient attention in existing curriculum options. What can teachers do to fill the gap?

11/05/15, Student Achievement Partners

Part 5

Adapting Basal-Based Literacy Programs

A team of 4th grade educators adapted a Pearson Reading Street lesson to better serve their students and enhance CCSS alignment

11/12/15, Rachel Etienne

Part 6

Outcomes of the Adaptation Process

New case studies share a look at the process of adapting math and ELA materials

11/13/15, Stacy Wetcher

Part 2

SMP 1: Make Sense of Problems & Persevere in Solving Them

Well-designed materials help students tackle challenging math problems

11/24/15, Sarah Galasso

Part 5

Creating Full-Course Open Educational Resources (OER)

The K-12 OER Collaborative plans to create a year-long open educational resources curriculum.

12/03/15, Karl Nelson, Jennifer Wolfe

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Training Materials for the Math IMET

New training modules on the IMET’s Non-Negotiables and Alignment Criteria

12/08/15, Student Achievement Partners

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A Publisher’s View on the Changing Instructional Materials Landscape

An interview with Anne Schreiber, Senior VP of Learning Strategies, Renaissance Learning

12/14/15, Anne Schreiber

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Choosing Wisely: A Strategic Approach to Curriculum in Duval County

An interview with Dr. Nikolai P. Vitti, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools

12/21/15

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Top Five Ways to Make the Most of Your Math Materials

If you’re not satisfied with the quality and CCSS-alignment of your existing math materials, here are five tips to improve them.

01/05/16, Student Achievement Partners

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Top Five Ways to Improve Your Basal Reading Program

If you’re not satisfied with your current basal reading program, here are five things you can do to improve it.

01/11/16, Student Achievement Partners

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Decision-Making that Matters: 10 Ways Teachers Can Impact Curricular Decisions

A high school English teacher shares 10 ways classroom teachers can influence curriculum

01/20/16, Lauren Trahan

Part 7

Using Complex Texts with All Readers

A reading interventionist explains the strategies she uses to help struggling readers benefit from complex texts.

01/27/16, Katherine Linnehan

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Why We’re Choosing Instructional Materials Blindly

A Brookings Institution report explains how much we DON’T know about instructional materials in use in today’s classrooms.

02/05/16, Student Achievement Partners

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Using Flashcards in Math

CCSS author Jason Zimba shares how he uses flashcards with his daughters.

02/12/16, Jason Zimba

Part 8

A More Powerful Teacher’s Guide

How administrators can help teachers sort through the clutter in today’s math textbooks

02/23/16, Lauren DelFavero

Part 9

Creating a Conducive Environment for Teachers to Adapt Materials

An administrator’s guide to promoting teacher innovation

02/26/16, Andrew Davis

Part 10

Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

How building specific mathematical knowledge in teachers can strengthen classroom instruction

03/07/16, Illustrative Mathematics

Part 11

Supplementing Your Anchor Math Curriculum with Rich Tasks

A New York math specialist explains how he’s enhanced his school’s curriculum with tasks from Illustrative Mathematics.

03/16/16, David Michal

Part 12

Essential Knowledge for Adapting Math Instructional Materials

What do teachers need to know to make decisions about adapting math materials?

03/23/16, Jody Guarino

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.

04/07/16, Adrienne Williams

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Customizing the IMET PD Training for a Local Setting

A training leader explains how she customized the IMET PD training to better match the professional learning needs of her district’s educators.

04/15/16, Casey Monahan

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

04/22/16, Linda Bevilacqua

Part 1

The Shifts and ELLs

An ELL expert explains what the Common Core means for teachers of English language learners

04/28/16, Diane Staehr Fenner

Part 2

Designing a New ELA Curriculum

How Core Knowledge is different than other curriculum options

05/03/16, Linda Bevilacqua

Part 2

Criteria for Curricular Materials Labeled as Appropriate for ELLs

How to determine whether instructional materials support ELL's needs

05/05/16, Diane Staehr Fenner

Part 3

CCSS-Aligned Materials for ELL Students

Where to Find High-Quality Curricular Materials for ELLs in the Public Domain

05/11/16, Diane Staehr Fenner

Part 3

Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively

A math teacher explains how well-designed materials can help students learn to deal with challenging math problems

05/13/16, Sarah Galasso

Part 3

How Core Knowledge Supports CCSS-Aligned Instruction

Core Knowledge's approach to literacy instruction

05/25/16, Linda Bevilacqua

Part 4

What to Do When Curricular Materials for ELLs Are Not Available

Where to look for additional ELL resources to support Common Core-aligned lessons

06/01/16, Diane Staehr Fenner

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

06/14/16, Student Achievement Partners

Part 4

Digging Deeper into SMP 3 – Construct Viable Arguments and Critique the Reasoning of Others

A math teacher explains how to recognize math tasks that help students craft strong mathematical arguments

06/17/16, Sarah Galasso

Part 4

A Recommendation to Fellow Publishers

The President of Core Knowledge challenges fellow publishers to complete an alignment rubric

06/23/16, Linda Bevilacqua,

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

06/29/16, Wichita Public Schools - Mathematics Department

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Choosing Alignment over Familiarity

How a district made the decision to select a new textbook provider instead of a long-used vendor

07/18/16, Carolyn Karatzas Eastman

Part 1

Designing a Review Driven by Local Needs

How the Oakland Unified School District designed a teacher-centered materials review selection process

07/27/16, Student Achievement Partners

Part 6

Digging Deeper into SMP 4 – Model with Mathematics

Learn the difference between modeling the math and modeling WITH math

07/29/16, Sarah Galasso

Part 1

How to Adapt GO Math!

Guidance Documents to Support the Alignment of GO Math! to the CCSSM

08/03/16, Kevin Larkin

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Sitting Beside the Learner: The ‘Me’ in Assessments

Common Core-aligned assessments must capitalize on teacher-student relationships

08/15/16, Bryan Drost

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Supporting All Learners with Complex Texts

Strategies to scaffold instruction of Standards-aligned, complex texts

08/17/16, Carey Swanson

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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.

08/23/16, Amy Youngblood

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

09/01/16, Student Achievement Partners

Part 2

Adapting Journeys Common Core

A veteran Journeys user shares recommendations to improve basal lessons and better support teachers and students.

09/07/16, Karen Vogelsang

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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.

09/15/16, Jason Zimba