Your Instructional Materials Review

In Catholic schools,  our schools operate independently of one another.  However, no matter where your school is located or what population of students you serve, the presence of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) is essential to effective student learning.  It is the hope that the resource below will support administrators in the process of selecting HQIM that is best for the school’s students and teachers.  Moreover, because our schools are uniquely Catholic, this resource can help to provide support  in the ways in which to look at materials through a Catholic lens.  Before engaging in this process, it is important to ensure that a new curriculum is truly needed at your school site. Sometimes teachers simply need additional support with current instructional materials that are available to them. However, if you have determined that your instructional materials are outdated, or that they are not serving your school effectively, then we recommend you follow the process outlined in this document. 

Rationale for High Quality Instructional Materials

The research is increasingly clear that quality curriculum matters to student achievement. Curriculum is what is taught, and what we teach to our  students most definitely informs their learning.  Teachers rely on instructional materials to support teaching and learning in their classrooms. The quality of these instructional materials matter. High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) are designed to engage students in a deeper level of learning, create a focused direction, and help teachers make connections across grade levels. They provide students with a fully-sequenced, coherent learning experience. When effectively implemented, they allow students at all levels to engage deeply with important questions, to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves because they foster a curriculum that is specific, cumulative, well-rounded, preparatory and rigorous. Moreover, HQIM foster a deep understanding of the content by building upon what the students have already learned. 

Teachers should have access to materials that are easy to utilize and enjoyable to teach because the content inspires them.  High-quality instructional materials provide teachers with powerful tools and data that enable them to understand their students more deeply, give more precise feedback, and effectively meet the needs of all learners.  It also frees up teachers’ time from spending countless hours pulling content from online and printed sources so they can focus on effectively meeting the needs of their students.

Process Form and Templates:  HQIM Cost Tracking Template, Sample Cost Sheets - sample, sample, Curriculum Audit Checklist, Timeline Sample

When you have selected 2 potential resources,  it is encouraged that you use faculty meeting time to provide teachers with the opportunity to plan and execute a lesson. Engage in a discussion about each resource’s strengths and weaknesses. Ask your faculty to share how these materials will be able to support faith integration throughout the unit and lesson.

Consult your students next.  Meet with two - three students in grade bands and ask them to share their input on what they appreciate about each textbook series. Ask the students to share how they see their faith in the materials they have reviewed.

Document your reasons for making your final decision below. Be sure to include (state below) how you will integrate your faith into the materials being selected. 

The Implementation Phase is to support teachers as they use the curriculum to inspire great instruction and increase student learning. At the leadership level, the focus is on listening to teachers and observing practice with a goal of continuously improving teacher support.

Implementation does not end after the first year — this is a continuous improvement journey that never ends.

Trends in the Data - Full Text HERE 

1.The decision to adopt a new curriculum is influenced by whether materials are rigorous and aligned to standards more than any other factor.

2.  Many teachers found students rose to meet the challenge of a high-quality, rigorous curriculum, even when teachers initially felth the materials would be too difficult for their students. 

3.  Most teachers feel empowered, unburdened, and more creative when they have strong materials. 

4. Frequent and ongoing professional development is needed to support teachers in understanding, internalizing, and effectively using curriculum. 

5.  Pacing was the most common challenge identified, particularly in the first few years of implementation. 

6.  Parental involvement plays a role in successful implementation, particularly with mathematics. 

What’s clear is that educators are trying to make sense of how to measure what kids are learning and whether it’s enough. Future interviews with both educators and publishers could focus on the role of assessment strategy in implementation, in order to better understand what is motivating use of particular assessments, as well as in identifying best practices for connecting curriculum, standards, and assessment.