Top 10: Curriculum Evaluations

In this Top 10 List, we provide Curriculum Evaluation sites to help you evaluate and choose instructional tools. We do not recommend specific curriculum or programs, but all of our tools and methods will aim to point to a strict alignment to the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy practices. We also suggest that you look out for the status of a program, meaning is it 1) Theory-based, 2) Research-based, 3) Evidence-based or 4) Scaled-evidence-based. We explain more in this article.

Number One: The Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Guide

This is the place to start for a full in-depth process to evaluate your curriculum. Reach out to your local Reading League chapter to find districts or organizations that have used this process and may be a thought partner to help you.

Number Two: The Reading League Navigation Reports

A few major tier one programs submitted to the Reading League for a full review. TRL provides navigation reports to see what may need to be supplemented within an adoption of these programs. No tier one program is perfect and supplementing a program is typical, but understanding the instructional pathways, assessment structures and logical student flows are key at the onset of implementation.

Number Three: Structured Literacy State Lists

Some states are ahead of others in a broad dedication to structured literacy principles. Looking at the states listed here can give you a good sense of how programs are aligned with structured literacy. (Examples: AR, CT, NM, NY)

Number Four: Evidence-based reporting

What Works Clearinghouse and Evidence for ESSA both exist to show what scientific evidence exists behind published programs. While both can be useful, neither are strictly in support of structured literacy, and both highlight controlled studies that may or may not point to evidence at scale, but nevertheless these are key resources to review in your evaluation process.

Number Five: Map out your adoptions and empower educators before big decisions.

Timing of adoptions, funding, leadership status and other events are just as impactful to literacy outcomes as the evidence-based decisions you hope to make. If you are new to a district or been around for a while, mapping what is currently in place, what has happened the previous few years and key events in the next five to seven years is important. Timing these important decisions correctly can impact literacy for the students in your area for their entire lives. We provide some thoughts here in this presentation.

Number Six: What is HQIM and what to do about it?

As a rejection of the less-desired Low Quality Instructional Materials movement, a movement has been created to focus on High Quality Instructional Materials. Sounds smart! Of course HQIM selection is endlessly important and having a well thought out guide like OH, MS, AR, MD may lead you to have a well thought out selection process.

Number Seven: Set realistic goals

Sometimes our goals are given to us and sometimes we set them for ourselves. Either way, literacy leaders need to be realistic and transparent, even if only to our own small teams if top-level leadership is listening. This article has some good overarching thoughts on goal setting, but at some point, you will need to go very deep into your data and practice to differentiate between a wish and a plan. If you need assistance, please review our Backwards Mapping options.

Number Eight: Push your curriculum providers for evidence at scale.

In Daniel Willingham’s book, When Can You Trust the Experts?, he explains that providers should be able to tell you “If you do X, then there should be a Y percent chance of Z happening.” A provider selling you a solution might state, “Only 35% of students nationally are reading proficiently; you need to do something different so use our product.” This doesn’t tell you how their solution will change outcomes at scale, and evidence at scale is likely lacking. You really need evidence of how the solution will impact your literacy goals. Individual studies help; scaled evidence demonstrates the product’s likely impact. Vendors wanting to really be partners need to provide evidence at scale.

Number Nine: Push yourself to document evidence of impact.

Not all providers will give you scaled evidence, so you should create your own if needed and be clear about your outcomes. If you have lofty goals of getting 95% of your students to read proficiently by end of 4th grade and you have adopted new curriculum, you will need to map out current outcomes by student starting point and make clearer predictions based on the best evidence you have. We can help with a full audit process!

Number Ten: Don’t let data drive you off a cliff.

So many districts pendulum-swing from no data-driven differentiation to creating too many data-driven instructional pathways. Neither end of the pendulum is really aligned with structured literacy principles. Go slow, be purposeful, talk-through the realistic likelihood of large scale instructional decisions and always empower your teachers before expecting outcome changes. Dr. Stephanie Stollar has always been a good resource for striking that balance and here is a starter course from her and TRL if interested.

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Top 10: Assessments

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Top 10: Classroom Walkthroughs