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It was a giant wave: Three-quarters of the states adopted a new set of common academic standards in the past six months. As that wave crests, education groups and publishers are preparing to follow with one of their own鈥攃urriculum materials that aim to embody the new standards.
An early example comes from the Washington-based advocacy group , which last week released free online 鈥渕aps鈥� of the common standards that are intended to serve as a frame upon which teachers can build curriculum and lesson plans. The 2-year-old organization has focused on being a clearinghouse for what it considers high-quality liberal arts curriculum, but the maps mark its first foray into writing its own materials.
In responding to the common standards with instructional materials, Common Core will soon have a lot more company. The major educational publishers are adapting long-standing lines of products to the new set of mathematics and English/language arts expectations. School improvement groups such as America鈥檚 Choice are adjusting the curriculum they use. And many who have not yet committed to producing curriculum tools are discussing the possibility.
As teacher guides, course outlines, lesson plans, and other supports for the common standards begin to flow into the marketplace, many in education policy circles are raising questions about how to interpret the makers鈥� claims that their products are 鈥渁ligned鈥� to the common standards.
Five weeks before the final new standards were issued in June, the education company Pearson touted a new set of instruction-embedded formative assessments that would be aligned to the common standards upon their release. Carnegie Learning issued an announcement earlier this month that its math curricula align to the common standards.
Many close to the Common Core State Standards Initiative worry that it will be difficult for states and districts to sort through the dizzying array of alignment claims. Some will derive from extensive analysis and comparison, while others might be based on a simple keyword search, they say.
鈥淎lmost no one thinks there are solid processes in place to examine the alignment of instructional materials to state standards. And we鈥檙e facing that all over again with the common standards,鈥� said Michael Cohen, the president of Achieve, a Washington-based group that helps states craft academic standards and helped write the standards that emerged from the common-core initiative.
Adjustments Under Way
The major publishers have been working to adapt their materials for many months, using as guidance the drafts of the common standards that were circulating for feedback before becoming final. Officials from the three largest鈥�, , and 鈥攕aid they anticipate having their materials adapted and available by fall 2011.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has been developing an elementary school math program 鈥渁longside鈥� the common standards all year long and is revising its other core math and English/language arts programs where necessary, said James O鈥橬eill, the company鈥檚 senior vice president of K-12 portfolio management. The company spent months on 鈥渧ery in-depth manual correlations,鈥� he said, because 鈥渁 keyword search wouldn鈥檛 get us anywhere.鈥�
Pearson and McGraw-Hill have been conducting comparisons and adapting their core programs as well, finding that adjustments were needed in some places but not in others. Some skills in math, for instance, are introduced at different grade levels in the common standards than in some publishers鈥� programs.
Dan Caton, the executive vice president of McGraw-Hill鈥檚 School 91制片厂视频 Group, which oversees the company鈥檚 pre-K-12 product development, said the common standards鈥� emphasis on having students read more informational documents and tackle progressively more complex texts dovetails with the company鈥檚 own shifting those directions.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gradually brought more skill development down in the grade levels in informational text, and a greater percentage of our reading selections are in informational text,鈥� he said.
In the case of Common Core, no adaptations were needed, since the group created a product from scratch to reflect the common standards. The group worked with teachers to break the English/language arts standards into thematic units, each with an overview, a description of the skills and standards covered, suggested texts and student activities, and links to teaching resources.
, a Washington-based group whose school improvement model includes several math and English instructional programs, is making 鈥渕inor modifications鈥� in those programs and anticipates completing the work by midwinter, said Judy B. Codding, the group鈥檚 president and chief executive officer. Pearson recently announced, but has not yet finalized, a purchase of America鈥檚 Choice.
Beneficial Alliances
In some cases, publishers and others working on curriculum materials say the process has benefited from additional insight because of their associations with some of those who helped shape the standards.
One of Pearson鈥檚 authors, for instance, Francis 鈥淪kip鈥� Fennell, was a member of the initiative鈥檚 math writing team. Common Core developed its curriculum maps with Diana Senechal and Sheila Byrd Carmichael, who served, respectively, on the committees that wrote and provided feedback on the English/language arts section. Two senior fellows at America鈥檚 Choice, Phil Daro and Sally Hampton, were lead members, respectively, of the math and English writing groups.
Observers in some quarters criticize those connections as unseemly efforts to capitalize on the standards-writing venture. In others, they are seen as inevitable and desirable overlaps of expertise that will strengthen the end products.
Even as various organizations shape or reshape materials for the common standards, state and district curriculum offices are abuzz with making their own curriculum adjustments.
Ohio has launched an online portal through which teachers can access model curriculum and lesson plans for the common standards. Stan Heffner, the state鈥檚 associate superintendent for curriculum and assessment, said the system includes explanations of each standard, suggested instructional strategies, and descriptions of what students鈥� work should look like if it meets the standards.
In a pilot that begins this fall, 1,000 teachers in 100 schools in New York City will receive intensive training and support to help them align curriculum to the common standards, learn to measure and apply the 鈥渢ext complexity鈥� that the standards demand, and devise performance-based assessments for the standards.
The Council of the Great City Schools, which represents 65 of the nation鈥檚 largest districts, is working with Achieve and the American Federation of Teachers to determine the best way to help school systems 鈥渦npack鈥� the standards to help clarify their intent. Such a process could serve as a bridge between the standards and the writing of curriculum, said Michael D. Casserly, the council鈥檚 executive director.
As many people work to design curriculum and instructional materials for the common standards, the chief challenges are to maintain the project鈥檚 focus on fewer, clearer, and higher standards and to ensure high-quality materials, according to Carina Wong, who oversees college-readiness grants at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The philanthropy awarded $19 million in grants for development of such materials in February and expects to award another round by early next year. (鈥淕ates Awards 15 Grants for Common-Standards Work,鈥� Feb. 24, 2010.
(91制片厂视频, the publisher of 91制片厂视频 Week, also receives grant money from the Gates Foundation.)
Who Judges?
While the work progresses, the question of how to evaluate producers鈥� claims of alignment remains unresolved. Some advocates argue that the best products will naturally rise to the top in a lively marketplace.
The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, which co-led the common-standards initiative, have discussed the possibility that an independent panel could be formed to weigh in on how faithfully instructional materials embody the standards. Alternatively, the CCSSO, the NGA, and other groups could play a technical-advisory role to help states and districts as they make decisions on such materials.
鈥淲e care about making sure the work that鈥檚 out there is quality work,鈥� said Chris Minnich, who is overseeing the common-standards initiative for the CCSSO. 鈥淧art of our challenge is that we lead in this area but not prescribe in this area. We鈥檙e trying to find that balance.鈥�
In the meantime, the curriculum landscape could change shape as it responds to the new standards.
鈥淎ll kinds of things will happen,鈥� said Mr. Casserly. 鈥淪ome of it will make sense; some of it won鈥檛. Some will be fast, clumsy, and incomplete. Others will be slower and more thoughtful.鈥�
