In February, my colleague Catherine Gewertz wrote about the EQuIP rubric, which teams of teachers are using to deem whether instructional materials are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The tool was developed by Achieve, the nonprofit that played a key role in launching the common standards, and 鈥渞epresents one way that teachers are trying to make sense of the flood of curricular offerings that鈥檚 been unleashed,鈥� she wrote.
Just last week, Achieve released a similar rubric, also called EQuIP, . So far 11 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards, which emphasize scientific inquiry and engineering design.
鈥淲e wanted to put something together for people as they think about transitioning from traditional materials to NGSS materials,鈥� Stephen Pruitt, a senior vice president at Achieve who helped develop the common science standards, said in a phone interview.
The Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Rubric for Lessons & Units: Science has three columns, and asks evaluators to consider whether a lesson or unit reflects the conceptual shifts in the science standards; engages and supports all students; and includes ways to monitor student progress.
鈥淥ne of the things you鈥檒l notice is that鈥檚 there鈥檚 not a true rating scale in there,鈥� said Pruitt. 鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 more about providing the feedback and thinking about movement from the old to the new, so to speak.鈥�
He emphasized that the rubric is just the first version, and that the group is 鈥渃ontinuing to gather feedback to make revisions.鈥�