There was a new face at the table this school year as the Meriden public schools set out to evaluate digital curricula aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
In addition to supervisors for subjects like English and mathematics, the district created a new position to provide input: supervisor of blended learning.
Having someone with deep knowledge of technology involved in the curriculum-selection process was a must, said Barbara Haeffner, the director of curriculum and instructional technology for the 9,100-student Connecticut district. That was especially important, she said, given that the district has a relatively new 1-to-1 computing program at the high school level, a bring-your-own-device initiative in lower grades, and an emphasis on digital content for personalized learning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 changing the discussion,鈥� Ms. Haeffner said. 鈥淗aving someone with great technology expertise puts another lens on what we鈥檙e looking at.鈥�
Many districts are searching for digital curricula that links effectively to the common standards, which are now in place in 43 states and the District of Columbia. But choosing a product is a complex and labor-intensive process that often varies from district to district. And it鈥檚 a choice that carries immense consequences for educators, said Nancy Gannon, the director of state and district instructional materials for the New York City-based , a nonprofit organization that helps teachers and districts adapt to the new common-core demands.
鈥淚t鈥檚 probably the most expensive thing a district does in any given year beyond personnel,鈥� Ms. Gannon said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 anxiety about wanting to get it right for the kids, for the district budget, for taxpayers, and for teachers.鈥�
Some common mistakes districts make when evaluating digital curricula include failing to determine whether it meets the district鈥檚 interpretation of the standards, and not looking at how digital material will work with existing district technology.
Considering the Options
So how are districts getting it right? Internally, they鈥檙e relying on layers of district reviews, teacher evaluations, and pilot projects. Externally, districts examine ratings and resources for product evaluations from a variety of organizations, as well as state review. For example, Washington state has set up a library of common-core-aligned open educational materials for students to use. Florida, in partnership with Florida State University, has developed , a website that collects educational resources, many digital, which are reviewed and vetted to ensure alignment to the common-core standards.
In California, the curriculum-review process for the 14,000-student, K-8 Lancaster district starts with the list of materials the state has already vetted. That vetting helps the Lancaster school system start one step ahead in the process, said Brenda Smith, the district鈥檚 assistant superintendent of educational services.
鈥淐alifornia has very clear criteria the publishers have to meet before they go on the state adoption list,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e let the state look at 100 programs and then we look at the 14 they put on their list.鈥�
One of the first priorities the district considers, Ms. Smith said, is whether digital curricula will fit with the technology available in Lancaster schools. 鈥淲e want to make sure all of our students will have equitable access,鈥� she said.
That means looking at all the digital learning devices used in the district, whether students have easy access to digital materials inside and outside of school, and whether content is accessed through an app or is Web-based. At the same time, schools should not be distracted by 鈥渟hiny things鈥� and must determine whether material will improve student learning, said Mary J. Cullinane, the chief content officer for Boston-based education publisher .
Districts need to be 鈥渧ery critical about what is being promoted as a benefit,鈥� she said.
This school year, Lancaster educators piloted curricula from two publishers. The district had 60 teachers pilot one program for four weeks and then the other program for four weeks, Ms. Smith said.
Some back and forth took place between the district and the companies over questions and concerns, and students were surveyed. The district eventually chose a digital math curriculum from New York City-based . 鈥淲e spent nearly the whole year doing this,鈥� Ms. Smith said.
Time of Transition
The process is labor-intensive, but 鈥渢here鈥檚 really no substitute for actually getting someone with expertise in your district to look closely鈥� at prospective digital curricula, said Helen Soul茅, the executive director of the Washington-based , which promotes teaching students skills valuable in the modern workplace. 鈥淵ou need to make sure it matches your curriculum and your students, the characteristics of your community. It could match with the standards, but be really wrong for your community and culture.鈥�
Publishers play an increasingly active role starting with developing standards-aligned digital curricula.
For , an online learning math-curriculum provider based in Bellevue, Wash., that means educators hired by the company work backward to identify standards, and then design lessons, tools, and manipulatives that align to those standards, said Jason Bedford, the senior vice president of client engagement and success. Like other ed-tech companies, DreamBox has a third party vet the material to ensure alignment.
But other factors are just as important as common-core alignment, particularly in the digital world, Mr. Bedford said, including the blueprint of a course and how students progress through it. 鈥淭he instructional design [of the course] behind the work should carry equal, if not more weight, than the standards alignment,鈥� he said.
Bethlam Forsa, the president of learning services for New York City- and London-based education publisher , said she sees district curricula evaluation changing as educators adapt to digital offerings. She鈥檚 noting district technology leaders front and center in the process.
鈥淗istorically, the decisions around curriculum and technology used to be separate, and instruction was the driver,鈥� she said. 鈥淒istricts realized that they have to look equally at the implementation and technology required.鈥�
For the 110,000-student Baltimore County district in Maryland, in-house educators there write all the district鈥檚 curricula. However, it buys content鈥攂oth digital and print鈥� from commercial publishers, said Stefani Pautz, the district鈥檚 coordinator of curriculum development.
鈥淲e use their resources and then write our own curriculum,鈥� Ms. Pautz said. A central-office team makes sure content is common core aligned. To start, the technology team is the first hurdle. 鈥淎t the moment of a request for information, the hardware and software compliance is built into the RFP,鈥� she said. Products 鈥渉ave got to meet those requirements first.鈥�
