EdReports Uncovers Some Useful Truth: All Curriculum is not Aligned

In the ELA world it's imperative to have curriculum that is aligned to the Common Core Standards.  After much research however, EdReports concluded that most materials that are being used in ELA and Math classrooms are not aligned. 

From their website:

To date, EdReports has published more than 500 reports of English language arts (ELA), math, and science materials available for free on EdReports.org. These reports indicate if materials meet, partially meet, or do not meet expectations for standards alignment. 

In 2018, we conducted research to better understand the materials landscape and to evaluate the value and impact of our work. We drew upon data from EdReports reviews, information about publisher and copyright dates, and data from the American Teacher Panel (ATP) nationally representative survey on ELA and math curriculum use during the 2017– 2018 school year to better understand the following questions: 
• What percentage of comprehensive, year-long materials that are published and marketed as being standards-aligned meets EdReports’ criteria for alignment? 
• What proportion of the K–12 ELA and mathematics materials used regularly in classrooms meets expectations for alignment? 
• Is there a relationship between the length of time that an EdReports review has been available for a product and the percent of market share for that product? 

This report finds that only a small fraction of students are experiencing aligned curriculum even weekly, despite there being many options available to districts as they adopt. This finding corroborates other recent research by TNTP and EdTrust that both looked closely at the quality of classroom assignments and found that most were off grade level or not aligned to standards. We must do more to ensure that districts are not only choosing great programs, but that teachers have the professional learning and systems support they need to implement those programs well.

Improvement to materials will matter little if students do not get the opportunity to experience them. We also see a critical need for more information about curriculum adoption and procurement. 

The implications are clear. We must work to determine if students are receiving good aligned instruction and that the teachers are comfortable and confident in delivering the content.