The market is getting flooded with new and ‘Zoom-modified’ content, but do these curriculums and their lessons meet current state standards? A study by Rand Corporation revealed only 1/3rd of teachers are using curricula that conform to current State standards. However, their study also showed an increase in teachers using curricula aligned to current standards since 2019, largely credited to School Districts offering incentives to adopt aligned curricula.

Aligned math curricula was found to be leading the charge, according to RAND.org reports, more often in grades K-8. Past research has shown that the mere existence of academic standards has little effect on what happens in classrooms, but efforts to promote the use of a curriculum that conforms to standard expectations (what students should know) is encouraging. Thirteen states are leading the charge for use of higher quality student materials. (AR, DE, KY, LA, MA, MS, NE, NM, OH, RI, TN, TX, and WI).

Only 22% of high school teachers surveyed in the spring of 2021, said they were using aligned math and reading materials. In contrast, approximately 48% of the K-8 teachers were using aligned math curricula, and an average of 29%, were using aligned ELA materials.

All the research points to the need for aligned content! This is resulting in more states requiring publishers to have their content aligned to standards, and often by an outside vendor. EdGate and its EXACT Platform can help every publisher meet learning requirements regionally, state level, nationally and internationally. Reach out to find out how the ExACT platform streamlines the process of optimizing your content to the specific needs of your target audience.

By: Larry Johnson
Project Manager