The approach taken by three Texas school districts in high poverty and high minority areas to improve standardized achievement scores is explored. The three districts implemented an instructional management program consisting of aligning the curriculum, filling the curriculum gaps, and monitoring student progress. A first step in the curriculum alignment that compared the curriculum and the test to be used was to establish criteria for: (1) compatibility of conceptual knowledge; (2) similarity of evaluation, content, and format; (3) sufficient teacher instruction; and (4) sufficient student practice. When the alignment process was completed for each instructional objective, teachers began filling the gaps for missing criteria. Monitoring student progress followed, using, among other tests, the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) given the year the alignment process was introduced and 9 to 12 months later. The identified schools were able to increase their TAAS scores substantially in a year. Results of this study suggest that curriculum alignment can be a good way to bring together all the resources a district can offer. (Contains seven tables and six references.) (SLD)