Declining national assessment scores and continuous critiques of Common Core curricula have presented persistent challenges for stakeholders within the American education system. This study was an investigation of the existence of parallelism in five commonly used Common Core middle school mathematics curricula. An embedded mixed methods research…

The problem this study addressed was educators of students with severe and profound disabilities face barriers to teaching a functional curriculum due to the lack of training and targeted curriculum. The purpose of this qualitative single exploratory case study was to examine the benefits and barriers faced by teachers of students with severe and…

Among dozens of factors that influence mathematics teaching in the elementary classroom, textbooks endure as a significant contributor to the conversation. While teachers have many considerations while lesson planning, the textbook often forms an important launch point in determining what to include in lessons and how to do so. It follows that…

Federal law requires all students, including those with significant intellectual disability, to make progress toward grade-level general education standards. The alignment between standards, curriculum, and instruction is vital for ensuring equitable opportunities to learn. Commercially available curricula attempt to support teachers and students…

Coherence among components of an instructional system is key to changing teachers' instructional practices in standards-based reforms. Coherence involves working across traditional silos--or system components (e.g., curriculum, professional learning, assessment)--to integrate components to avoid fragmentation of experiences for educators and…

This report stems from the Data Innovation in US Education initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The work was led by the Preva Group, in partnership with IMPAQ and Periscopic. The initiative had three overarching goals: to support the Foundation's efforts to better understand the impact of their education investments; to…

We analyzed 52 middle school mathematics lessons from multiple states and curriculum contexts to understand how teachers were enacting the CCSSM. The teachers stated that all of the lessons were CCSSM-aligned. We categorized curriculum materials according to two approaches, with one approach associated with curriculum programs funded by NSF and…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and other state standards have challenged teachers to rethink how they plan units and design their assignments within constraints of time and increasingly diverse classrooms. This article describes the author's efforts to create a coherent, useable set of tools to make his teaching at the unit and daily…

This paper describes a study conducted to investigate the impact of Common Core (CC) integration on early literacy curriculum systems. Specifically, this study examined perceptions of K-3 teachers and principals regarding extent to which CC integration has changed early literacy curriculum systems and the benefit related to these changes. Also,…

One thing we know for certain: the Common Core will become yet-another failed initiative unless our curriculum provides a clear, unambiguous picture of how to teach for understanding. The solution? A concept-based curriculum. Where can you learn how to create one? "Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum in English Language Arts." Fusing…

This is a case study in which the Character Development and Leadership Program replaced an alternative high school's traditional English language offerings. A triangulated case study used student records, field notes, and interviews of stakeholders to compare the academic year prior to this substitution and the 2 academic years following it. All 3…

This resource is part of a series produced by the Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) to assist educators as they use College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) to plan instruction for diverse learners. Although the processes described in this resource use the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association…