How to Successfully Implement High-Quality Instructional Materials

In response to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) that roughly two-thirds of U.S. students are reading below proficiency levels, there has been a nationwide shift from a balanced literacy philosophy to the evidence-based science of reading (SoR). Based on decades of interdisciplinary research across cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and linguistics, the SoR explains how we learn to read: through explicit instruction in phonemes, phonics, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, and through exposure to a diverse set of complex, knowledge-rich grade-level texts. This structured literacy approach includes frequently assessing student progress and using the data to inform responsive, targeted interventions that close learning gaps and improve literacy outcomes.

Educational companies have been swift to respond to this shift by offering standards-aligned, evidence-based High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM), complete with lesson plans, differentiation tools, and assessments to facilitate the implementation of literacy instruction aligned with the SoR. Many states are providing financial incentives to school districts to encourage implementation. Even so, as educators, we know that content alone is insufficient to ensure that students receive high-quality, responsive instruction. It’s teachers who facilitate and guide learning experiences and ultimately have the greatest impact on student outcomes. If your district is planning to pilot or implement HQIM, the following strategies can support implementation and maximize impact.

Involve Stakeholders in Selecting Instructional Materials

A good first step is to review evaluations from an independent nonprofit organization such as EdReports to ensure that the HQIM you select are informed by the SoR and aligned with your state literacy frameworks and standards, and your district’s mission and goals.

Once you’ve chosen a few options, consult with colleagues in your professional community who have implemented these programs, or contact the vendor for a list of schools using the HQIM to help determine what best fits your district’s needs. After you’ve narrowed your search, coordinate with the vendors to deliver virtual presentations for teachers and school leaders. Stakeholders can complete a scorecard, like the one provided by the State of New Jersey (see page 29 of the PDF), or a district-adapted rubric to help inform the final decision.

Based on our district’s experience of piloting three different programs over two school years, asking vendors these specific questions can help inform decision-making:

• What materials and vendor support are available during the school year in terms of on-site visits, in-person and virtual professional development, and timely responsiveness to day-to-day questions and concerns?
• Will our school have a dedicated support professional?
• Are the digital and print materials aligned? In other words, can a teacher shift back and forth between digital and print in the same lesson?
• What differentiation tools are available to provide scaffolded support for diverse learners?
• To what extent will the materials for our pilot year be provided at no cost?

In the first year of HQIM implementation, your pilot phases and decisions should be informed by stakeholders’ input and responsive to your district’s capacity and current needs. Regardless of the HQIM that you select, teacher voice and buy-in are critical.

Align Pacing, Scope, Sequence, and NonNegotiables

HQIM provide a robust selection of materials that are adaptable for a diverse range of school settings. In our district, we used the HQIM curriculum guides to create our own curriculum map by asking questions and making decisions as follows:

Scope: Which HQIM units do we feel strongly about teaching and why?

Consider how many whole-class texts, both fiction and nonfiction, will students read at each grade level, and which ones. Some HQIM include a complete e-book library, and others require that you purchase books. HQIM don’t explicitly prioritize whole texts, but as a district, we do.

How many full-length writing assignments will students complete, and cumulatively, do they cover the various skills assessed on standardized tests? HQIM generally offer multiple opportunities for narrative, argumentative, and informational writing.

Pacing: Based on our class periods and instructional time, how many units can we complete in a school year?

HQIM generally include core units that cover all of the essential skills, along with supplemental units that provide additional practice and reinforcement. If your answer to this question indicates that you only have time for the core units, then those are the units to select.

Map out the length of each unit according to your school calendar, with the expectation that teachers will abide by this schedule. To be responsive to their students’ needs, teachers need the flexibility to be within a week or so of each other. Support teachers in breaking down each unit and creating shared weekly calendars and monthly goals that are flexible and responsive.

Sequence: Generally, the units in HQIM are organized with a purposeful, spiraling progression of knowledge and skills. If you are contemplating changing the sequence, consult with your vendor representative to ensure that your decision aligns with their intention.

Nonnegotiables: During the first year of implementation in particular, teachers find that there are more materials in the HQIM than instructional time can accommodate. Teachers will need to make choices accordingly, so vendors should inform them of what they can and can’t omit.

In our district, we’ve also committed to the following as nonnegotiables:

• Teaching the selected whole-class texts
• Using the HQIM reading and writing assessments for the units we selected
• Supporting students on their personal journeys to become lifelong readers

Determine how best to adapt the HQIM to meet the needs of all your students, and make choices that ensure equitable instruction across classrooms.

Provide Ongoing Teacher Support

Since the move to the SoR is recent, offer new and experienced teachers professional development on the research supporting it and how to implement a structured literacy approach. Most teacher preparation programs have yet to adapt their content and requirements, and as education writer Chad Aldeman explains, teachers “are being asked to fundamentally reimagine what good reading instruction looks like… and pedagogical habits are deeply ingrained.”

Teachers need planning time together to discuss lessons, scaffolds, activities, and assessment and to devise best practices for implementation aligned with the established scope, sequence, and pacing. To achieve equitable implementation, a supervisor, instructional coach, or teacher leader needs to partner with teachers in these efforts.

Additionally, teachers need day-to-day instructional support to address questions, solve technical issues with the platform, observe model lessons, and fine-tune their ability to adopt this new approach and become increasingly proficient in providing data-driven instruction that is differentiated, equitable, and responsive. If your district doesn’t have the capacity to coordinate these efforts, firms such as Dirigo Literacy and Generation Ready, with whom I work as a consultant, can coach districts through the selection process and provide on-site coaching support during implementation.

Improving literacy outcomes for all students requires more than selecting and implementing HQIM. It requires coordinated efforts by a school district to ensure that systems are in place to provide teachers with the support they need so that all students develop the reading and writing skills to create the future they deserve.