Six years ago, the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards (OSEUS) were approved by the State Board of Education Standards based on legislation passed in 2007. Despite implementation efforts such as the WoLakota Project that have helped individual teachers, many others needed additional support to figure out how to incorporate these…

During the 2024-2025 school year, the state of South Dakota will implement a curriculum inspired by the conservative Hillsdale College model. South Dakota teachers will need to expand their content coverage without the benefit of additional instructional time; find ways to teach young students content that is developmentally inappropriate; base…

The Region 2 Comprehensive Center (R2CC) supported the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) in developing new curriculum frameworks for mathematics, science, and English language arts (ELA). This partnership was formed because of 2019 legislation that mandated new statewide academic standards as well as new curriculum frameworks to inform…

Improving classroom teaching and learning requires both high-quality instructional materials and high-quality professional learning. Many professional learning stakeholders talk about the value of curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL) but there has been little consensus on what it is or how it fits within the larger field of professional…

In this article, the authors tackle the tension between a fact-based civics test and inquiry-based teaching and learning. The authors begin with a short history on the civics test and the new standards in Kentucky before turning their attention to one approach to the civics test using an Inquiry Design Model (IDM) inquiry--"Does the civics…

California adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) in 2013, with the aim of improving scientific literacy and strengthening the global competitiveness of the state's workforce. But the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially disruptive for science education, which has long been a lower priority than math and English language arts.…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) launched the "standards-based" education movement in North America in 1989 with the release of "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics," an unprecedented action to promote systemic improvement in mathematics education. Now, twenty-five years later, the…

The California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS)--adopted in 2013--have the potential to improve scientific literacy and strengthen the global competitiveness of California's workforce. However, longstanding underinvestment in science education and the unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19 have heightened challenges faced by…

This Framework is built upon the foundation of the 2010 "Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy," as well as earlier versions of the "Massachusetts English Language Arts Frameworks" published since 1997. The current Framework incorporates improvements suggested by Massachusetts educators after…

After almost two years of uncertainty and unparalleled challenges for students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators across the state, the Illinois State Board of Education continues to look to their Strategic Plan for clarity and confidence in helping them navigate toward their agency's vision as they look past the COVID-19 pandemic. This…

State and national standards, taken as is, can limit the potential of the curriculum and skilled teachers. The ideas presented here suggest ways in which we might better scrutinize standards for their potential richness and limitations in order to enrich our instruction.

"If you want to be able to read with comprehension, you must become knowledgeable about the topic. The more relevant knowledge you have, the less it matters whether the text is complex or not," write Hirsch and Hansel in this article. Research has shown that a student who has extensive background knowledge of a topic will find it easy to…

A state's department of education requested assistance from the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) in developing a tool to assist with cross walking the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Math and English Language Arts with their state's Kindergarten 1/2 day program CCSS Pacing Guide Grade Level Standards to transition with the…

A rigorous K-12 science education builds student knowledge in core scientific content and equips students to analyze problems, use evidence, and investigate solutions. The education requirements of careers across the economy are increasing and all students--regardless of whether they pursue science as a career--need greater proficiency in the…

College and career readiness for all students includes supporting the needs of students with disabilities. Ensuring students with disabilities are college and career ready goes beyond academics and must include self-determination skill development. As schools adapt to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and multi-tiered…