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High-Quality Instructional Materials for Mathematics


High-Quality Mathematics Instructional Materials for Mathematics

The K-12 materials listed below are those materials that EdReports.org has determined to meet their expectations for alignment to standards and get all "green" ratings for the three dimensions of (1) focus and coherence, (2) rigor and mathematical practices, and (3) usability. Materials in bold are those that also received Tier 1 ratings from the Louisiana Department of Education.

List current as of January 5, 2023

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Footnotes:

  1. Eureka Math (K-5, 2013) was recommended by both EdReports and Louisiana. Eureka Math (K-5, 2015) has not been reviewed by Louisiana.
  2. The 2018 version of Math Expressions gets all high marks from EdReports except for Grade 6. Louisiana placed the 2013 versions of Math Expressions K-5 at Tier 2, but has not rated the 2018 version.
  3. CPM Traditional is a rare case where EdReports gives the materials high ratings across the board, but Louisiana placed the materials at Tier 2 (for Algebra) and Tier 3 (for Geometry and Algebra 2).

Why Use High-Quality Curriculum Materials?

The Colorado Academic Standards describes the goals for student learning, but standards-based education relies on an integrated system of standards, curriculum, assessments, professional development, and other policies and practices.

 


Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Are Colorado schools and districts required to use materials from this list?

A1. No. The one caveat would be if a district applied for the ESSER Instructional Materials grant for K-8 mathematics. A list of eligible mathematics materials at that time was provided to applicants and choosing from that list was required to receive that grant.

Q2. What about <insert name of textbook here>? Why aren't they on this list?

A2. The materials listed above are those that meet the specified criteria on EdReports.org. CDE is not reviewing the materials themselves or passing further judgment on them. To learn more about other materials, including ones that narrowly missed inclusion on this list, see the full list of reviews on EdReports.org.

Q3. What about the quality of materials that EdReports.org chooses not to review? Not all math materials are textbooks or the kind of resource that appears on EdReports.org.

A3. There are doubtless many materials that are not reviewed by EdReports.org, and some of those materials may be high-quality. For example, researchers may design a single task, lesson, or unit, but not scale that effort to be a full- or multi-year textbook. Others may be from small publishers that have not yet gotten attention from EdReports. If you have questions about materials not on this list, you can contact CDE's mathematics specialist (see contact info below) for help in assessing the quality and reputation of the materials.

Q4. Why do you include curriculum reviews from Louisiana?

A4. Louisiana emerged as a leader in the curriculum review space when the Louisiana Department of Education began to lead comprehensive materials reviews in the 2013-2014 school year, using committees of teachers from across their state. Their full reviews are detailed enough to be useful to educators in Colorado who want to better understand why materials are (or are not) high-quality. As other states conduct reviews with similarly detailed documentation, they may be included on this page.

Q5. What if my school or district wants to conduct its own reviews?

A5. There are resources for conducting your own review of mathematics materials on the page Tools for Curriculum Evaluation and Adoption.


For further assistance, please contact:

Raymond Johnson, Ph.D.
Mathematics Content Specialist
P 303.866.6582
johnson_r@cde.state.co.us