What are the priorities for Ohio Materials Matter?
- Increase student access to high-quality instructional materials that are aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards and promote grade level proficiency.
- Increase educator access to high-quality professional learning grounded in high-quality instructional materials.
- Support educators in reviewing, selecting, and implementing high-quality instructional materials aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards and the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide.
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What is the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide?
The Ohio Curriculum Support Guide was developed by the Department, in partnership with Instruction Partners. Effective student learning is enhanced by providing teachers with high-quality instructional materials, requiring support from leaders skilled in selecting, preparing, and facilitating their use. The guide exemplifies a quality review, selection, and implementation process.
- The framework is designed to be used flexibly and serve as a starting point that you can adapt for your context.
- The workbook is designed to be used by teams of educators working through the selection and implementation journey.
- The Starting Point Diagnostic is a map that guides you through yes and no questions, starting at the very beginning of the process selection, to determine where to begin.
- The Reflective Implementation Checklist is a self-reflection tool that allows you to look back on all your work to determine where you might have missed steps or need additional focus.
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Are there specific requirements for High-Quality Instructional Materials In English language arts?
Under
Ohio law, instructional materials in English language arts must be aligned with the science of reading and strategies for effective literacy instruction. Please see
High-Quality Instructional Materials in English Language Arts for requirements.
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How are High-Quality Instructional Materials funded in districts and schools?
Evidence-based High-Quality Instructional Materials that are supplementary to core curriculum can be funded with Title I-A, Title I-D and I-N, II, Title III, Title IV, Title V, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-B. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds can be used for allowable activities. ESSER II and III grants follow the same guidance as the ESSER I grant. More information can be found in the
CARES Act, ESSER Fund and COVID-19 Updates. Further ESSER guidance:
ESSER II & II Allowable Activities and
ESSER II FAQs.
In addition,
Title I Non-Competitive School Improvement Grant, and other non-competitive and competitive grant funds such as School Quality Improvement Grant (SQIG) and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund can be used to fund High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) initiatives and programs.
Contact the Office of Federal Programs at
federalprograms@education.ohio.gov or Amy Hill at
amy.hill@education.ohio.gov.
Information on ESSA Levels of Evidence and additional resources:
Empowered by Evidence,
Ohio Evidence Based Clearinghouse,
What Works Clearinghouse.
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How are high-quality instructional materials related to continuous improvement?
Continuous improvement is a process that districts and schools engage in to adjust and refine their system to meet the needs of each student. High-quality instructional materials ensure all students have access to standards-aligned, coherent curriculum across all learning environments. Selecting and implementing high-quality instructional materials is an important consideration for improvement in many school systems.
Find additional information and resources on the Ohio Improvement Process webpage.
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What if school materials are rated yellow or red or not fully aligned?
If the instructional materials are rated yellow or red by EdReports, read the in-depth EdReports review of those materials to identify why and how those materials did not meet expectations. Identifying and understanding the gaps informs the professional learning and/or collaborative work needed to supplement the materials to provide standards-based, grade-level instruction.
A school or district could also make the choice to adopt new instructional materials that are aligned to standards. Ed Reports has rated some free OER instructional materials as aligned to standards.
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What is the difference between the EdReports tool, What Works Clearinghouse, and Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse?
Ed Reports evaluates collections of instructional materials for universal instruction in literacy, science, and mathematics. Their evaluation rubrics have three categories: two based on the learning standards and one for instructional supports and usability. A set of instructional materials achieves a green rating only if it has met criteria in all three categories.
What Works Clearinghouse shares the outcomes of research that meets specific design criteria based on literacy and math
interventions. Interventions reviewed focus on developing specific skills. The
Reporting What Works infographic shows how the What Works Clearinghouse rates a research study.
Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse offers guidance and resources for using evidence-based strategies in the cycle of continuous improvement for your district.
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