Announcement:

TEA is now accepting applications( opens in new window) from qualified K–5 English and Spanish reading language arts, K–3 English and Spanish phonics, and K–12 math content experts interested in reviewing materials for the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) Cycle 24. Visit the HB 1605 webpage( opens in new window) for more information about IMRA. The TRR reports for K–8 and high school science are now available. to support local adoptions.

First grade girl holding pencil

The Power of High Quality Materials

A growing body of research points to the positive impact high-quality instructional materials have on student learning. For example, high quality materials:

  • Allow students to engage more deeply and meaningfully with the standards.
  • Lead to additional learning for students.
  • Have a larger, more cost-effective impact on academic outcomes than many interventions.

Districts are eager to purchase the best instructional materials for their teachers and students, but LEAs have communicated the following barriers:

  • Free information comes from a variety of sources and is often unorganized, not standardized and unreliable.
  • Smaller districts have limited purchasing power, making it more difficult to access updated, relevant information.
  • Tens of thousands of teachers across Texas often spend multiple instructional days each year to review materials.
  • Local reviews start from scratch, increasing time sorting through low quality materials and limiting time comparing high quality options.

Research Reports

Follow the links below for research reports and articles about the impact of instructional materials on student achievement.

The Opportunity Myth

This comprehensive 2018 study from The New Teacher Project (TNTP) found that only 17% of assignments put in front of students met grade-level standards. It also found that, when given the opportunity to do grade-appropriate assignments, students achieved at higher levels.
Executive Summary
Full Report

Curriculum Research: What We Know and Where We Need to Go

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Johns Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in
Education conducted a research review on the effects of curricular choices in K–12 education. That review found that:

  • Curriculum is a critical factor in student academic success.
  • Comprehensive, content-rich curriculum is a common feature of academically high-performing countries.
  • The cumulative impact of high-quality curriculum can be significant and matters most to achievement in the upper grades where typical year-on-year learning gains are far lower than in previous grades.
  • Because the preponderance of instructional materials is self-selected by individual teachers, most students are taught through idiosyncratic curricula that are not defined by school districts.
  • Research comparing one curriculum to another is very rare and, therefore, not usually actionable.

The Hidden Value of Curriculum Reform: Do States and Districts Receive the Most Bang for Their Curriculum Buck?

This report concludes that curriculum, the instructional materials such as textbooks, workbooks, and software used by teachers, plays an important role in how students are taught, and there is a strong body of evidence that shows that putting a high-quality curriculum in the hands of teachers can have significant positive impacts on student achievement. Furthermore, curriculum reform is typically inexpensive, showing that some of the highest quality elementary school math curricula cost less than $50 per student. In short, curriculum reform is a low-cost, high-return educational investment.

To promote curriculum reform—and make better use of education dollars,, this report provides new insight on how curricula are selected in every state across the country and examines the costs of those curricula. In compiling this report, the authors conducted extensive research—including interviews with state and district officials, along with an examination of curricula price lists—which provides a detailed picture of how public schools could increase the return on investment of taxpayer dollars. 

Don’t Forget Curriculum

This article from the Brookings Institute summarizes the role of curriculum in school reform efforts and public policy.

Mathematics Curriculum Effects on Student Achievement

This report describes research on the relative achievement effects of four of the most commonly adopted elementary-mathematics textbooks. The findings indicate that one book is more effective than the other three, raising student achievement on a grade-3 state standardized math test by 0.05-0.08 student-level standard deviations.

High-Quality Curricula: A Cost-Effective Way to Increase Student Learning

This report provides a review of two studies in which the effects on student learning as a result of using various mathematics instructional materials were compared.

Never judge a book by its cover – use student achievement instead

This article describes research conducted to measure the effect of instructional materials on standardized test scores. It concludes that that if all schools switched "to one of the top quartile textbooks, student achievement would rise overall by roughly .127 student-level standard deviations or an average of 3.6 percentile points. Although it might sound small, such a boost in the average teacher’s effectiveness would be larger than the improvement the typical teacher experiences in their first three years on the job, as they are just learning to teach."

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