All students should graduate from high school ready for college, careers, and citizenship.
Teacher Panel Identifies 101st Common Core-Aligned Lesson through EQuIP Initiative
Washington, D.C. – May 4, 2015 – The availability of high-quality and aligned instructional materials is key to the successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Today, Achieve posted the 101st set of instructional materials found to be of high-quality and aligned to the CCSS by the Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Peer Review Panel using the EQuIP Rubrics. The number of available lessons and units, consisting of 62 in English language arts (ELA)/literacy and 39 in mathematics in all grade bands, has doubled since November 2014.
The EQuIP Rubrics were created by Achieve in collaboration with education leaders from Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island to build the capacity of educators to evaluate and improve the quality of instructional materials for use in their classrooms and schools. EQuIP is comprised of a set of criterion-based rubrics designed for educators to use in evaluating the quality and alignment of lessons and units.
To increase the availability of aligned lessons and units, Achieve launched the EQuIP Peer Review Panel in June of 2013. The panel is comprised of 84 educators from across the country with over 1200 years of collective classroom experience. The panel is trained to apply the EQuIP Rubrics and quality review process to lessons and units that have been submitted by states, districts, partners, and educators.
The 101 units and lessons available at www.achieve.org/equip were all found to be or by the EQuIP Peer Review Panel. The rating indicates that a lesson or unit is well-aligned with the Common Core and ready for immediate use in classrooms; lessons or units rated Example if Improved are aligned and require some improvement in one or more dimensions of the rubric. These materials reflect all grade bands (K-5, 6-8, 9-12) in both mathematics and ELA/literacy. Educators are invited to submit lessons and units for review through the EQuIP website.
“Developing coherent and engaging unit plans is a core aspect of effective teaching, but I rarely receive content-specific feedback from administrators or colleagues,” said Kristi Brantley, a 7th grade ELA teacher at Pacetti Bay Middle School in St. Augustine, Fl whose submission helped Achieve reach 101 sets of materials. “Submitting my unit to the EQuIP Call to Action gave me the opportunity to receive detailed feedback about my work and gave me a way to gauge my professional development. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and share the best ideas in the business.”
The most recent submissions were in response to Achieve’s recent Call to Action for units targeting specific focus areas within the CCSS. Achieve is currently accepting submissions for the second round of the EQuIP Call to Action through June 3, 2015. Educators and developers are welcome to submit through the EQuIP website.
To learn more about EQuIP or download example lessons and units, please visit www.achieve.org/EQuIP.
Media Contact: Chad Colby (202) 419-1570, ccolby@achieve.org or
Kelly Van Beveren (202) 745-2306, kvanbeveren@achieve.org