Need for Project
The COVID pandemic revealed stark inequities in resources to support student learning, both in access to classroom and online instructional materials as well as implementation with fidelity of instructional materials. Lack of access to high quality instructional materials and the high-quality professional development to use them only accelerated learning interruption that has resulted in significant loss in hundreds of thousands of students.
Statewide, the percent of students scoring proficient or higher on state assessments dropped nearly 10 percentage points from 65.2% in the spring of 2019 prior to COVID to 55.4% in the spring of 2021 after of year of COVID. Although loss ranged from a low of -4.2% in 6th grade English language arts to -31.1% in English Language Arts I in the high school, all tests showed loss, and nearly half saw double-digit loss.
Disadvantaged student populations fared even worse. Less than four out of ten economically disadvantaged students (37.4%) scored proficient or better on state assessments in 2021 compared to nearly half in 2019 (49.8%). The lowest percentages of proficient or better were in high school math. For students of color, Black, Non-Hispanic students fell off nearly 13 percentage points from 38.1% to 25.2%. There were more than 75,000 fewer students scoring proficient or better in 2021 than in 2019. For Hispanic students, the percentage of students proficient or better on state assessments fell from 51.8% to 40.1%, a drop of nearly 12 percentage points. Students with disabilities fell from 30.8% proficient or better overall to 20.7%.
There has never been a more important time to ensure that each student across the state in both traditional school districts and community schools have access to and receive high quality professional development for High Quality Instructional Materials to support learning.
Project Goal
Early Adopters will work with a district in the first or second year of K-8 math high-quality instructional materials implementation using the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide.
Desired Project Outcome
This proposal will leverage the ESC network, INFOhio, and the regional system of State Support Teams to build capacity and sustainability of High Quality Instructional Materials Regional Experts across the state through the following scope of work with guidance, collaboration and direct oversight from ODE:
1. Coordinate and facilitate content area-specific regional support network for high-quality instructional materials across the state through the Educational Service Centers.
2. Assist the Department in completing a statewide gap analysis on high-quality instructional materials to gain interest and capacity across all Educational Service Centers and determine what materials are currently being used in districts and to what extent professional learning is provided to implement with fidelity.
3. Build capacity of Educational Service Centers by training and credentialing high-quality instructional material specialists across the state.
4. Recruit and coordinate district educators to participate in professional learning to raise awareness and build capacity through partnerships for:
a. reviewing, selecting, and implementing high-quality instructional materials, including key components of instructional materials
b. using the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide
5. Recruit and coordinate ESC consultants to participate in training on
a. reviewing and selecting high-quality instructional materials to support districts
b. using the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide to support districts
6. Coordinate and conduct regional workshops on high-quality instructional materials based on need by region as determined in the gap analysis. Regional workshops will include reviewing, selecting, and implementing materials aligned to the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide with identified Educational Service Centers.
7. Coordinate and conduct regional workshops with identified Educational Service Centers and Districts on reviewing, selecting, and implementing a math adoption.
8. Host an annual symposium on high-quality instructional materials in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education.
9. Ensure ongoing collaboration with the Department on high-quality instructional materials and modify training and supports to meet district and ESC needs regionally and statewide.