Curricular materials are resources teachers use to orchestrate sequences of student learning experiences: lesson and unit plans, texts in various formats, and more.

Open educational resources (OER) are learning materials freely available under a license that allows them to be reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed.

Massachusetts law states that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education may “review and recommend instructional materials which it judges to be compatible with the curriculum frameworks [learning standards]” (M.G.L.ch.69§1E).

The SEA provides guidance to help educators plan for learning environments that feature (1) a one to one model (1:1), in which school-owed devices are loaned to all students, which may or may not be allowed home; or (2) a “bring your own device” model (BYOD), in which students are encouraged to bring a personal device to and from school, while providing a school-owned device to students who choose not to bring a personal device. Legal FAQs are also provided.

The SEA provides an Assistive Technology and Accessible Instructional Materials guide and web-based resources to support the implementation of accessible educational materials.

The SEA developed a memorandum to assist school committees and charter school boards of trustees with the development of “alternative structured learning day programs” as possible solutions to scheduling issues posed by inclement weather so the minimum student learning time requirement of 900 hours for elementary schools, 990 hours for secondary schools, and a total of 180 days may be met.

CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers (CURATE) is an SEA-led initiative to identify high-quality curricular materials aligned to Massachusetts standards. Beginning in fall 2018, the SEA is convening panels of Massachusetts teachers to review and rate evidence on the quality and alignment of specific curricular materials. Reports summarizing the panels’ findings will appear on starting in early 2019. Publishers of curricular materials are invited to submit information on their products for consideration. Products must (a) support a comprehensive (rather than supplemental or intervention) English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, or Science and Technology/Engineering curriculum and (b) determined by a rigorous, educator-driven review (such as EdReports) to meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards. Submissions meeting these requirements are reviewed by a CURATE panel. Three main sources of evidence inform every CURATE review: (1) rigorous, educator-led reviews of quality and alignment, primarily those available from EdReports; (2) information publishers submit directly to SEA in response to specific prompts, often including sample materials such as lesson plans; and (3) perceptual data from Massachusetts teachers who have experience working with the materials under review. Panelists look for triangulation, valuing findings supported by more than one of these varied data sources. Rubrics each have two domains: standards alignment and classroom application. Standards alignment references the Massachusetts learning standards and the curriculum frameworks that contain them. Classroom application, informed by the state’s Model Teacher Evaluation Rubric, is composed of three criteria: accessibility for students, usability for teachers, and impact on student learning. Teach Plus and the Rennie Center are working together to support the Department in facilitating the CURATE reviews.

Educators and other interested parties may use the Standards Navigator to search standards by subject and narrow down the results by various levels, or search for a keyword(s) in standard/levels and narrow down the results by subject(s)/grade. The tool displays resources associated with specific standards within the context of specific standards and grade levels.