Within weeks of the release of the Common Core standards, publishers had already begun to market their “CCSS-aligned” textbooks and other curricular materials. What that label meant, however, was open to much debate. David Coleman and Sue Pimentel, who played central roles in developing the Common Core standards for English language arts, are now tackling the challenge of providing criteria by which to gauge curricular alignment with those standards. Their newly released criteria are intended to guide curriculum writers genuinely intent on aligning their materials to the CCSS and to act as a resource for teachers, schools, and districts as they navigate the already crowded market of supposedly aligned materials. While the guidelines do include criteria for everything ranging from writing and grammar to research, the bulk of the guidance is focused on reading. With these publishers’ criteria, Coleman and Pimentel are providing some necessary order to the Wild West of CCSS materials. But their good work has one big limitation: Their criteria don’t offer the kinds of specific examples that could help not only set the bar for curriculum developers, but also provide teachers and curriculum directors a touch point to better understand what such material should actually look like. Even so, these new criteria may serve to limit the number of publishers who can claim the CCSS-aligned label—and that is an important first step.
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David Coleman and Susan Pimentel, “Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy, Grades K-2,” (Available online, June 2011).
David Coleman and Susan Pimentel, “Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy, Grades 3-12,” (Available online, June 2011).
