EdGate Services

Teaching AI Literacy Starts With Clear Standards

sschuller — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:22:10 +0000

Teaching AI Literacy Starts With Clear Standards

Client Solution

EdGate Services

Hot Topic

Top Stories

sschuller Thu, 10/16/2025 - 15:22

Teaching AI Literacy Starts With Clear Standards

October 16 2025

Author

Sharla Schuller

Artificial intelligence is showing up more often in classrooms, not just as a learning tool but as something students are expected to understand. The U.S. Department of Education recently released guidance encouraging schools to teach AI literacy and the ethical use of technology. That’s an exciting direction for education, but it also raises a challenge. How do schools know what to teach, and how can they measure whether students are truly learning it?

AI literacy isn’t a single subject. It blends computer science, digital citizenship, ethics, and media literacy. It’s about understanding how technology works and how to use it responsibly. For educators, that means connecting these new ideas to existing standards and lessons in a way that makes sense across grade levels and subjects.

Where EdGate Plays an Important Role

Our team focuses on the academic standards that define what students learn and how learning is measured. As new standards emerge around computer science, digital ethics, and responsible technology use, EdGate helps education companies and curriculum developers understand how those expectations fit within the broader learning framework. By maintaining and mapping standards across states, we make it easier to see where AI literacy connects naturally to what’s already being taught.

For example:

A media literacy lesson can be crosswalked to emerging AI ethics standards that focus on bias and misinformation.
Career and technical education pathways can include AI competencies that align with workforce-readiness expectations.
Computer science frameworks can be connected to broader digital citizenship standards to help students understand responsible AI use.

This kind of structure is what ensures that AI education isn’t fragmented or inconsistent. It gives teachers, curriculum designers, and policymakers a shared foundation to build on, one that keeps learning objectives clear and connected.

The Department of Education’s guidance highlights a national priority for helping students think critically about technology, question bias, and understand their role in an increasingly digital world. EdGate’s mission supports that goal by keeping standards organized, accessible, and connected, so schools and content providers can focus on what matters most: preparing students for the future responsibly.

AI literacy isn’t just about coding or machine learning. It’s about understanding how technology shapes society and how humans remain accountable for its use. That’s why clear standards and the ability to align to them matter more than ever.

EdGate helps make that clarity possible.

For more details on how EdGate supports AI and emerging technology standards, contact your EdGate sales representative or reach out to our team.

The Future of Standards Alignment: Balancing Innovation and Integrity

sschuller — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 19:35:23 +0000

The Future of Standards Alignment: Balancing Innovation and Integrity

Client Solution

ExACT

EdGate Services

sschuller Mon, 10/13/2025 - 12:35

The Future of Standards Alignment: Balancing Innovation and Integrity

October 13 2025

Author

Sharla Schuller

For more than two decades, EdGate has been at the center of one of education’s most complex challenges: keeping learning materials aligned to ever-changing academic standards. Every year, states revise or adopt new frameworks, update subject guidelines, or adjust course structures. That constant motion makes it difficult for publishers and content providers to keep their materials current.

We built the ExACT Standards Alignment Platform to help solve these complex challenges. ExACT is a tool where clients can Author, Manage, Align, Analyze and Publish standards and content. It is designed to make alignment faster, smarter, and more accurate without losing the human judgment that makes quality alignment possible.

Our team has always believed that technology should enhance expert work, not replace it. That belief shaped how we developed ExACT and the Advanced Technology that powers it. While many alignment systems depend solely on algorithms, ExACT blends automation with deep educational insight. It’s supported by a patented proprietary, education-focused large language model developed specifically for standards alignment, guided at every step by EdGate’s subject matter experts and data specialists.

This collaboration between human expertise and AI has changed what’s possible. ExACT can identify connections between standards, even when they are phrased differently, suggest potential alignments, support cross-language comparisons, and analyze where content meets or misses key learning goals. These intelligent capabilities speed up the alignment process and allow the team to focus on what matters most: ensuring accuracy, consistency, and instructional value.

Of course, innovation only matters if it’s done responsibly. That’s why security and privacy are central to how we use technology. Every process in ExACT happens within EdGate’s secure systems. No client data is shared externally, and no third-party AI tools are granted access to private materials. We are building a foundation that’s both advanced and trustworthy, where efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of data integrity.

Our vision for ExACT’s future is rooted in this balance. We continue to refine our model, expanding its ability to handle new frameworks, languages, and content types. But our approach will always center on transparency, control, and the irreplaceable role of human expertise.

Standards alignment will always evolve, just like the education system itself. With ExACT, we are helping it evolve in the right direction, with a goal towards a future where technology and expertise work hand in hand to create faster, more accurate, and more reliable results.

If you’d like to explore how ExACT’s technology works in practice visit our Future of Standards Alignment page to learn more.

From Federal Oversight to State-Driven Curriculum Adoptions

sschuller — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:46:16 +0000

From Federal Oversight to State-Driven Curriculum Adoptions

EdGate Services

Hot Topic

sschuller Fri, 09/05/2025 - 17:46

Navigating the Shift: From Federal Oversight to State-Driven Curriculum Adoptions: Ji Soo Song Podcast Interview Recap

September 05 2025

Author

Rich Portelance

The landscape of curriculum adoptions in K–12 education is changing rapidly. For years, much of the momentum around educational technology and standards was federally driven through initiatives like the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of EdTech and national technology plans. Today, however, responsibility for digital learning priorities and curriculum adoptions is moving decisively back to the states.

In a recent conversation with Ji Soo Song, Director of Projects and Initiatives at CETDA (formerly the State Educational Technology Directors Association), he described how this transition is creating both opportunities and challenges for education leaders, vendors, and policymakers.

“Under No Child Left Behind, federal programs like Title IID helped states create edtech offices and implement edtech plans,” Ji Soo explained. “But as those federal supports diminished under ESSA, states were left to determine their own priorities. Some, like Utah, have continued to invest in edtech capacity, even adding new roles like state-level AI specialists. Others have scaled back, leading to what I call ‘fracturing’ across the country.”

For vendors, this fracturing creates real complexity. In some states, edtech leadership is clear and centralized. In others, responsibility is dispersed across departments—special education, curriculum and instruction, or professional learning—making it difficult to know where to begin.

Ji Soo noted that while CETDA’s overall membership levels have remained stable, the value of those relationships has grown significantly. Members are engaging more deeply in CETDA-led projects, guidance development, and research initiatives—because that’s where much of the decision-making and leadership now takes place.

He also pointed to a few emerging trends that will shape adoption conversations in the coming years:

AI Literacy: States are beginning to define what it means for graduates to be “AI literate,” including skills, competencies, and ethical considerations around how AI is used in school, work, and daily life.
Data Literacy: Connected to AI, initiatives like Data Science for Everyone are pushing to bring foundational skills in data literacy into K–12 classrooms.<
Partnership Networks: Beyond CETDA, organizations like CoSN (district-level edtech leaders), CCSSO (state superintendents and working groups), Digital Promise, Project Unicorn, CAST, and others in the EdTech Quality Collaborative are setting expectations around safety, interoperability, evidence, inclusivity, and usability. Vendors who engage with these groups strengthen both credibility and reach.

Two clear takeaways emerged from the discussion:

Build Trusted Relationships. Whether through CETDA membership, partnerships with CCSSO or CoSN, or engagement with quality collaboratives, relationships are key to accessing state and district decision-making spaces.
Align with Shared Standards of Quality. Vendors who can demonstrate alignment with indicators such as safety, interoperability, inclusivity, evidence of impact, and usability will stand out.

EdGate’s upcoming webinar, Thriving Amid Uncertainty: How EdTech Leaders Manage Adoptions & Win Contracts, will explore this topic in depth. Ji Soo will join leaders from Tennessee and Illinois to share perspectives on navigating state-level curriculum adoption processes and building stronger partnerships across the education ecosystem.

Join us on September 10th for this timely discussion.

Insights from Jill Pierce on the EdGate Powers Podcast

bford — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:10:51 +0000

Insights from Jill Pierce on the EdGate Powers Podcast

EdTech

EdGate Services

bford Tue, 08/19/2025 - 09:10

How Schools Evaluate New EdTech: Insights from Jill Pierce on the EdGate Powers Podcast

August 19 2025

Author

Rich Portelance

The most recent EdGate Powers podcast features a highly engaging episode featuring Jill Pierce, Executive Director of the Tennessee Educational Technology Association. With more than 30 years of expertise on how schools evaluate and adopt new education technology (EdTech) in today’s fast-changing landscape.

Her key message: EdTech adoption is more rigorous than ever before. Schools are taking a strategic, data-driven approach, carefully weighing interoperability, cybersecurity, legislative compliance, and the role of AI in education before making purchasing decisions.

The Evolving Process of EdTech Adoption in Schools

School districts are no longer rushing into buying the “latest tool.” Instead, they are using a structured school technology evaluation checklist to ensure every product directly supports district priorities and integrates with existing infrastructure.

Jill highlighted an important distinction:

Instructional technology - Products that directly impact student learning and outcomes.

Operational technology - Tools that streamline administrative or support services.

For both categories, the first step is identifying a clear need. Vendors who approach districts without aligning to strategic goals risk losing valuable opportunities.

The School Technology Evaluation Checklist Every Vendor Should Know

Jill outlined the criteria that districts use to assess new products. For EdTech vendors, these represent must-have answers when presenting solutions:

Alignment to Strategic Plans – Does the product support the district’s goals for student success and operational efficiency?

Interoperability in Education Technology – Can the tool integrate smoothly with student information systems and existing platforms?

Cybersecurity in Schools – How does the product protect sensitive student data, respond to breaches, and ensure compliance with privacy laws?

Data Privacy in EdTech – What information is collected, and how is it stored and secured?

User Experience – Is the platform intuitive, easy to train on, and supportive of teacher adoption?

Legislative Compliance – Does the product meet current and upcoming state and federal requirements, including those related to AI in education?

Districts aren’t looking for the cheapest tool. As Jill explained, schools aim for the “lowest and best” value—prioritizing effective integration, training, and vendor support over cost alone.

Why Cybersecurity and Interoperability Are Top Priorities

With most school users under 18, cybersecurity in education is not optional—it’s essential. Districts require vendors to clearly explain how they secure student and staff data, prevent intrusions, and remain compliant with strict data privacy regulations.

Equally important is interoperability in education technology. Teachers and staff need a seamless ecosystem, not a cluttered set of disconnected apps. Districts value solutions that unify access and simplify workflows, reducing frustration while improving efficiency.

The Role of Legislation and AI in Education

Jill cautioned vendors that ignoring state-specific EdTech legislation can derail even the strongest product. From wireless device rules to evolving AI in education laws, compliance is now a cornerstone of school technology adoption.

On AI, Jill explained that while artificial intelligence has long existed in basic educational tools, new frameworks are emerging to regulate its instructional use. Vendors must be transparent about:

What data AI systems collect and process

How AI integrates with existing school platforms

How student and employee privacy is protected

Without clear answers, districts may hesitate to adopt even innovative AI-powered tools.

Building Successful EdTech Partnerships with Schools

Jill’s closing message centered on fidelity– ensuring that technology implementations are not only purchased but also planned, resourced, and executed in alignment with strategic district goals.

For EdTech vendors, this means:

Taking the time to understand district needs.

Demonstrating strong commitments to privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance.

Delivering solutions that are easy to integrate and simple to use.

Acting as long-term partners in student success, not just product providers

Listen to the full episode of the EdGate Powers Podcast to hear Jill Pierce’s complete insights on EdTech adoption, AI in education, and how schools are shaping the future of instructional technology.

Deeper Insights with Semantic Matching in ExACT

sschuller — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:59:47 +0000

Deeper Insights with Semantic Matching in ExACT

ExACT

EdGate Services

Top Stories

sschuller Mon, 07/28/2025 - 08:59

Deeper Insights with Semantic Matching in ExACT

July 28 2025

Author

Sharla Schuller

If you're a curriculum publisher, EdTech provider, education agency, or district leader, you are likely managing multiple sets of academic standards. These may vary across states, subjects, grade levels, and sometimes even languages. You need more than surface-level comparisons to align content accurately and with confidence.

Semantic Matching in the ExACT Standards Alignment Platform was built to solve that exact challenge. Built for organizations that need to compare standards with precision, this feature allows you to understand not just where standards overlap but what they actually mean.

Unlike basic keyword tools, Semantic Matching uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the intent behind each standard. This makes it possible to go beyond how standards are written and focus on what they are really asking students to know or do.

Align Across Languages with Confidence

With Semantic Matching, standards written in other languages can be compared to English frameworks, and the reverse is also possible. These semantic translations account for meaning, not just word-for-word equivalents, making it possible to align content across language barriers with precision.

This feature supports broader and more inclusive alignment work, making it easier for organizations to align across states, countries, and languages using a single, unified platform.

Custom State-to-State and International Comparisons

ExACT users already have access to national benchmarks, such as comparing state standards to Common Core or NGSS using EdGate’s proprietary Concept Index. With Semantic Matching enabled, clients can take this further and generate comparison reports from state to state, from legacy to updated standards, or from U.S. standards to international frameworks.

This added flexibility is especially useful for publishers working across multiple jurisdictions and for agencies conducting standards reviews or preparing for upcoming adoptions.

A Premium Feature for Deeper Insight

Semantic Matching is a premium feature within ExACT. Once enabled, it allows your team to create custom comparison reports, work across languages, and export results in several formats.

More than just a comparison tool, our Semantic Matching is an asset that helps you uncover alignment insights you can act on. For organizations that depend on accuracy and scaling, EdGate provides one of the most advanced standards alignment platforms available.

Leading the Way in Standards Alignment with Semantic Matching

For more than 20 years, EdGate has been a trusted source for academic standards data, crosswalks, and alignment services. Our subject matter experts and proprietary tools, including the ExACT platform and Concept Index, continue to set the bar for quality and precision in standards comparison.

Explore our free online comparison tools to see how state standards compare with Common Core across subjects and grades. To unlock full access to Semantic Matching and build your own comparison reports contact us to get started.

Leading the Future of Standards Authoring

sschuller — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:38:46 +0000

Leading the Future of Standards Authoring

ExACT

EdGate Services

Hot Topic

sschuller Mon, 07/28/2025 - 08:38

Leading the Future of Standards Authoring with Technology and Expertise

July 28 2025

Author

Sharla Schuller

For more than two decades, EdGate has been the trusted partner in the education industry for the conversion of academic standards into machine-readable format, as well as the organization and maintenance of standards documents. As that work has evolved, so has the need for smarter tools that offer a better way to author, structure, and publish standards. Standards Authoring isn’t just about writing, it requires a deep understanding of instructional practice, consistency across subjects and grades, and tools that ensure accuracy, transparency, and long-term usability. EdGate has combined this understanding with purpose-built technology to become the industry leader in standards creation, framework development, and framework publishing.

Purpose-Built Platform for the Full Lifecycle

With the ExACT Standards Alignment Platform, clients gain access to a robust environment designed specifically for the full lifecycle of standards work. This includes everything from framework creation and metadata tagging to version control, public review, and crosswalking all in one system. ExACT allows teams to build nested frameworks with unlimited hierarchical levels, apply rich metadata like implementation or retirement dates, and edit in batches for faster, more consistent outcomes. Unlike general-purpose platforms, ExACT was built exclusively for standards, meaning every feature serves a focused purpose.

Patented Alignment Technology

The platform also integrates patented alignment technology that goes beyond basic matching or keyword-based tagging. Our natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning capabilities are trained specifically on educational data, offering powerful technology-assisted tools for reducing redundancy, improving clarity, and guiding alignment decisions. This patented process is unique to EdGate and provides unmatched accuracy in connecting new or revised standards to content, assessments, or other frameworks.

Transparent, Streamlined Public Review

Transparent, well-managed public review is essential to building trust in your standards. ExACT supports that process every step of the way. Clients can publish directly to an EdGate-hosted, client-branded public site, allowing reviewers to access authored standards and submit feedback in a secure interface. Feedback is stored, tracked, and exportable, streamlining response workflows and offering complete transparency. Whether your process includes internal committees, public stakeholders, or both, ExACT keeps everything organized and documented.

One Unified System

Some tools available today focus primarily on publishing existing standards in machine-readable formats, with separate add-ons for alignment or hosting. These systems may support basic editing or CASE formatting but often rely on multiple disconnected workflows and offer limited control over the authoring process. In contrast, EdGate delivers a unified, expert-supported platform designed specifically for standards creation. From the initial draft to final publication, ExACT gives your team full control, with expert guidance when you need it.

EdGate Leads the Way in Standards Authoring

If you're searching for a comprehensive solution to create, update, align, and manage standards more effectively, EdGate’s ExACT platform offers the most advanced tools available. Backed by patented technology and decades of real-world experience, EdGate continues to lead the field in modern standards authoring. For a side-by-side feature breakdown, view our comparison chart to see what truly sets ExACT apart.

Explore more about our Standards Authoring Tools, review the benefits of our Advanced Technologies, or download our overview PDF to share with your team.

EdGate adds 40 Countries, 350,000 K-12 Intl. Academic Standards

sschuller — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:20:48 +0000

EdGate adds 40 Countries, 350,000 K-12 Intl. Academic Standards

Client Solution

EdGate Services

State Highlight

sschuller Fri, 07/25/2025 - 14:20

EdGate adds 40 Countries, 350,000 K-12 International Academic Standards

July 25 2025

Author

Gina Faulk

EdTech companies and traditional print publishers are actively seeking international curriculum adoption and teacher usage. EdGate has been listening! We’ve always offered international standards in addition to the U.S. standards, but we’ve reached the next level with a new grand total of 40 countries and tally of 350,000 international standards available in the EdGate standards repository. Note that these standards include the territories within Australia and Canada. The standards include the four core: English Language arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. However, we’ve also included Art, Technology Education, World Languages, and Health and Physical Education for select countries, where available.

Below is the list of countries represented in EdGate’s K-12 international standards library, available via API or downloadable from EdGate’s ExACT platform. Additionally, the standards can be compared to U.S. standards using EdGate’s ExACT Advanced Technology to inform content development teams of gaps in content to standards coverage. Read more about our standards comparison tools.

Contact EdGate for access to these standards.

Recently Added International Standards
Australia Standards x 9 States (Australian Capital, Australian Curriculum [ACARA], New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia)		Canada Standards x 11 Provinces (Alberta, Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan Standards)
American Samoa (U.S. Territory)	Belgium	Bermuda	Brazil
Columbia	Denmark	England	Finland
France	Germany	India	Indonesia
Ireland	Israel	Italy	Japan
Korea	Kuwait	Malaysia	Mexico
Netherlands	Northern Ireland	New Zealand	Norway
Philippines	Poland	Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory)	Saudi Arabia
Scotland	Singapore	Spain	Sweden
Switzerland	South Africa	Taiwan	Thailand
United Kingdom Standards	Wales

What’s Next for STAAR? Texas Testing Reform on Hold for Now

sschuller — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:46:24 +0000

What’s Next for STAAR? Texas Testing Reform on Hold for Now

sschuller Tue, 07/01/2025 - 14:46

What’s Next for STAAR? Texas Testing Reform on Hold for Now

July 01 2025

Author

Bryan Ford

Summary: STAAR will continue for 2025–2026

Texas House Bill 4 (HB4), which proposed replacing STAAR with three shorter assessments throughout the school year, failed to pass in June 2025. As a result, STAAR will continue for the 2025–2026 school year, and no new assessments will be introduced yet. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) plans to spend the upcoming school year reviewing data from recent pilot programs before making future recommendations.

Current Timeline

Introduced to the Texas House of Representatives on February 25th, 2025, Texas HB4 proposed ending the use of STAAR tests in the curriculum. In its place, the bill suggests that schools give students three shorter tests at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. These proposed tests aim to act as “learning checkpoints” to examine student progress throughout the year. If passed, the bill proposed administering the tests as early as the start of the 2026 spring semester.

Although HB4 passed through both legislative chambers, it ultimately failed due to disagreements about implementation, such as when tests would be given, whether they would be norm- or criterion-referenced, and how performance would be rated. The Texas House and Senate were unable to reach a final compromise before the end of the 89th Legislative Session on June 2, 2025

What Does This Mean For The Future of Texas’s Standardized Testing?

The Texas Education Agency confirmed that STAAR will continue to be administered during the 2025–2026 school year.

Despite HB4 being unsuccessful, the TEA is working to develop a potential replacement for STAAR tests, the Texas Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP). The TTAP tests are not planned to be administered during the 2025-2026 school year. Instead, as per the Texas Education Agency, the organization will be using the duration of the school year to analyze test data collected over the past three years. After this, TEA plans to gather feedback and create new, replacement testing materials accordingly.

Outside of TEA, discussions regarding what should be done about the STAAR testing format continue. In the meantime, STAAR continues to act as Texas’s forefront testing initiative for measuring student progress and readiness. The development of future adjustments will also proceed as planned, with TEA’s research also going towards STAAR test refinement.

As this situation unfolds, EdGate will continue to monitor all developments to keep your curriculum tools and alignments up-to-date.

Questions Asked Most Frequently at ASU-GSV 2025

sschuller — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 23:24:26 +0000

Questions Asked Most Frequently at ASU-GSV 2025

sschuller Mon, 04/28/2025 - 16:24

Questions Asked Most Frequently at ASU-GSV 2025

April 28 2025

Author

Gina Faulk

As always ASU+GSV in San Diego was buzzy and loud, air-conditioned to a state of uncomfortableness inside, but sunny and lovely outside. Education celebrities were circulating: Arne Duncan, Sal Khan, Colin Kaepernick, will.i.am and more. Old friends who have been in EdTech and traditional K-12 educational publishing for years could be found left and right. Newer companies with exciting new AI products were prolific.

U.S. Secretary of Education

Probably the highest profile event at ASU+GSV 2025 was the Tuesday morning interview featuring Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education. As evidence of its prominence, the building was secured with limited entrances/exits, secret service was in attendance, and a small group of protesters stood outside the conference venue. As is widely known, under the direction of the U.S. President, McMahon has been tasked with preparing to shut down the U.S. Department of Education. This executive order would require an act of Congress. As part of McMahon’s mission, she vowed to “return education to the states”, as declared during her February 2025 confirmation hearing and in her speech that can now be found on the U.S. Dept. of Ed. site.

What Does Return to the States Mean?

From our vantage point as the leading educational standards consulting company, EdGate has been pondering what this “return to the states” means for state curriculum standards/frameworks. Sure enough, the questions I received most often while at ASU+GSV were “What does this shift back to the states mean for learning standards?” and “Is Common Core dead?”

It’s widely known that every state already has its own standards (a.k.a. competencies). So in some ways, when our team is aligning K-12 education content to standards, we tend to think of the U.S. as fifty tiny countries. Although all states have adopted learning standards that basically teach the same concepts (adding fractions, verb tenses, photosynthesis, etc.) the emphasis put on individual concepts, the way individual standards are written and published, and at which grade level concepts are introduced differs from state to state. State standards often reflect the unique history, economy, and politics of each state. This is especially evident in subject areas like Social Studies and Career and Technical Education (CTE). For instance, some states emphasize healthcare or agriculture in their CTE standards, while others focus heavily on information technology—clearly aligning with the dominant industries and workforce demands within their regional economies.

A healthy share of companies that engage with EdGate come to us with their content already aligned to the Common Core standards. At that point, they have a good baseline to start with. After all, the Common Core State Standards were created in 2010 to establish consistent educational expectations across the fifty states, ensuring all students receive a comparable education in English language arts and mathematics. EdGate continuously links all of the state learning standards to a core taxonomy of concepts so we can take the existing Common Core alignments and map those Common Core alignments to the other 49 states. So is Common Core dead? No, but the states that have kept the Common Core verbatim are rare and after every state standard update cycle the standards become increasingly further removed from the original Common Core. Treating ELA and Math standards like social studies, where every state is bespoke, is closer to reality.

Helpful Resources

EdGate created a very useful and freely available state-by-state learning standards comparison visual on our website. Click on any state to see the differences between state standards and Common Core, NGSS, C3 and other widely used libraries. Check it out and see you next year at ASU+GSV!

What is high-quality curriculum (HQIM)?

sschuller — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:30:07 +0000

What is high-quality curriculum (HQIM)?

EdTech

EdGate Services

Hot Topic

sschuller Tue, 04/22/2025 - 10:30

What is high-quality curriculum (HQIM)?

April 22 2025

Author

Naomi Morton

First, Let’s Define Curriculum

In basic terms, curriculum is the what, why, and how of student learning. It encompasses the lessons and tools teachers use and the timeframe in which they are implemented. While materials terminology evolves and changes, at its core, HQIM is knowledge-rich, engaging instructional materials that develop critical and creative thinking skills, fostering deeper student learning, while realizing a range of societal demands and government policies. Materials should reflect evidence-based best practices in relevant content areas and support all types of students including English language learners, students with disabilities and students identified as gifted or talented. Texas, as an example, has specific criteria that materials must meet to reach HQIM status.

Collaborative for Student Success

CurriculumHQ is a project of the Collaborative for Student Success whose goal is to “provide leaders with the information and examples they need to enable high-quality materials adoption and curriculum-based training in their communities.” In 2024, CurriculumHQ conducted a comprehensive scan by state and created a map that allows viewers to explore how states and districts are using high-quality learning materials. For example, Pennsylvania utilizes the Standards Aligned System (SAS) and Voluntary Model Curriculum, Indiana creates and revises a High-Quality Curricular Materials (HQCM) advisory list annually. Arkansas supports the Arkansas Initiative for Instructional Materials (AIIM). Virginia follows a curriculum review process under the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA).

Seven Hours Per Week

Sources indicate that teachers spend approximately seven hours per week searching for instructional resources, much of it from online sources and not always vetted, resulting in approximately 30% of teachers nationwide using high-quality materials consistently. Providing teachers with equitable access to HQIM and professional development support is important for the education ecosystem and helps ensure students acquire the necessary skills to be successful.

Standards alignment is one of the most important uniting factors regarding HQIM. Implementing HQIM that is aligned to rigorous state standards leads to improved student outcomes.

Want to learn more about HQIM and how adoption processes vary by state?

Check out our webinar on Texas adoption requirements for a deep dive into one of the most structured review processes in the country. Or explore the latest updates in our blog article on Florida's 2025–2026 instructional materials timeline.

Contact the EdGate team to learn how we can support your organization with accurate standards alignment and crosswalk services across all 50 states.