Course Design & Instructional Materials

State laws require districts to have policies and procedures in place that guide the selection and adoption of Washington learning standards aligned instructional materials for use in classrooms.

2020/2020P Model Policy for Course Design, Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials | Washington State School Directors’ Association

Course Design is the process that includes identifying and sequencing essential content supporting students' skill development towards state learning standards. Course design involves providing appropriate instructional materials, professional development, and support systems for teachers as they implement the course.

Instructional materials are all materials designed for use by students and their teachers as learning resources to help students to acquire facts, skills, and/or to develop cognitive processes. These instructional materials, used to help students meet state learning standards, may be printed or digital, and may include textbooks, technology-based materials, other educational media, and assessments.
 

Types of Instructional Materials

Five types of instructional materials are defined in the In the Washington State School Directors’ Association model Course Design, Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials policy.

• Core Instructional Materials are the primary instructional resources for a given course. They are district-approved and provided to all students to help meet learning standards and provide instruction towards course requirements.

• Alternative Core Materials are the primary instructional materials for a given course that are used with a subset of students. These materials are intended to replace approved core materials and may be used for specialized course offerings or flexible learning environments.

• Intervention Materials are designed to support strategic or intensive intervention for students who are at risk of not meeting established learning standards. Intervention materials are used with students to accelerate progress toward particular learning goals based on systematic assessment, decision-making, and progress monitoring.

• Supplemental Materials are used in conjunction with the core instructional materials of a course. These items extend and support instruction. They include, but are not limited to, books, periodicals, visual aids, video, sound recordings, computer software and other digital content.

• Temporary Supplemental Materials are those items used in conjunction with the core instructional materials of a course that are of interest or value for a short period of time and are chosen within district-established guidelines. They are not intended to supplant the adopted curriculum nor be used on a regular instructional basis. Examples might include timely articles from relevant, reliable sources, websites, or news broadcasts. The use of temporary supplemental materials for time periods of over one year requires consideration of the material as either part of the core instructional material for a course or supplemental material for the course depending on the nature and scope of the material.

Course Design & Instructional Materials Toolkit

OSPI’s Course Design and Instructional Materials Selection and Adoption Toolkit models a cyclical strategy for the regular review of courses based on district needs and provides links to state policies, guiding questions, useful resources, and district examples, that will help define best practices for considering instructional materials.

• Download Course Design & Instructional Materials Toolkit

The two appendices below have much of the same content as the Course Design and Instructional Materials Selection and Adoption guidance document. Some items have been eliminated and some added in order to reflect the case of a known district instructional materials adoption of core mathematics or English language arts instructional materials.

• Appendix A: Mathematics Core Instructional Materials Adoption
• Appendix B: English Language Arts Core Instructional Materials Adoption

Recommended Review Instruments & Resources

Review information to help winnow down selections when considering instructional materials and review rubrics for both core and supplemental instructional materials.

Existing Reviews from Trusted Sources

• Independent Reviews of Instructional Materials by Educators | EdReports 
• Curricular Resources and Annotated Reviews | Louisiana Department of Education

Review Instruments

• Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool (IMET) | Student Achievement Partners
  Full–course review of mathematics or ELA
• EdReports Evidence Guides and Review Criteria | EdReports
  Full-course review of mathematics, ELA, and science
• Screening for Biased Content in Instructional Materials | OSPI
  Model screening tool to help school districts comply with Washington state nondiscrimination law that requires screening criteria to identify and eliminate bias in all instructional materials as part of any adopted instructional materials policy. (interactive form version)
• Instructional Materials Review - Administration Guiding Questions | OSPI
• Instructional Materials Review - Technology Guiding Questions | OSPI
• EQuIP Rubric for Science | created by Achieve currently housed at NGSS
  Deeper dive into individual lessons and units 
• EQuIP Rubric | created by Achieve currently housed at Student Achievement Partners 
  Deeper dive into individual lessons and units for mathematics and ELA
• Washington Quality Review Rubric for Lessons and Units | OSPI
  Content agnostic – adapt to add specific priorities/best practices
• Washington Quality Review Rubric for Social Studies | OSPI
  Rubric for review of lessons and units - social studies

State & Federal Rules

Relevant Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and Revised Code of Washington (RCW) for that address school instructional materials selection and adoption policies.

State & Federal Rules

• RCW 28A.150.210-Basic education - Goals of school districts
• RCW 28A.150.220-Basic education - Minimal instructional requirements - Rules
• RCW 28A.150.230-District school directors' responsibilities
• RCW 28A.320.170 Tribal history and culture 
• RCW 28A.320.230-Legal requirements for district selection and approval of instructional materials
• RCW 28A.320.233 Student materials—Denial based on protected class prohibited—Complaint procedure
• RCW 28A.320.235 - Supplemental instructional materials—Policies and procedures—Definitions
• RCW 28A.345.130 Model policy and procedure for instructional materials—Diverse and inclusive curricula  (subsection 4 contains school board requirements) +
• RCW 28A.640.020-Regulations, guidelines to eliminate discrimination
• RCW 28A.640.060 Decisions of school materials subject to chapter. (Sexual Equality) *
• RCW 28A.642.100 Decisions of school materials subject to chapter. (Discrimination Prohibition) *
• WAC 392-190.055-Textbooks and instructional materials, elimination of bias

Instructional Materials in Specific Content Areas

Visit the Resources by Subject Area and select the specific content area of interest. Included on these pages are learning standards, tools, professional development opportunities, assessments, important updates, and suggested resources.

OSPI's Special Education Resource Library-Provides information and resources about state and school district responsibilities for providing specialized instructional materials on behalf of students with disabilities.

Online Learning Course & Provider Approval

The Online Learning page contains this information.

Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available teaching and learning materials that can be downloaded, edited, and shared to better serve all students. 

The Washington OER Hub is an online library of K–12 open educational resources created by and curated for Washington educators. Resources include unit or robust lesson-level supplemental instructional materials, educator guidance documents, and professional learning materials.

Welcome to the Washington OER Hub (video) 

The Open Educational Resources page contains more information.