This document discusses the importance of aligning instructional materials, including textbooks and open educational resources (OERs), with state learning standards to ensure student preparedness. While most states have processes for approving copyrighted textbooks, few have defined or established policies for OERs. The document recommends that state boards of education create definitions for OERs, investigate alignment of existing materials, convene experts to review materials, and work with legislatures to update policies in order to improve the selection and use of high-quality, standards-aligned instructional materials.

1. National Association of State Boards of Education
Vol. 21, No. 3
November 2014
The two leading influences on
student learning in the classroom
are interactions with teachers and
peers and use of instructional
materials.1
Although there is a vast
amount of hands-on and digital
material available for teachers’
use, much of it does not align
with learning standards. Under
a standards-based leadership
framework, students are less
likely to be prepared for college,
careers, and civic life if they lack
standards-aligned materials.
Instructional materials include the textbooks
that schools or districts purchase and also
Materials in a Standards-Based
Learning System
By Jordan Koch
teachers, or both.” However, states that
are unaware of what textbooks districts and
schools use will find it difficult to assess
the quality of the materials, much less align
them to learning standards. Florida is the
only state that tracks and displays the mate-
rials districts and schools use.4
OPEN EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES
Only eight states have established definitions
for open resources, although many have a
definition of instructional materials consist
of. The State Educational Technology Direc-
tors Association (SETDA) lists three general
definitions, including their own, that may
help SBEs frame their own:5
• “teaching and learning materials licensed
in such a way that they are free and may be
used, reused, remixed, and otherwise cus-
tomized to meet specific needs” (SETDA);
• “teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain
or have been released under an intellectual
property license that permits their free use
and repurposing by others” (William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation);
• “any type of educational materials that
are in the public domain or introduced with
an open license. It means that anyone can
legally and freely copy, use, adapt, and
reshare them.” (UNESCO)
A limited understanding of what OERs are
and what constitutes quality materials
hinders states from creating definitions or
databases of materials, let alone policies
(see map).6
The Utah State Office of Educa-
tion developed a definition and policy, but
its state board does not have authority over
OERs. New York and Illinois, for example,
have no policies but created OER reposito-
ries. Producing a standards-aligned instruc-
tional materials database takes collaboration
among standards, curriculum, and technolo-
gy experts.
Although most states have no OER policies,
many have begun to show interest or have
open educational resources (OERs), which
are comprised of teacher-created materials,
videos, lesson plans, and even full courses.
For both copyrighted material and OERs,
misalignment to state learning standards is
a problem. For example, out of 20 state-ap-
proved K-8 math series textbooks that
EdReports analyzed, only 3 were aligned to
Common Core State Standards (CCSS).2
COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS
State boards of education (SBEs) have vary-
ing levels of authority for textbook adoption,
but each state has its own adoption policy.
Textbooks are either selected at the state
level by the state board or state education
agency or by local education agencies
(LEAs). At the state level, 18 state boards
have authority over policies
(see map).3
Georgia, for
example, adopts materials at
both state and local levels.
Georgia’s state board selects a
committee to provide rec-
ommendations for full board
approval. School districts,
schools, or teachers can also
request that a textbook be
added to the state’s list.
While instructional materials
are not synonymous with
curriculum, some educators use
textbooks as if they were, com-
pounding the problem of mis-
alignment with state learning
standards and making student
mastery even less likely.
Standards-aligned textbooks
increase mastery by “reducing
the variability in performance
across teachers, raising the
overall performance level
of the entire distribution of
Materials Must Align with Standards for
Learning
Vol. 23, No. 8
March 2016
EXPECTATIONS
CURRICULUM
INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS
MEASURES OF
EFFECTIVENESS
ACCOUNTABILITY
SYSTEM
LEARNING
STANDARDS
LEARNING
PROFESSIONAL
SOURCE: NASBE’S CENTER FOR COLLEGE, CAREER, AND CIVIC READINESS

2. launched statewide initiatives. Out of 44
state chiefs surveyed in 2014, 36 want to
learn more about OER initiatives they might
implement in their state.7
This past Febru-
ary, 13 states pledged participation in the
US Department of Education’s #GoOpen
initiative, which promotes the transition from
copyrighted materials to open resources.8
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Although copyrighted materials and OERs
share the misalignment problem, state
boards will tackle the two differently.
Textbooks. SBEs with policy authority
can make sure that instructional materials
align to state learning standards and that a
strong vetting process is in place. Requiring
publishers to submit a formal proposal outlin-
ing alignment to state standards is one option.
If LEAs have adoption authority, then the SBE
can collect data by questioning districts about
what textbooks they use and their selection
process. All SBEs can also convene school
board members, superintendents, principals,
and teachers to discuss vetting processes and
how they can be improved.
Open Educational Resources.
SBEs can investigate whether OERs fall into
the existing state definition of instructional
materials. If that definition is due for an
update, an SBE could consider extending it
to include OERs or consider updating policy.
However, because state policy is different
from legislature-created state code, in these
instances it may be necessary for SBEs to
work with legislatures to create a common
definition for OERs. As with textbooks, SBEs
may question whether the current state,
district, and local material vetting process
will suffice to ensure OER quality and align-
ment to state learning standards. If the state
wants to create an OER repository, it can
convene specialists to begin a conversation.
STATE EXAMPLES
In Louisiana, districts select instructional
materials, but the state found that districts
lacked guidance on what constituted effec-
tive materials and that less than 20 percent
of districts were using standards-aligned
resources. Subsequently, the SEA reviewed
all copyrighted instructional materials and
rated them in three tiers, from exemplary to
failing to meet criteria. The reviews are post-
ed on the SEA’s website. Now 75 percent of
districts use fully aligned materials.10
In 2012, the Washington state legislature
passed a law to create and fund a CCSS-
aligned open course library. The state
projects $6 million in savings from the use
of OER textbooks. In mandatory reviews of
4 full-course mathematics curricula and 60
English language arts units, the state’s SEA
found many were align to CCSS.9
CONCLUSION
As part of a system of coherent education
policies, copyrighted materials and OERs
form an essential part of strategic planning
and decision making. By enacting policy,
convening, and questioning, state boards of
education can use their powers of enacting
policy, questioning, or convening to bring
materials into alignment.
Jordan Koch is an intern for NASBE’s Center for
College, Career, and Civic Readiness.
RESOURCES
EdReports, http://www.edreports.org/
Achieve, EQuIP and OER rubrics, http://www.achieve.org/
EQuIP and http://www.achieve.org/oer-rubrics
State Instructional Materials Review Association, http://
simra.us/wp/
NOTES
1. Mattew Chingos and Grover Whitehurst, Choosing
Blindly: Instructional Materials, Teacher Effectiveness, and
the Common Core (Washington, DC: Brown Center on
Education Policy at Brookings, 2012).
2. Liana Heitin, “Most Math Curricula Found to Be out
of Sync with Common Core,” Education Week (March 4,
2015).
3. Education Commission of the States, “K-12 State
Textbook Adoption,” (Denver, CO, 2013), http://ecs.org/
clearinghouse/01/09/23/10923.pdf.
4. Chingos and Whitehurst, Choosing Blindly.
5. State Educational Technology Directors Association,
“What Is OER?” accessed February 24, 2016, http://
oerstudies.setda.org/background/oer-definitions/.
6. Achieve, “State Support for Open Educational Resources:
Key Findings from Achieve’s OER Institute,” (Washington,
DC, 2013), http://bit.ly/1d4I8b7.
7. Council of Chief State School Officers, State of the
States: OER in K-12 Education (Washington, DC: CCSSO,
November 2014).
8. US Department of Education, “U.S. Department of
Education Launches Campaign to Encourage Schools to
#GoOpen with Educational Resources” (Washington, DC,
2015), http://1.usa.gov/1KIVgm1.
9. TJ Bliss and Susan Patrick, OER State Policy in K-12
Education: Benefits, Strategies, and Recommendations for
Open Access, Open Sharing (Vienna, VA: iNACOL, 2013).
10. Rebecca Kockler, “Louisiana Department of Education,”
presentation, CCSS Partner Call, February 24, 2016, on
Curricular Resources Annotated Reviews, lousianabelieves.
com, accessed March 2, 2016, http://bit.ly/1SuvoTU.
POLICY UPDATES are developed and produced at the National Association of State Boards of Education, 333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 530,
Alexandria, VA 22314 •703.684.4000 • www.nasbe.org. Kristen Amundson, Executive Director. Valerie Norville, Editorial Director. All rights reserved.
The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to
strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education
of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.
NASBE
States with Standards and Definitions for Instructional Materials
State board has no authority over textbooks.
State board has authority over textbooks.
State board has a policy on OERs.
State board has a definition of OERs.
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