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A Guide to Evaluating Your District’s ELA Purchases

April 18, 2025
Pillar: Science of Reading

A Guide to Evaluating Your District's ELA Purchases

Evaluate your district’s ELA purchases with a strategic framework focused on instructional quality and long-term value. This guide outlines the criteria needed to align materials with the science of reading, ensuring that your investment effectively closes literacy gaps across K–12 classrooms.

Evaluation Pillars

Content-Rich Instruction

Build background knowledge and literacy skills hand-in-hand.

Accessibility & Support

Grow all learners through differentiation and scaffolded texts.

Skill-Building Practice

Pair priority skills with engaging, relevant content for students.

Strategic Advantages

  • Evaluate materials for standards alignment, rigor, and diverse perspectives.
  • Assess instructional flexibility to ensure content is accessible for every student, regardless of reading level.
  • Consider teacher usability by identifying resources that reduce the burden of creating manual scaffolds.
  • Identify gaps in background knowledge-building and skill progression.
  • Make confident decisions based on evidence-backed criteria and the science of reading.

Designed for: District curriculum and instruction leaders, ELA supervisors, and school administrators involved in ELA purchasing decisions.

All ResourcesGuides

A Guide to Evaluating Your District’s ELA Purchases

ELA evaluation guide
Pillar: Science of Reading

A Guide to Evaluating Your District's ELA Purchases

Evaluate your district’s ELA purchases with a strategic framework focused on instructional quality and long-term value. This guide outlines the criteria needed to align materials with the science of reading, ensuring that your investment effectively closes literacy gaps across K–12 classrooms.

Evaluation Pillars

Content-Rich Instruction

Build background knowledge and literacy skills hand-in-hand.

Accessibility & Support

Grow all learners through differentiation and scaffolded texts.

Skill-Building Practice

Pair priority skills with engaging, relevant content for students.

Strategic Advantages

  • Evaluate materials for standards alignment, rigor, and diverse perspectives.
  • Assess instructional flexibility to ensure content is accessible for every student, regardless of reading level.
  • Consider teacher usability by identifying resources that reduce the burden of creating manual scaffolds.
  • Identify gaps in background knowledge-building and skill progression.
  • Make confident decisions based on evidence-backed criteria and the science of reading.

Designed for: District curriculum and instruction leaders, ELA supervisors, and school administrators involved in ELA purchasing decisions.

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