Today, Knowledge Matters launched the new High School Review Tool, which defines the core features and specific criteria for evidence-based, knowledge-building English curriculum for grades 9–12.
“High-quality, content-rich curriculum and instruction are essential for students of all ages—and especially for teenagers preparing for college, career, and civic life,” said Dr. Kristen McQuillan, executive director of Knowledge Matters. “Starting in 9th grade, students are expected to read and produce increasingly sophisticated texts in English, history, and other subjects. Yet too many students begin high school with a range of reading difficulties. Our High School Review Tool can help educators, states, and publishers ensure English curricula continue to build students’ fluency and mastery of decoding alongside a broad and growing body of knowledge, vocabulary, and conceptual understanding.”
The High School Review Tool sets forth 26 criteria to determine the degree to which an English curriculum deploys proven literacy accelerators and develops students’ knowledge. It is organized into eight dimensions, which include a curriculum’s alignment to the science of reading, volume of knowledge-rich reading and writing opportunities, communal close reads and discussions grounded in challenging texts, targeted supports to grant equitable access to grade-level content, and ease of implementation.
The tool is modeled after the Knowledge Matters Review Tool for English language arts curricula in grades K–8, which has an audience of more than 20,000 unique viewers since its release in 2023. The organization’s History Matters Review Tool takes a similar approach to establish a vision for high-quality, knowledge-rich history instruction in the elementary grades. The new High School Review Tool was field-tested and refined based on a review of the Novel High School ELA (9–12) curriculum.
“A strong high school English curriculum builds upon students’ stores of knowledge through sustained engagement with content-rich topics drawn from history, science, the arts, and literature—because a rich knowledge base is what makes complex texts comprehensible and literary analysis meaningful,” McQuillan said. “As more publishers and educators look for ways to evaluate curricular quality with precision, our Review Tools offer a rigorous, transparent framework for doing exactly that.”
About Knowledge Matters
Knowledge Matters champions the role of student knowledge in the sciences of reading and learning. We grow national awareness and support educators’ transition to high-quality, knowledge-building instruction, including through the Knowledge Matters Campaign’s School Tour, Curriculum Review Tools, and Curriculum Matters Professional Learning Network. Through Knowledge Matters Solutions, we build sustainable, evidence-based practices that enhance teacher expertise and accelerate literacy and learning. Our work is grounded in over 30 years of field-leading expertise by StandardsWork, the parent organization of Knowledge Matters. For more, see www.knowledgematters.org