8th Grade - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

The materials for Grade 8 contain four units containing between 17-21 activities. The units are “The Challenges of Heroism,” “The Challenge of Utopia,” “The Challenge to Make a Difference,” and “The Challenge of Comedy.” Each unit has several suggested Instructional Pathways for teachers to consider in personalizing instruction to meet the needs of all students. The Instructional Pathways include English Language Arts Pathway, Language Development Pathway, and Flexible Pathway, which includes Close Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and Flexible Novel Units. Lessons are designed for a 50-minute time frame. The instructional activities are designed to follow the same lesson structure of “Plan, Teach, Assess, Adapt.” In several units, students are engaging with the concepts multiple times from initially using models for instruction to finally completing tasks independently.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Teacher Edition Features section, teachers are provided with several Instructional Pathways offerings depending on students’ needs. For example, one possible Instructional Pathway integrates “digital assessments, Language Workshops, Close Reading Workshops, and Writing Workshops” into a 35-38 day unit for a 50-minute instructional period.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, students learn about utopian and dystopian societies. Then, in Activities 2.4 through 2.9, they read either The Giver by Lois Lowry or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The purposes of reading these novels are as follows: to examine the strategies the authors use to develop a dystopian society, learn about the hero’s journey archetype, and in Activity 2.9, use the information learned to write an informational essay about dystopian societies or the hero’s journey archetype.
• In Unit 3, Activities 3.2, 3.3, and 3.5 students examine the theme of finding hope in desperate times through a visual prompt, poetry, and novel excerpts. Then, in Activities 3.9, 3.10, 3.15, and 3.18, they study visual and auditory media, namely Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni, The Diary of Anne Frank, a podcast on “Antisemitism Voices” and/or audio and video public service announcements. Finally, in Embedded Assessment 1, after close reading and discussion, students engage in a panel discussion about the theme of finding hope amongst desperation in literature focusing on the Holocaust.
• In Unit 4, the Instructional Pathways section specifies to allot 45-48 class periods (50 minutes) for the unit. A table is provided for each activity which indicates the number of class periods needed to complete the activity. Embedded Assessment 2 indicates three class periods are needed. This is an appropriate pacing for students to “Work collaboratively to prepare and present a scene” from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as students have worked with this piece in several prior activities. Students are guided through the steps of Planning, Analyzing, Preparing, Rehearsing, Evaluating, and Performing the play. There is also a short reflection following the performance.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The suggested amount of time and expectations for teachers and students of the materials are viable for one school year as written and do not require significant modifications. Instructional Pathways are provided for each unit which include a core English Language Arts Pathway, a Language Development Pathway, and Flexible Pathways. The four English Language Arts units total 151.5-164.5 days of instruction for class periods of 50 minutes. This allows teachers the flexibility to utilize the supplemental lessons that are available for Close Reading, Language Workshops, Foundational Skills Workshops, and Writing Workshops where needed. A balance of time is spent on activities and assessments to allow for maximum student understanding. In the Teacher Wrap, there are specific time recommendations for each part of the activity. Each of the four units contain 17-21 activities and two Embedded Assessments, thus allowing a teacher to complete an activity in a 50 minute class period. Considering all the resources a teacher could reasonably complete the main activities and complete several of the additional workshops in a school year.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Instructional Pathways, English Language Arts Pathway, a total of 36-40 days are suggested for the unit. Thirty-two days are suggested for the 19 activities and two Language Checkpoints, and six days are suggested for the Embedded Assessments 1 and 2. For the Language Development Pathway, Language Development Workshops are suggested in addition to or in place of activities for a total of 36-57 suggested days. Suggested Close Reading, Foundational Skills, and Writing Workshops are also listed and detailed pacing information is provided for each.
• In Unit 4, in the Instructional Pathways section, there are several possible activity configurations SpringBoard recommends. The first recommendations include 45-48 days of instruction that include twenty-one activities from the main Language Arts program, one language checkpoint from the Language Workbook, and two Embedded Assessments. Another recommended Instruction Pathway for students who need extra language support includes a total of 45-60 days of instruction that include twenty-one activities from the main Language Arts program, eleven activities from the Language Workshop, a language checkpoint and two Embedded Assessments.
• In Language Workshop Activity 3, students are working on academic vocabulary. The Teacher Wrap section for Activity 3 states that the lesson will take one 50-minute class period.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

The Grade 8 materials from the English Language Arts program and the additional Workshop resources have an instructional sequence that allows teachers and/or students to practice skills with ample opportunities for scaffolding as the activities progress. Each unit and workshop are designed with the end in mind and sequenced with activities and Embedded Assessments. They follow the “Plan-Teach-Assess-Adapt” phases in order to provide teachers opportunities to measure student progress and provide differentiated instruction as needed. Every unit begins by “Previewing the Unit” where students engage in exploring the Learning Targets, Making Connections, Essential Questions, and Developing Vocabulary. Every unit ends with an Embedded Assessment and reflection. All illustrations, photographs, diagrams, and other visual representations are correctly labeled.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Activity 1.1, students begin by reading the Learning Targets in student-friendly language. Then students preview the lesson in which they “...explore the concepts of utopia and dystopia and unpack the first Embedded Assessment for the unit.” In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are given instructions to conduct a Think-Write-Pair-Share with the Essential Questions. Then students engage in vocabulary by using the QHT strategy (Q-Do not know, H-Have heard of, T-Know well enough to teach) with academic vocabulary. Finally, they annotate the assessment, paraphrase, and read the Independent Read link information. In the Teacher Wrap section, suggestions for additional support are provided, if needed.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.9, students watch four clips from the film Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni. Before viewing the clips, students are provided with the Learning Targets, Preview, and About the Film sections to provide context about the film. A still photo from the film accompanies the About the Film section. Students answer several questions about prior content, the information in the About the Film section, and the film clips. They also engage in discussions with given prompts. A detailed graphic organizer is provided for students to complete for each of the four film clips noting the characters, setting, and mood of each clip. Students use these understandings to draft an informational text which “describes some of the ways Holocaust victims found hope in the dark reality of their lives.” A labeled photo of Roberto Benigni accompanies the prompt.
• In Unit 4, students complete 11 activities before they complete the Embedded Assessment. In the activities, they complete a study of comedy in different forms such as hyperbole, anecdote, and satire. Finally, the students write an essay to “explain how an author creates humor for effect and uses it to communicate a universal truth.”
• In the Language Workshop, Activity 3, students are instructed on academic vocabulary, sentence fragments, and complete sentences. With teacher assistance, students engage in vocabulary by using the QHT strategy with academic vocabulary. Then they work with a partner to write their own definition of each word. Next, the teacher instructs the class on complete sentences and fragments. Students practice discerning complete sentences from fragments in the final activity.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Alignment documentation is provided for each unit, activity, and assessment within the Teacher Wrap. The Scope and Sequence documents and the Grade 6-12 English Language Arts Standards Correlations documents are provided in the Teacher Resources. In every activity (in the English Language Arts program and the workshops), CCSS are listed for the teacher, and for the student in a student-friendly format. Assessments are correlated to CCSS through rubrics or metadata information. Metadata information includes the difficulty level of the question, DOK (Depth of Knowledge), Bloom's Taxonomy level, and the Common Core Standard associated with that assessment.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Activity 2.6, students are provided with the Learning Target “Participate collaboratively with this topic in a Socratic Seminar.” The Teacher Wrap displays “SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.”
• In the SpringBoard digital platform, there are assessments including quizzes that align to CCSS. For each question, there is metadata available that provides the difficulty level of the question, DOK, Bloom's Taxonomy level, and the Common Core Standard associated with that assessment. For example, in Unit 2, Activity 2.9 Quiz — Digital, the first question is considered medium difficulty, a D3-Thinking/Reasoning, B2-Understand, and CCSS RL.8.2.
• In the Scope and Sequence document, every activity is listed for the English Language Arts program with the focus standards and additional standards addressed in the activity. For example, in Unit 3, Activity 3.10, the focus standard provided is RL.8.3, and the additional standards addressed are L.8.2b and RL.8.2.
• The 6-12 ELA Standards Correlations document states that Language Standard 8.4 can be found in the ELA book for the following questions and steps of activities: Unit 1, page 4, Developing Vocabulary; Unit 1, page 27, Setting a Purpose for Reading, bullet 2; Unit 1, page 71, Developing Vocabulary; Unit 3, page 245, Understanding Euphemism; and Unit 4, page 392, Returning to the Text, Question 5. Links are also provided that lead directly to the page within the materials.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher's edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The materials include annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Teacher Wrap. The Teacher Wrap has several sections which aid teachers in presenting content, including Teacher to Teacher and Plan-Teach-Assess-Adapt. The annotations are accurate, understandable, and give teachers assistance with presenting content. SpringBoard Digital offers embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.5, Focus on the Sentence, students revise fragments to make complete sentences. In the Teacher Wrap, Teach section, teachers receive the following suggestion to present the content: “The Focus on the Sentence task provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate learning from the activity. It also gives students practice with writing thoughtful and complete sentences. Model the task by completing the first example in a think aloud. Write your complete sentence on the board and emphasize the use of correct capitalization and punctuation. Then have students write complete sentences with the remaining two fragments. If time allows, have a few volunteers share the sentences with the class.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, students read an excerpt from the novel Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz. In the Teacher Wrap, Teach section, teachers receive detailed guidance on presenting content, including instructions on conducting the first read, scaffolding text dependent questions, and vocabulary development. For example, the Teacher Wrap directions state: “During or after reading the text for the first time, guide the class in a discussion about the setting and how it relates to the characters. Ask the Making Observations questions and evaluate students' initial understanding of the historical novel. Have them pair-share their responses to the questions in the final bullet point, and assess whether they effectively monitored their own comprehension, noted when their understanding broke down, and made appropriate adjustments.”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.6, students engage in Literature Circles. In the Teacher Wrap, Teacher to Teacher section, teachers receive the following instructional recommendations: “You may want to have Literature Circle groups work together to gather and define Holocaust-related vocabulary from their texts.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.10, students study puns through analyzing “Is Traffic Jam Delectable?” by Jack Prelutsky. In the Teacher Wrap, Teach section, teachers receive the following guidance: “Vocabulary Development: Refer students to the Literary Vocabulary box and have them read the definition of a pun. Return to the title of the poem and the illustration alongside the poem and point out that this is an example of a pun and that students must read closely to identify and explain more puns.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher's edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The Grade 8 SpringBoard materials include a Teacher Edition introduction, Teacher Wrap section for each activity, and a resource list at the end. These materials support teachers as they plan, teach, and assess. The introduction gives teachers an overview of the features and purpose for each activity. The Teacher Wrap provides parallel support for teachers as students engage in the activities, including, but not limited to, explaining the standards, giving teachers guidance on specific parts of the text on which to focus, and providing ideas and recommendations for support. The resources section provides teachers with more support including a list of the different strategies used in the activities. The teachers receive a definition of the strategy, as well as its purpose. These materials in tandem provide teachers with the knowledge and explanation to support all students.

Some examples are as follows:

• The Teacher Edition Introduction provides teachers with an overview of all the features available for them. This introduction includes, but is not limited to, Instructional Pathways that guide teachers in different Activities to include based on student needs, and Leveled Differentiated Instruction which provides teachers with the verbiage to support students of various needs. All of these features are further explained in the Teacher Wrap section which is a parallel feature for each activity in the unit. For example, in Unit 2, Activity 2.3, the learning targets are written in student-friendly language, while the Teacher Wrap has the College and Career Readiness Standards. In the same activity, students examine the concept of utopia and dystopia. In the Teacher Wrap, the teacher is instructed to come to a consensus of a list of values that every society would consider utopian. This “...will help set the context for the short story students will be reading.”
• A list of resources for the teacher including an Independent Reading Log, a list of Reading Strategies, a Graphic Organizer Directory, and a Glossary is included at the end of the Teacher Edition and is also listed in the Teacher Wrap. In the Reading Strategy section, the materials list all of the strategies including reading, writing, and speaking that students will use and then give the definition and the purpose of each strategy. For example, in Unit 3, Activity 3.8, students use the learning strategy “Adding.” In the Resources: Reading Strategies section for “Adding,” the materials define the strategy as “Making conscious choices to enhance a text by adding additional words, phrases, or ideas,” and list its purpose as “To refine and clarify the writer’s thoughts during revision and/or drafting.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher's edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

The Grade 8 materials provide explanations for the role of the course content in the overall materials in the Scope & Sequence Document, Introduction to SpringBoard English Language Arts, Planning the Unit, and the Teacher Wrap. Detailed standards information is provided for each activity, assessment, writing prompts and for many individual text-dependent questions. Additionally, the Introduction to SpringBoard English Language Arts provides connections across multiple grade levels through Advanced Placement (AP) and SAT Connections. The Grade 6–12 Standards Correlations document also traces how each standard is represented throughout the sequence of courses from Grade 6 to Grade 12.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Introduction to SpringBoard English Language Arts, the materials state, “SpringBoard offers core instructional materials in print and digital form that are aligned to College and Career Readiness Standards, Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, and the SAT Suite of Assessments.” Furthermore the materials note, “SpringBoard English Language Arts focuses on the same essential knowledge and skills that are the center of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing sections of the SAT Suite of Assessments.”
• In the Planning the Unit section before each unit, a detailed list of AP and SAT Connections is provided. This list helps to contextualize the role of the standards across multiple grade levels. For example, in Unit 2, some of the AP Connections provided are as follows: “In this unit, students will focus on refining these important skills and knowledge areas for AP/College Readiness: Using strategies of close reading and making careful observations of textual detail (Activities 3.4, 3.5, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.15, 3.19), Writing for a variety of purposes (Activities 3.5, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.15)....”
• In each activity, the Teacher Wrap specifies both Focus Standards and Additional Standards covered. Standards are also specified for Scaffolding Text Dependent Questions and writing prompts embedded within the materials. This helps contextualize the standards within each activity. In Unit 4, Activity 4.4, the Additional Standards listed are as follows: “RI.8.1, RI.8.2, L.8.1a”.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

Explanations of both the instructional approaches used within the text, as well as the research-based strategies incorporated, are located in the Teacher Edition. From these explanations, it is clear that the SpringBoard English Language Arts curriculum has considered not only the ways to evaluate students but also the necessary skills that students need to build in order to be successful. The instructional design rationale is based on research-based strategies by leaders in the field of education.

Some examples are as follows:

• In the Teacher Edition, on page xxi under Assessments, it states that the units are built to provide effective scaffolding for students as they prepare to complete the Embedded Assessments. In addition, teachers may assign short quizzes throughout the unit and longer assessments that mirror the types of questions students will be required to answer on other standardized tests like the SAT. On this same page, the research-based strategy is described as assessment for learning.
• In the Teacher Edition, on page xvii, it states that this curriculum uses The Writing Revolution’s method, which is a part of the Hochman Method, to teach the foundational elements of writing. Specifically, the SpringBoard English Language Arts curriculum uses the Focus on the Sentence tasks to blend grammar with reading.
• In the Teacher Edition, Closing Pages, the Learning Strategies Charts include the name of the learning strategy, the definition of the strategy, and the purpose of the strategy. For example, on page 467, the Jigsaw strategy is listed in the chart. The definition provided is as follows: “In groups, students read different texts or passages of the single text, then share and exchange information from their reading with another group. They then return to their original groups to share their new knowledge.”
• In the Teacher Edition, in the Introduction: Teacher Edition Features section, the materials note that “SpringBoard uses the widely respected Wiggins and McTighe Understanding by Design model. The program back maps from a defined set of essential skills and knowledge that is shown to propel students on their path to college and career.”
• In the Teacher Edition, in the Introduction: Teacher Edition Features section, the program’s authors explain that the “SpringBoard’s lesson design also takes into account the work of the American Institutes of Research in its focus on students moving through multiple levels of cognitive engagement.” The lesson design also pulls in the research of Charlotte Danielson’s research on teaching instruction, Marzano and Pickering’s research on academic vocabulary development, and Robyn Jackson’s research on active instruction.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The Grade 8 SpringBoard units build to Embedded Assessments that direct the instructional pathway and give teachers a clear destination. Each task leading up to the Embedded Assessments provides teachers with a multitude of ways to measure students’ progress towards mastery of the standards required for the Embedded Assessment. Students are assessed in multiple ways including speaking, listening, reading, writing, and language tasks. These activity assessments include anecdotal evidence from the teacher for monitoring discussion and task completion, text-dependent questions, Check for Understanding tasks, Focus on the Sentence tasks, completion of graphic organizers, and completion of writing prompts. Each assessment is designed to prepare students for upcoming lessons and assessments since the SpringBoard materials are designed with the “end in mind” and are based on what students will need to be college and career ready and successful in their next grade level.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.3, teachers assess students’ language skills in the Focus on the Sentence section. Students have discussed sentence fragments, so in this section, they must decide if a group of words represents a fragment or a complete sentence. In the Teacher Wrap, Assess section, the materials provide the following suggestions to check for student understanding: “Review students' responses to the Focus on the Sentence task. Make sure they have completed the sentence fragments with details about the Hero's Journey archetype.”
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 2, students write an argumentative essay to “...convince an audience to support your claim about a debatable idea.” This assessment is graded using a standards-aligned rubric to measure the students’ development of ideas, structure, and use of language. In Activity 2.11, students read and analyze an argumentative essay to learn about the parts of an argumentative essay such as claim. evidence and counterclaims. In Activity 2.15 students learn about the research model and conduct research on self-driving cars. Then in the Check for Understanding, students write a research question and find three reliable sources that could be used to answer the research question. This assessment is graded using a standards-aligned rubric to measure the students’ development of ideas, structure, and use of language.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.9, students learn about the element of hyperbole. In the lesson, there are multiple points for assessing students' understanding. The teacher gives direct instruction at the beginning of the activity. Then when reading “Mooses” by Ted Hughes, the students annotate for alliteration and hyperbole. The teacher monitors and supports students as needed. Later the students go back to the previous text and find examples of hyperbole using a graphic organizer. In the Teacher Wrap, Assess section, teachers utilize the following suggestions to check student understanding: “Assess students' understanding of hyperbole by reviewing the examples they recorded in the graphic organizer for the Working from the Text task.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The materials include both formative and summative assessments, including end of unit assessments, embedded assessments, and activity quizzes. Standards are clearly denoted for each assessment. The standards are divided into Focus Standards—those that are emphasized and are always included—and Additional Standards when applicable. Assessments include a list of correlated standards and standards for individual items are located in the Assessments tab. Other locations of standards include the following: on the actual Assessment (End of Unit Assessments and Activity Quizzes) and in the Teacher Wrap (for Embedded Assessments).

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, End of Unit Assessment, Part 1 denotes 15 different standards being assessed. The materials list standards RL 8.1 and 8.2 for Question 2, a Part A/Part B question. The assessment item includes links to the full text of the associated standards.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.7, students answer three questions aligned to standards W.8.8, SL 8.1b, and SL 8.4 during an Activity Quiz. The Activity Quiz includes a link to the full text of the standard.
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 1, students write an informative essay and participate in a collaborative discussion. The Teacher Wrap lists the Focus Standards as W.8.2 and W.8.3. The Additional Standards listed are RL.8.2, W.8.2d, W.8.9, and L.8.1.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.10, students explore comedic wordplay. The Focus Standards, which are RL.8.4, L.8.5a, and W.8.4, are listed along with their associated full text. Two Additional Standards, RL.8.2 and L.8.1a, are listed without their associated full text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The materials include routines to monitor student progress. Questions after reading, activity quizzes, and discussion questions all offer teachers the opportunity to gauge student progress throughout each unit. These monitoring suggestions are provided in the Teacher Wrap.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.5, students read the poem “Ithaka” by Constantine P. Cavafy. The Teacher Wrap includes guidance after the First Read. The suggestions are as follows: “Before reading the text for the second time, guide the class in a brief discussion by asking the Making Observations questions. Evaluate students' comprehension of the text based on their observations, and ask follow-up questions or prompt them to reread sections of the poem if needed.” While students answer the Returning to the Text questions, teachers “Move from group to group and listen in as students answer the text-dependent questions. If they have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts. See the Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Questions boxes for suggestions.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.15, students work on the essay for Embedded Assessment 1. In the Assess section of the Teacher Wrap, guidance prompts teachers to “Review students' responses to the Check Your Understanding task to ensure that they have generated a quality research question and found three credible sources. Make sure that they have shown that they can find, select, and evaluate appropriate sources. Use students' responses to the writing prompt to ensure they understand the author's claim. Confirm that they can provide an accurate restatement of the author's argument in their own words and list specific details from the article. Have students include their own commentary on whether they were persuaded by the author's argument.”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.14, students read an excerpt from a memoir by Elie Wiesel and a poem by Martin Niemoller and compare thematic development across genres. In the Teacher Wrap section, the materials provide the following teacher guidance to ensure students are progressing toward the goals: “Review students' responses to the Focus on the Sentence task. Look for evidence that students understand how the texts differ and how they are the same. Make sure students have included coherent statements that compare and contrast the structure, language, and/or theme of the texts.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.13, students read an excerpt from the novel Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman and answer text-specific questions after reading. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers receive guidance to monitor student progress. The suggestions are as follows: “Move from group to group and listen in as students answer the text-dependent questions. If they have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts. See the Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Question boxes for suggestions.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials include strategies to meet the needs of all learners in meeting the grade-level standards. In the Planning the Unit section, the materials provide multiple Pathways to incorporate the core ELA activities with additional Foundational Skills, Language, Close Reading, and Writing Workshops to support the needs of a range of learners. The Planning the Unit section also includes an Independent Reading List to provide options for independent reading based on topic, student choice, and text complexity The Teacher Wrap includes strategies for scaffolding activities in the Scaffolding Text-Dependent Questions, Leveled Differentiated Instruction, and Adapt sections. Additionally, the Teacher Wrap provides specific guidance on how to adjust tasks to meet students on the following levels—Developing, Expanding, Bridging, Support, and Extend.

Some examples are as follows:

• In the Planning the Unit section, there is a Spanish cognates list for every unit to support ELL students whose first language is Spanish. For example in Unit 2, the list includes, but is not limited to Socratic/Socratico and antagonist/antagonista.
• In the Planning the Unit section, there are a few customized pathways for teachers to follow based on students’ needs. For example, the Language Development Pathway includes additional activities that include the Language Workshop and Foundational Skills Workshop. For example, in Unit 1, the Language Development Pathway includes, but is not limited to, a Language Workshop 1A.1 Genre Focus and the option to complete the Embedded Assessment 1 collaboratively.
• For many Activities, the Teacher Wrap includes a section called Leveled Differentiated Instruction that offers support to the teacher to differentiate a task based on students’ Developing, Expanding, Bridging, Support, or Extend levels. For example, in Unit 3, Activity 3.5, students engage in a task to explain “...how the theme of this story is similar to the theme of Weisel’s excerpt and Niemoller’s poem.” The Developing instructions state, “Have students take turns with a partner asking and answering the following questions to check their writing: Is your writing organized? Did you use a topic sentence? Did you include evidence from the text?...” For Extend, the directions state, “Have students work with a partner to discuss how the themes in the excerpt and the poem are different. Have volunteers share some ideas they generated during discussion.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.5, the Teacher Wrap provides teachers with guidance to ensure all students can successfully address the writing prompt. The Adapt section states, “If students need additional help explaining how Barry uses humor to express universal truths, supply them with a list of possible topics on which Barry is commenting.”
• The Teacher Wrap includes specific prompts to scaffold each activity’s text-based questions. For example, in Unit 4, Activity 4.16, Question 3 asks students “How does the use of apostrophes affect the meaning of the lines in this excerpt?” In the Scaffolding the Text-dependent Questions section of the Teacher Wrap, teacher guidance includes the following verbiage to support students: “Reread line 284. Try reading it out loud first without the apostrophe (in other words, read “Fine, in faith!”) and then with it (“Fine, i’faith!”) What difference do you hear?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade-level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The SpringBoard instructional materials include multiple opportunities and support for English Language Learner (ELL) students. The materials include a Cognate Directory in the Planning the Unit section in order to provide support for students whose first language is Spanish. Teachers have the option to substitute Language Development Pathway units for Instructional Pathway units. While the Language Development Pathway includes many of the activities from the core ELA Pathway, this supplemental support also includes additional embedded language in the form of Language Workshops to support ELLs. Additionally, Foundational Skills Workshops are suggested for small groups of students who need support for and practice with fundamental reading skills. The Leveled Differentiated Instruction section of the Teacher Wrap provides detailed guidance for supporting English Learners at World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) levels—Beginning, Developing, Expanding, Bridging—as well as differentiation for a level called Support. This guidance includes both accommodations and modification of work for students at varying levels where appropriate. Furthermore, in the Teacher Wrap, the Plan-Teach-Assess-Adapt sequence Adapt section provides strategies for students who need additional scaffolding or support. For activities with Returning to the Text questions, a section on Scaffolding Text-Dependent Questions is provided in the Teacher Wrap. This section gives guidance on scaffolding vocabulary or concepts for students for each of the Returning to the Text questions.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Planning the Unit, the materials provide the following guidance: “If your class includes Spanish speakers, consider adding the following cognates to your classroom Word Wall. For English Language Learners whose primary language is not Spanish, consider using an online translator or dictionary to support comprehension of vocabulary terms.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, the Adapt section of the Teacher Wrap includes teacher guidance for students who need support. If students need assistance using direct quotations, the teacher should direct them to read the story again and underline quotations that support the claim. Then, students may rephrase those ideas in their own words.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.8, the Teacher Wrap section suggests the following to provide adaptations for students who have barriers in the learning process: “If students need additional help identifying comic situations in the passage, have them break into pairs and read a selected chunk aloud. Have them record instances where the listener laughs at the text.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

Within each unit, the Teacher Wrap includes suggestions for Leveled Differentiated Instruction. The Extend level provides ways “to stretch students who are ready for a challenge.” The teaching model provided in the Teacher Wrap follows a plan, teach, assess, and adapt structure. There are sometimes suggestions for ways in which teachers can engage their students in a greater challenge, within the Adapt section of the Teacher Wrap. Connections for the SAT and AP program content are provided in the Planning the Unit section. Occasionally, the Suggestions for the Independent Reading List provide suggestions for students who read above grade level. The materials also state that the Flexible Pathways offer opportunities to extend learning, but explicit directions on how to utilize the workshops to provide more advanced opportunities for students above grade level are not provided.

Some examples are as follows:

• In the Introduction to SpringBoard English Language Arts, the materials state, “flexible activities from SpringBoard's Close Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, or Flexible Novel Units that enable teachers to extend, support, or customize instruction.” However, it is unclear in the materials how these Workshops are intended for extending instruction for advanced students as explicit instructions are not provided.
• In the Introduction to SpringBoard English Language Arts, the materials provide an overview of the support offered in the Leveled Differentiated Instruction section of the Teacher Wrap; “The suggestions provide the tools that learners at various levels of language proficiency need to successfully participate in class.” Support is provided for the WIDA levels Beginning, Developing, Bridging, and Expanding, as well as two additional levels labeled Support and Extend. The Extend level is defined as, “Extend suggests ways to stretch students who are ready for a challenge.”
• In Unit 1, Activity 1.7, the Teacher to Teacher section of the Teacher Wrap includes an extension activity for students. The materials state, “To support or extend learning, use alternate translations of the text. Note that though ‘The Odyssey’ is considered an epic poem, it is often (as here) translated into prose. This activity includes a poetic translation of a portion of the text, as well. Audio support could also be provided.”
• In Unit 2, the Leveled Differentiated Instruction in the Teacher Wrap includes Extend activities two times. In Activity 2.3, the Extend suggestion is as follows: “Have students research and write about references to utopia such as Shangri-La, the Garden of Eden, and the Promised Land.” In Activity 2.16, the Level Differentiated Instruction section suggests students use the Round Table Discussion Graphic Organizer to better comprehend the text. The Extend suggestion states, “Have students use the graphic organizer to discuss the author’s purpose. Why might the author have written this article? Who was it written for? Where do you think this article was published and why?”
• In Unit 3, Planning the Unit, Suggestions for Independent Reading, one title of the fifty-five titles included have a Lexile measure that is at or beyond the recommended stretch band for Grade 8.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The Grade 8 SpringBoard materials provide multiple, but strategic collaborative grouping settings in every unit. Students are placed in pairs, triads, small or large group settings to maximize their learning opportunities. For example, there might be discussion before writing, or collaborative work before independent work. The Teacher Wrap gives specific instructions on how to group the students, and materials needed for the task. The Resource section at the end of the textbook lists the Collaborative Strategies included in the materials with the definition and purpose of the strategy.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.8, students work with a partner to fill out a graphic organizer. In the Teacher Wrap, teacher guidance states, “Form pairs and ask students to complete the Working from the Text graphic organizer. Tell students to skim/scan parts of the text before forming a response.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.12, students participate in a debate. The student materials give instructions and sentence starters such as “I agree with your point about…, but it is also important to consider…” for the debate. As students listen to their peers, they complete a note catcher on the use of rhetorical appeals and whether they were effective or not. In the Teacher Wrap, guidance directs teachers on how to set up the class for the debate. “Preparing for and conducting the debate can be accomplished in many ways. Consider assigning pro or con to each half of the class, and then work in small groups to create effective support for the group’s claim…” The task incorporates an additional strategy Four Corners “To provide English Language Learners an opportunity to rehearse their speaking in small groups before debating with the class…”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.5, students work with a group to plan and present a “dramatic interpretation of a passage.” The Teacher to Teacher section of the Teacher Wrap includes directions for grouping students. “There will be eight groups and four passages from the story. Groups will be paired so they can view another interpretation of the same passage. Chunk Terrible Things by events, select four chunks (beginning, middle, middle, and end) then select one passage per chunk for dramatic interpretation.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.5, students complete text-dependent questions in small groups. The Teacher Wrap states, “Have students work in small groups to reread the text and respond to questions.” Collaborative Strategies in the Resource section of the materials includes the following information about Discussion Groups: “Definition: Engaging in an interactive, small-group discussion, often with an assigned role; to consider a topic, text, or question Purpose: To gain new understanding of or insight into a text from multiple perspectives.”