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MSDE reports progress on HQIM pilot; plans adoption framework and district supports
Summary
MSDE told the committee it has completed pilot reviews of 24 instructional programs, will publish pilot results in late spring, and will roll out a two-part adoption and implementation framework plus a community-of-practice to help districts adopt high-quality instructional materials.
Christine Fulton, MSDE’s director for High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM), told the Strategy & Operations Committee that MSDE’s pilot reviews of instructional materials are concluding and that the agency will broaden submissions and shorten future review cycles while creating stronger adoption supports for LEAs.
Fulton said the pilot reviewed 24 programs across literacy, mathematics, science and social studies with 53 certified Maryland educators participating on review teams. "51 out of 53 are returning and shared similar sentiments...this work has been meaningful," she said, describing a consensus-based protocol that produces a single team score and a standards-verification step for publisher claims.
Fulton identified two priority improvements: shortening review cycles (many reviews took 12+ weeks) by narrowing duplicative criteria and expanding submissions to any materials in use in Maryland LEAs rather than only the most widely used materials. To help districts adopt materials effectively, MSDE will release a two-part framework: an adoption framework (a six-step, data-driven process grounded in instructional vision) and an implementation framework (roles, responsibilities, coaching and continuous improvement supports). The agency will also run a community of practice to support up to 14 district teams and provide asynchronous resources later this summer.
Board members asked about cultural responsiveness and teacher agency. Miss Medina asked whether materials under review are "culturally responsive and culturally affirming;" Fulton said the rubric includes a category called "designed to affirm students" that focuses on inclusive content, affirmation and multilingualism. Members also pressed how teachers retain agency when implementing HQIM; Fulton said the implementation framework will outline where teacher adaptation is appropriate and include embedded scaffolds and supports.
Committee members pressed MSDE to move beyond whether materials are "good on paper" and to tie adoption and implementation to student outcomes; Fulton said MSDE is exploring research partnerships to triangulate use of HQIM, implementation strength and student results as a next step.
The committee asked MSDE to return with additional implementation detail and to consider strategies to scale community-of-practice learnings beyond the initial cohort of districts.
