A new tool can help districts and publishers accelerate literacy in grades 9-12, writes Kristen McQuillan, executive director of Knowledge Matters, a national nonprofit that emphasizes the role of content knowledge in the sciences of reading and learning, in an essay in The 74.
More than 40 states now mandate evidence-based reading instruction in public schools. The specifics in these new laws and regulations vary — most require that schools use high-quality curriculum based on the Science of Reading; many invest in new teacher training; and some ban discredited methods. But they all focus on the early grades.
In my nonprofit’s work supporting districts to implement new curriculum and instruction, we’ve been hearing a consistent question.
What about high school?
School and district leaders posed the same questions about grades 9-12 that we were exploring in K-8. They wanted guidance about what high-quality English curriculum should look like. They looked for materials that nurture literacy for older students, especially those who struggle with grade-level texts. They asked: How could they identify well-designed materials that truly support strong English instruction in high school, especially as it relates to building knowledge through rigorous, content-rich texts?
At the same time, some publishers were expanding their programs for younger students to include high school English; others were interested in strengthening existing materials. Publishers wanted thoughtful, evidence-based criteria and feedback to ensure their materials reflect the strongest research and instructional design principles.
It became clear that there was an opportunity to create a shared framework that could help publishers develop stronger curriculum and help districts make more informed adoption decisions. That inspired the Knowledge Matters High School Review Tool.
We had past experience to draw on: In 2023, we created a review framework for evidence-based, knowledge-building ELA in grades K-8. We built on that foundation with experts having deep experience in high school English to ensure the criteria reflected the unique demands of academic expectations and classroom instruction in grades 9-12.
That yielded a set of about two dozen criteria across eight domains, starting with a curriculum’s alignment to the science of reading. A strong curriculum uses evidence-based practices that accelerate student literacy, such as building vocabulary and knowledge through reading a substantial and coherent volume of texts. That helps students grapple with challenging texts, including through communal close reads that build students’ stamina, confidence and ability to ensure that what they read makes sense. It also engages students 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.
We field-tested the tool by reviewing Novel HS ELA, a knowledge-rich, novel-based 9-12 program published by Novel Education Partners, The curriculum was designed to foster engagement with rich literature while also developing the knowledge, analytical skills and reading experiences that prepare teenagers for success in college, careers and civic life.
Our goal is simple: help more educators gain access to the strongest possible instructional materials. We believe that better curriculum sets the foundation for strong teaching, and that clearer guidance helps both curriculum developers and school systems move the field forward.
Our hope is that this tool supports high school educators to develop a shared understanding of what high-quality literacy instruction looks like and where instructional time is best spent. The is an opportunity to identify and inspire the rigorous, engaging, effective English curriculum and instruction that all high school students deserve.
The 74
