EDC Leads Evaluation of High-Quality Instructional Materials Initiative

With a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), EDC is leading an evaluation study of DESE’s High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) Implementation Grant initiative. The initiative is working to promote a consistently high set of grade-level expectations for students through the use of high-quality materials.

The HQIM Implementation Grant allows school districts to select and implement high-quality mathematics, English language arts, science, and digital literacy curricula.

A team of EDC evaluators led by principal investigator Dr. Andresse St. Rose and project director Neil Schiavo is examining implementation progress and the factors related to the successful implementation of HQIM across 52 grantee districts and schools. Some of the factors of interest include changes in teacher mindset, knowledge, and practice, as well as school and district structures and activities that support robust implementation.

Key activities in EDC’s evaluation of the initiative include the following:

• Designing an implementation framework to investigate how variations in school districts—such as size, design, and context influence the implementation of HQIM in a range of settings
• Providing formative feedback to district teams and their implementation consultants to guide design of effective implementation plans and ensure optimal support for school districts
• Designing and collecting multiple forms of data from different sources involved in the initiative to reflect the range of perspectives—district and school administrators, consultants, and teachers—on the implementation of HQIM

The findings from EDC’s evaluation will provide early evidence of factors that influence effective implementation of HQIM across a range of district and school contexts in Massachusetts. The findings will also serve to illuminate educator outcomes—including shifts in teachers’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices—laying the groundwork for future summative studies.

Learn more about EDC’s Evaluation work.