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Achieve Reviews of Instructional Materials

Achieve is broadening its reach to identify more high-quality materials designed for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This will help both those developing materials—whether in the classroom, a university, or a publishing company—and those looking for quality materials to support implementation.

Which instructional materials are eligible for reviews by Achieve?

  • Achieve provides reviews to developers of K-12 science lessons and units.
  • Lessons and units can be submitted by anyone—educators, districts, states, science education researchers, and publishers of any size.
  • Lessons and units can be reviewed regardless of the materials’ copyright status or cost.
  • Only the results of top-rated reviews will be published; others are confidentially returned to the submitter.
  • If lessons and units meet Achieve’s top-rated criteria during review processes, the NGSS Design digital badge may be issued so that developers can accelerate their promotion and marketing.

What is the NGSS Design digital badge?

The NGSS Design digital badge designates lessons or units as being of the highest quality in NGSS design. The badge’s cutting-edge design is embedded with evidence from the EQuIP Rubric for Science feedback that verifies the quality of independent units or lessons. This means that any issued badge will be a unique reflection of Achieve’s review process and relevant only to that specific instructional material. The badge can be earned even when the reviewed materials are not free and publicly available.

Any instructional materials developers who earn the badge must agree to Achieve’s terms for the digital badge, which ask them not to extend the claim of NGSS design beyond the specific materials as it was reviewed. The terms also outline how the badge can be used both online and in print materials.

What review services does Achieve offer?

Service 1: Review of Free and Publicly Available Instructional Materials

  • These reviews typically take 8-10 weeks, but may take longer depending on the volume of reviews that have been submitted and the length of the materials to be reviewed. Materials are reviewed in the order they are submitted.
  • There is no cost for this service; costs are covered by grant funding Achieve has received.

Service 2: Review of Instructional Materials During Development

  • For materials that are slated for revision, or under development.
  • The review process here is similar, but with more in-depth suggestions for improvement that focus on things the developer might consider during revision
  • A typical unit review time is 4 weeks.
  • Achieve will charge an amount based on the amount of content to review and the timeframe desired, equal to the costs for staff and overhead associated with the work.

Service 3: Reviews of Proprietary Instructional Materials

  • For materials that will not be available freely to the science education community, and thus will only be illustrative to the field if they earn the highest distinction.
  • A typical unit review time is 4 weeks.
  • Achieve will charge an amount based on the amount of content to review and the timeframe desired, equal to the costs for staff and overhead associated with the work.

We are also able to bundle services for more elaborate review tasks; please contact us at ngss@achieve.org to discuss.

Table of Services

Table of Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does this cost?

For free and publicly available materials:  Achieve has funding to incentivize high quality materials designed for the NGSS to be more available to classroom teachers. As such, developers who agree to make their materials free and publicly available will receive a review free of charge.

For proprietary materials: Achieve will charge a set amount based on amount of content to review, the timeframe desired, and the number of cycles of review requested.

How will Achieve’s reviews be conducted?

All reviews focus on individual learning sequences or units and use the Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products (EQuIP) Suite of Tools to produce detailed, criterion-based feedback. During the course of each review, evidence is compiled to describe how the instructional materials in question address each of the criteria of the rubric. Reviews are conducted by a team who first review individually and then produce a consensus report to ensure quality, consistent feedback. If certain criteria lack evidence to support, the process will provide suggestions for improvement, so authors and developers can more easily refine materials in order to focus on the key priorities of the NGSS. The reviews are constructive and in the spirit of continuous improvement. All submissions receive feedback regardless of their rating and confidentiality will be ensured for those that are not ready to be shared publicly.

Step 1: Submitted materials are assigned to a review team. Each reviewer creates an independent review of the materials using the EQuIP Rubric for Science. The reviews are constructive and in the spirit of continuous improvement.
Step 2: The review team jointly writes a consensus report based on their individual feedback, including detailed, criterion-based feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Step 3: The consensus feedback and suggestions for improvement consensus report is shared with the entity that submitted the materials.
Step 4: Achieve follows up to clarify any questions or concerns with the feedback.

Note: All submissions receive feedback regardless of their rating and confidentiality will be ensured for those materials that are not ready to be shared publicly.

What are the possible results for a review of free and publicly available instructional materials (Service 1)?

There are four possible results of each review of free and publicly available materials. The results will be communicated in a consensus report sent by Achieve.

Outcome 1: Instructional materials may receive the highest rating, “Example of High Quality NGSS Design”.

These materials are thoughtfully designed to meet the expectations of the NGSS with clear evidence of quality across the criteria in all three categories of the EQuIP Rubric for Science.

  • The consensus report will be made public on the Achieve website, along with a link to the specific instructional materials.
  • Authors are eligible to receive the “NGSS Design” digital badge that can be used for marketing and promotions.

Outcome 2: Instructional materials may earn the 2nd highest rating, “Example of High Quality NGSS Design, If Improved”.

These materials are adequately designed to meet the expectations of the NGSS. They show evidence of quality identified across all three categories of the EQuIP Rubric for Science, but one or more categories that are in need of improvement.

  • For free and publicly available materials that earn this rating, the consensus report will be made public on the Achieve website, along with a link to the specific instructional materials.
  • There is no digital badge available for instructional materials that earn this designation.

Outcome 3: Instructional materials may be identified by the Science PRP as a “Quality Works in Progress”.

These materials have strongly addressed at least one criterion from the EQuIP Rubric for Science. This category does not represent a rating on the scoring rubric for the EQuIP rubric, but reflects a level of the broader effort to surface quality materials under development.

  • Developers will have the option to share their lesson and/or unit as a Quality Work in Progress on the Achieve website, or revise it and resubmit it to the panel in the hopes of earning a higher rating, or both.
  • There is no digital badge available for instructional materials that earn this designation.

Outcome 4: Instructional materials that do not earn one of the above designations will not be listed or mentioned on the Achieve website. Achieve will confidentially share the consensus report with the developers of the materials and encourage revision and resubmission.


What are the possible results of a review of proprietary materials (Services 2 and 3)?

Outcome 1: Instructional materials receive the highest rating, “Example of High Quality NGSS Design”.

These materials are thoughtfully designed to meet the expectations of the NGSS with clear evidence of quality across the criteria in all three categories of the EQuIP Rubric for Science.

  • Authors are eligible to receive the “NGSS Design” digital badge that can be used for marketing and promotions.
  • The consensus report is embedded in the badge as evidence of quality, so it would be public (and something that you would want to share) for those that choose to display the badge.
  • Developers displaying the badge will also be listed on Achieve’s nextgenscience.org website.

Outcome 2: Instructional materials that do not earn the highest rating, “Example of High Quality NGSS Design” will not be listed or mentioned on the Achieve website and even the fact that the review happened will remain confidential. Achieve will confidentially share the consensus report with the developers of the materials along with support to clarify the feedback.

How should I submit my instructional materials to Achieve for review?

For more information about submitting materials to be reviewed or to start the submission process, please email us at ngss@achieve.org. Please allow 2-3 business days for a response.