Recommendation. Adopt a K–5 English language arts curriculum that builds knowledge in science, history, and the arts in a planned sequence, and protect daily time for science and social studies in grades K–5.
Why: the evidence
- Lottery study. Nine Colorado charter schools using the Core Knowledge sequence admitted kindergartners by lottery. Winners scored about 16 percentile points higher in reading in grades 3–6 than applicants who lost (Grissmer et al.(opens in a new tab)). At the one school in a low-income district, the gains were large enough to close the income gap (EdWorkingPapers(opens in a new tab)).
- Randomized trial. Across 30 schools, first and second graders taught connected science and social studies units improved their science reading comprehension (Kim et al.(opens in a new tab)).
- The reason. Reading comprehension depends on knowing what the text is about. Students with more background knowledge understand more and learn more from what they read.
What changes for [district]
| Now | After |
|---|---|
| Reading passages chosen to practice a skill | Units that build knowledge on one topic for several weeks |
| Science and social studies squeezed in K–5 | Protected daily time, with reading tied to the same topics |
| [Current ELA curriculum] | [Proposed curriculum], reviewed against the district rubric |
Costs
- Materials: [amount]
- Training: [days and amount]
- Schedule: [minutes] of daily science and social studies time in K–5
Honest limits
- The lottery study compared charter schools, so curriculum and school model came together.
- Gains build slowly. Expect the clearest results in grades 3–6, not in year one.
- The trial found its clearest gains on science reading; effects on the overall district reading test were weaker (WWC(opens in a new tab)).
What we will track
- Year 1: classroom visits confirm the curriculum is taught as designed, including science and social studies time.
- Years 1–3: unit knowledge checks and early reading screeners.
- Years 3–5: grade 3–5 state reading scores, with results reported by income group.
Questions board members may ask
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| "Doesn't this take time from reading?" | It is reading time, spent on texts that build knowledge, which is what comprehension depends on. |
| "Is this just memorizing facts?" | Knowledge is what students think with. Discussion and writing are built on it, not replaced by it. |
| "How soon will scores move?" | Probably not in year one. The lottery study's effects showed up in grades 3–6. |
How strong is this?
Grade: knowledge-building curriculum is graded Proven in classrooms in the principle library (principle 10).
Sources
- Grissmer et al. 2023 (opens in a new tab)
educationnext.org
- EdWorkingPapers (opens in a new tab)
edworkingpapers.com
- Kim et al. 2023 (MORE) (opens in a new tab)
cepr.harvard.edu
- WWC review of MORE (opens in a new tab)
ies.ed.gov
