Instructional Materials Data Collection FAQ

Research over the last decade has provided strong evidence that instructional materials can be one of the most cost-efficient and effective school improvement measures. States that have sought to increase access to high-quality instructional materials have reported significant gains in student reading proficiency, mastery of mathematics standards, teachers’ perceived support, improved alignment to state standards, and student engagement. The bottom line is that the selection and implementation of high-quality instructional materials, supported by ongoing professional learning around the instructional materials, is a transformative school improvement measure that has been underutilized. 

Curriculum: This is determined locally and reflects “how” teachers help students learn the content outlined within the Kansas Curricular Standards. A curriculum outlines the intended outcomes, content, experiences, assessments, and resources for measuring student learning, and it also includes the scope and sequence of what is taught in grades K-12. 

Instructional Materials: The tools and resources that are used as part of a locally-determined curriculum. Instructional materials may include materials to support Tier 1 (or Core) Instruction, supplemental materials, and evidence-based practices and programs. 

This data collection informs the resources and support KSDE can make available to districts and schools. While it is not required, we strongly encourage participation in this process. 

Districts are asked to identify the instructional materials used for Tier 1 (or Core) Instruction for applicable grades, the year of implementation, and when the next selection process will begin for K-12 English Language Arts, K-12 mathematics, and K-8 science. Additionally, districts are asked to select the primary screener used to identify a student for being at risk for reading difficulties and to identify the instructional materials used in Pre-K. The list of options for instructional materials included in the data collection is located in this Google Folder. 

“Year of Implementation" reflects how many years the instructional materials have been implemented (e.g. Year 1 of implementation, Year 2 of implementation, etc.). For the purposes of this data collection, Year 1 would mean the first year of implementation for full district implementation.

“Year of Next Selection Process” means the school year (e.g. 2025-2026) when your district or school will begin the process of selecting new instructional materials in a content area.

This data collection asks information about Tier 1 (or Core) instructional materials. Since some vendor products include supplemental materials for specific groups of students, it is possible there might be an overlap. Even though the at-risk list of approved programs and practices includes some instructional materials used for Tier 1 (or Core), it is not an exhaustive list of high-quality instructional materials from which districts should consider. 

This data collection will be used for a website with access limited to superintendents, curriculum directors, KSDE staff and select education service center staff to create transparency, foster collaboration, and help the KSDE determine additional resources and supports that may be necessary. 

The KSDE is committed to providing statewide leadership that informs and supports the decisions made locally related to curriculum and instructional materials. 

If your district has not yet adopted instructional materials or develops your own, select “Other” for the content areas without materials or district-created materials. Following that selection, you will be brought to an open-ended question for you to list the instructional materials used for that content area and grade band. 

This data collection should be completed by district staff that have knowledge of the instructional materials used by the school district for K-12 English Language Arts, K-12 mathematics, and K-8 science and the years they were adopted. The staff completing the data collection should also have knowledge of the instructional materials used for Pre-K and the primary screener used to identify a student for being at risk for reading difficulties.

Yes. The link sent to the Superintendent can be forwarded to the appropriate staff member. Only one person should submit a response per District. 

No, we ask that each district only submit one response. In this case, we recommend putting one person in charge of survey completion and asking for feedback from the lead of each subject area 

Yes. If you would like to preview the data collection tool in advance to gather the necessary information, you can view it here. You may also want to view the list of materials in advance, available in this folder, to verify the version and year published. 

Yes. We are providing the bulk of information in this FAQ (as well as a list of the materials, including version and year published) to help you gather the answers in advance. However, if you need to save your work and return to it, you can. 

You may select up to five entries for ELA, Math, and Science and up to ten for PK. For example, if you use one set of ELA materials for K-2, another for 3-5, and another for 6-8, you will select all three on the drop down menu. Then you will be asked to specify the grade levels and the “implementation year” for each in the next question. 

Yes, you will be asked to identify any instructional materials used to supplement your Tier 1 (or Core) instructional materials, specifically for Foundational Skills instruction in Grades K-2. You will not be asked to identify any supplemental materials for Foundational Skills beyond Grade 2.