A Research Report From EPIC

Elementary English Language Arts Curriculum Resources in Michigan: Trends from 2019-2023

July 2024

This report examines the evolving landscape of English language arts (ELA) curriculum and instructional support in Michigan elementary schools from the 2019-20 to the 2022-23 school years.

Recognizing the pivotal role instruction plays in shaping students’ literacy development, this report explores which curriculum resources teachers are using to provide ELA instruction and the infrastructure of support surrounding curriculum implementation. Relying on statewide survey data, we find that:

• Districts made many changes to their ELA curriculum resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic but few due to the Read by Grade Three Law;
• Variability remains a feature of Michigan’s ELA curriculum resource landscape;
• Elementary classroom teachers are more likely to use only one core curriculum resource than they were in 2019-20;
• Elementary classroom teachers are more likely to supplement their core curriculum with additional writing, phonics, or spelling resources than they were in 2019-20;
• More teachers are using curriculum resources that EdReports rates as “Meets Expectations” than they were in 2019-20, particularly in districts serving higher proportions of students from historically underserved populations;
• The majority of the most-used core ELA curriculum resources are not rated by What Works Clearinghouse or Evidence for ESSA; and
• Teachers reported increased access to curriculum-aligned professional development compared to 2019-20.