A Policy Brief from EPIC

What Resources do Elementary Teachers Use for English Language Arts Instruction? The K-5 ELA Curriculum Landscape in Michigan

September 2022

This brief focuses on elementary English Language Arts (ELA) curricula. Elementary ELA curricula have re-entered the national spotlight following the adoption of early literacy policies in 41 states. These policies are aimed at improving students’ literacy achievement in the early grades and often require districts to use high-quality instructional resources—though the selection of those resources is often left up to districts.

Findings include:

1. All Districts Provide Guidance on Curriculum Selection
2. Districts Involve Teams of Educators in Selecting Literacy Curricula
3. Districts Changed Their Elementary Literacy Curricula in Response to the Read by Grade Three Law
4. Teachers Report Using Over 450 Different ELA Curriculum Resources
5. Many Teachers Combine Multiple ELA Curriculum Resources
6. Michigan Teachers Predominantly Use One of 10 Core ELA Curriculum Resources
7. Teachers in the Same District Do Not Always Use the Same Curricula
8. Many Teachers Are Using Core ELA Curricula That Are Unrated or Poorly Rated for Their Alignment to Standards