EdReports released its first-ever set of pre-K curriculum evaluations, adding independent review capacity to a state-sponsored preschool landscape that is expanding quickly. The evaluations score materials across three “gateways”: meeting the needs of diverse students, providing developmentally appropriate content, and supporting effective teaching practices and implementation. Student Achievement Partners also published preschool instructional materials guidelines, aiming to give educators a framework to identify high-quality resources. Together, the two efforts signal a shift toward treating early childhood curriculum decisions with the same kind of evidence-based scrutiny long applied in K-12. EdReports’ first review covers three pre-K programs—The Creative Curriculum, Frog Street Pre-K, and Every Child Ready—and found mixed results. Programs often performed well on language and literacy, social-emotional skills, and play-based learning, but feedback was uneven on support for diverse learners and alignment between activities and stated goals. Officials framed the release as a “meaningful moment” because curriculum decisions in pre-K are being made, while independent evaluation had “lagged behind.” The next phase for states and districts is likely tighter procurement and adoption criteria for preschool materials based on these scorecards.
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