BSRG Survey - How K-12 School Districts Choose Curricula Materials

A national survey of curriculum decision makers in K-12 school districts sought to understand the process by which K-12 school districts select and adopt full-course curricula materials, and to understand the degree to which K-12 school districts are aware of and adopted Open Education Resources (OER).  Key findings include:

·      Over three-quarters of districts have made a full-course curricula decision in the past three years, with two-thirds of these making decisions in more than one subject area.

·      The most common subject area is Mathematics, followed by English Language Arts. Adopting a full-course curriculum is a group activity including teachers, administrators, and principals. Half of the districts include parents and outside experts in this process.

·      The vast majority of district adoption decisions are driven by an external factor: changing standards (curricula is replaced roughly every 6 to 10 years), with most decision processes take the better part of a year to complete.

·      K-12 school districts have a greater degree of awareness of OER materials than of OER concepts and definitions. Two-thirds of all districts are aware of at least one OER full-course curriculum, with roughly a third having considered at least one for adoption.

Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). What we teach: K-12 school district curriculum adoption process, 2017. Wellesley, MA: Babson Survey Research Group. http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/k12oer2017/whatweteach_2017.pdf