Setting
The study took place in grade 11 and 12 English classes in California and Washington. In California, 43 high schools in 26 school districts participated. These schools were located in Northern and Southern California, as well as the Central Valley and Coast. In Washington, six high schools in six school districts participated. They were located in Western and Eastern Washington. Schools were located in city, suburban, town, and rural areas.
Study sample
The 11th grade students who took the non-performance task had a higher percentage of male (57%) compared to female students (43%). Most were Hispanic (71%), followed by White (18%), Asian (3%), Black or African American (2%), or another race (1%). Most did not have ELL status (89%) or special education status (92%).
The 11th grade students who took the Smarter Balanced Assessment had a higher percentage of male (51%) compared to female students (48%). Most were Hispanic (66%), followed by White (19%), Asian (5%), Black or African American (4%), or another race (5%). Most did not have ELL status (88%) or special education status (91%).
For the 12th grade students who took the non-performance task most were male (56%) compared to female (44%). Most were Hispanic (73%), White (17%), or another race (10%). Most did not have ELL status (91%) or special education status (93%).
For the 12th grade students who took the performance task most were male (57%) compared to female (43%). Most were Hispanic (65%), White (25%), or another race (10%). Most did not have ELL status (95%) or special education status (90%).
Intervention Group
The Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) is a college-preparatory English language arts (ELA) curriculum supported by professional learning. The curriculum has 67 modules, 28 of which were for grade 11, 27 were for grade 12, and 14 were for both grades 11 and 12. Of these, grade 11 teachers used two issue modules, one book module, one drama module, and one foundational document module; grade 12 teachers used three issue modules, one book module, and one drama module. Grade 11 and 12 teachers taught three mini modules.
Comparison Group
The comparison condition received business as usual, which included several commercial curricula: CollegeBoard: SpringBoard (2018), Holt: Literature and Language Arts (2012), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Collections (2017), McGraw-Hill: StudySync (2017), and Savvas (formerly Pearson) MyPerspectives (2017).
Some grade 11 teachers (40%) and grade 12 teachers (43%) indicated that they did not use commercial curricula.
Support for implementation
Teachers were trained in a summer institute before the school year, coached five times during the year, and participated in a community of practice throughout the year. Coaching sessions were intended to include a planning conversation, a classroom visit, and reflective conversation. Starting in March 2020 the coaching visits were held virtually because of COVID-19. Community of practice meetings also moved online due to COVID.