Are you looking for ways to improve your high school students’ academic literacy and prepare them for college-level courses?
Join the Expository Reading and Writing grant study and gain free access to a curriculum that improves students’ academic achievement in English language arts (ELA).
WestEd is recruiting high schools to participate in an Education Innovation and Research grant funded by the United States Department of Education. Through the grant, high schools will implement the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) in grades 9 and 10, and WestEd will evaluate the impact on student achievement.
The ERWC in grades 9 and 10 will include the following:
- Full, yearlong thematic courses with two options for pathways per grade
- A focus on oral communication, collaborative discussion, and civic discourse
- Content aligned with all of the Common Core State Standards for ELA
- Integrated and Designated English language development
School Eligibility
- Be a high school located in California, Hawai’i, New Mexico, or the State of Washington
- Have a minimum enrollment of 1,000 students (if in California) or 800 students (if in Hawaii, New Mexico, or Washington) at the site
Benefits
- Free professional learning to advance teachers’ understanding of the ERWC, including dedicated support for site-based communities of practice, summer workshops, and one-on-one coaching
- Access to the full curriculum for grades 6–12, which has been proven to improve academic achievement in grades 11 and 12
- Free ERWC materials, including books for students
- A Swivl to support teacher reflection
Stipends for Participating
Teachers, schools, and districts will receive stipends for participating in the grant.
- ERWC teachers: $4,000 ($8,000 if teaching in both grades 9 and 10)
- Traditional English teachers: $1,000 ($2,000 if teaching in both grades 9 and 10)
- School site leads: $3,000
- Schools: $20,000
- Districts: $5,000
Requirements for Participating Schools
- Have at least two teachers who will teach the ERWC and at least one teacher who will teach the traditional English course in each of grades 9 and 10 (Note: All English 9 and English 10 teachers will be part of the study as either an ERWC or a comparison teacher.)
- Place students into either the ERWC or a traditional English curriculum in grades 9 and 10 based on random assignments provided by WestEd
- Provide student-level data throughout the study
Requirements for Participating Teachers
ERWC Teachers
- Teach the ERWC as intended
- Participate in professional learning that will include the following:
- five 1-hour coaching sessions
- five 1-hour community of practice sessions
- two days of summer professional learning (plus 2 additional days for teachers new to ERWC)
ERWC and Traditional English Teachers
- Administer half of the Smarter Balanced Interim Comprehensive Assessment in the grades 9 and 10 evaluation years
- Complete surveys about the curriculum
Study Timeline
2025/26: Grade 9 pilot year
- At least two teachers pilot the ERWC in grade 9
- At least one teacher continues to use the regular English curriculum in grade 9
- Grade 10 teachers are not yet participating in the grant
2026/27: Grade 9 evaluation year and grade 10 pilot year
- The same teachers as the previous year teach the ERWC in grade 9
- At least one teacher continues to use the regular English curriculum in grade 9
- At least two teachers pilot the ERWC in grade 10
- At least one teacher continues to use the regular English curriculum in grade 10
2027/28: Grade 10 evaluation year
- The same teachers as the previous year teach the ERWC in grade 10
- At least one teacher continues to use the regular English curriculum in grade 10
- Grade 9 teachers are no longer participating in the grant
Next Steps
Please complete our interested form if you or your colleagues are interested in participating and want to learn more.
Prior Evaluation Reports