Pearson Literature

Name: Pearson Literature
Brand: Savvas Learning Company (f/k/a Pearson)

by Savvas Learning Company (f/k/a Pearson)

ElaGrades 9–12

About This Curriculum

An English language arts curriculum that uses fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and digital media with thematic 'Big Questions' to guide lessons and develop student literacy skills, reading comprehension, and writing abilities.

Pearson Literature: Thematic High School ELA with Mixed Alignment

Pearson Literature is a high school ELA curriculum that organizes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and digital media around thematic 'Big Questions' to develop literacy skills. The curriculum received mixed ratings from EdReports, with partial alignment to text complexity standards and significant concerns about knowledge-building approaches.

Best for

High school teachers seeking a thematically organized ELA curriculum who can supplement with additional knowledge-building materials and are comfortable adapting content to meet alignment standards

Evaluation Criteria

1 concern · 2 neutral · 6 insufficient evidence

Knowledge RichConcern

The curriculum shows significant weaknesses in building systematic domain knowledge through texts.

EdReports rated Gateway 2 (Building Knowledge) as 'Does Not Meet Expectations,' indicating the curriculum fails to adequately build knowledge through its text selections and approach

Text ComplexityNeutral

The curriculum shows partial alignment to grade-level text complexity demands but has notable gaps.

EdReports rated Gateway 1 (Text Quality & Complexity) as 'Partially Meets Expectations,' indicating some but not full alignment to appropriate text complexity standards

Systematic PhonicsNeutral

Phonics instruction is not applicable for this high school curriculum targeting grades 9-12.

The curriculum is designed for grades 9-12, well beyond the developmental stage where systematic phonics instruction is relevant

Teacher TrainingInsufficient Evidence

The availability and quality of teacher professional development materials cannot be assessed from the current evidence.

Neither the curriculum description nor EdReports evaluation addresses teacher training components or instructional support materials

Direct InstructionInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum's instructional approach and level of explicit teaching cannot be determined from available information.

Neither the curriculum description nor EdReports evaluation provides specific details about the instructional methodology or teacher guidance structure

Retrieval PracticeInsufficient Evidence

No evidence is available regarding the curriculum's use of retrieval practice or spaced review techniques.

The available reviews do not mention specific learning techniques such as retrieval practice or systematic review strategies

Vocabulary BuildingInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum's approach to vocabulary development cannot be adequately assessed from the available evidence.

While the curriculum aims to develop literacy skills, EdReports does not provide specific details about vocabulary instruction methods or effectiveness

Writing InstructionInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum includes writing development as one of its stated goals, but the quality and structure of writing instruction is unclear.

The description mentions developing 'writing abilities' as a curriculum goal, but EdReports does not provide detailed assessment of writing instruction quality

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum appears to use a mix of texts including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, but the extent of whole book reading versus excerpts is unclear.

EdReports mentions the curriculum includes various text types but does not specify the balance between complete works and excerpted materials

Sources: edreports.org