CURATE reports are resources to support Massachusetts school districts in their process to make informed, local decisions about curricula. CURATE is designed to inform and support, not constrain, local decision-making.
CURATE reviews are of comprehensive core curricular materials only. Content panels review products and use other sources of evidence, such as approved gateway evaluation ratings such as EdReports , publisher responses, and survey data from Massachusetts teachers who are already using the curricular materials. CURATE reviews do not entail review of every lesson and text. Local education agencies (LEAs) should use CURATE reports as a starting place for engaging in a comprehensive evaluation and selection process, in collaboration with a diverse stakeholder group, to determine which of the available high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) will best meet their local needs and equity priorities.
Augmentation or supplementation to address gaps or weaknesses in materials may be necessary during implementation to ensure the enacted curriculum engages and supports all students. LEAs should consider carefully whether adequate and appropriate adjustments and adaptation are taking place in their context, to ensure that texts, tasks, content, and instruction remain grade appropriate so that all students, particularly students from historically underserved groups and communities, are held to high expectations and provided targeted support to excel at grade level (or beyond).
Core curricular materials are comprehensive print or digital materials that cover all the knowledge, skills, and practices of the college- and career-ready standards for the content area. They are designed for use as the standalone primary instructional materials for Tier 1 core instruction through which all students access grade-level content standards during a year or semester of study, to support a coherent sequence and progression of grade-appropriate knowledge, skills, and practices.
The reports linked in the tables below for each content area provide access to full CURATE reports. The tables feature criterion-level ratings that help with side-by-side comparisons. Note the following about reports included on this webpage:
Digital Literacy and Computer Science gateway evaluations were completed by STEM Learning Design, with results published in the 2022 Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science Curriculum Guide . Try the DLCS Curriculum Guide if you're researching a DLCS product you don't see listed here. It's possible that (A) the product has not yet been submitted to CURATE for a review, (B) the product has been determined to not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, or (C) the report has been archived.
K–5 Language Arts and Foundational Skills: High-quality instructional materials in grades K–5 language arts can be realized in these ways:
Considerations about compatibility, scope and sequence, and instructional hours to well implement both the comprehensive core materials and foundational skills resource—as intended—should be considered in local decision-making. The table below lists current reports for materials that have been CURATE-reviewed, including any materials submitted to CURATE that are ineligible for a panel review due to misalignment to college- and career-ready standards.
If you're researching an ELA/Literacy product you don't see listed here, try EdReports . It's possible that (A) the product has not yet been submitted to CURATE for a review, (B) the product has been determined to not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, or (C) the report has been archived.
ELA/Literacy products that do not yet have a published CURATE report but do have one from EdReports are considered to be "high quality" if they receive the following EdReports rating: "Green"/ "Meets expectations" in both Gateway 1 and Gateway 2 of Alignment. Note that while we might approve an EdReports rating for a grant prerequisite, we may hold a higher standard for materials that would be available for purchase using grant funds.
History and Social Science (HSS) gateway evaluations were completed by Rennie Center, with results published in the K-12 History Social Science Curricular Materials Guide (2024). If you're researching a HSS product you don't see listed here, it's possible that (A) the product has not yet been submitted to CURATE for a review, (B) the product has been determined to not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, or (C) the report has been archived.
Try the HSS Curricular Materials Guide for information on materials that met Massachusetts' baseline expectations of quality. Note: A CURATE review of H/SS materials determines whether a product meets the Department's definition of "high quality."
If you're researching a mathematics product you don't see listed here, try EdReports . If you're researching a HSS product you don't see listed here, it's possible that (A) the product has not yet been submitted to CURATE for a review, (B) the product has been determined to not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, or (C) the report has been archived.
Math products that do not yet have a published CURATE report but do have one from EdReports are considered to be "high quality" if they have the following EdReports rating: "Green"/ "Meets expectations" in both Gateway 1 and Gateway 2 of Alignment. Note that while we might approve an EdReports rating for a grant prerequisite, we may hold a higher standard for materials that would be available for purchase using grant funds.
If you're researching a science product you don't see listed here, try EdReports . If you're researching a HSS product you don't see listed here, it's possible that (A) the product has not yet been submitted to CURATE for a review, (B) the product has been determined to not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, or (C) the report has been archived.
Science products that do not yet have a published CURATE report but do have one from EdReports are considered to be "high quality" if they have the following EdReports rating: "Green" / "Meets expectations" in both Gateway 1 and Gateway 2 of Alignment. Note that while we might approve an EdReports rating for a grant prerequisite, we may hold a higher standard for materials that would be available for purchase using grant funds.
Meets Expectations — Most or all evidence indicates high quality; little to none indicates low quality. Materials may not be perfect, but Massachusetts teachers and students would be well served and strongly supported by them.
Partially Meets Expectations — Some evidence indicates high quality, while some indicates low quality. Teachers in Massachusetts would benefit from having these materials but need to supplement or adapt them substantively to serve their students well.
Does Not Meet Expectations — Little to no evidence indicates high quality; most or all evidence indicates low quality. Materials would not substantively help Massachusetts teachers and students meet the state's expectations for teaching and learning.
Not Applicable (N/A) — This rating applies only to the Foundational Skills criterion of the K–5 ELA/Literacy rubric and communicates that the core materials are without foundational skills. The materials must be paired with a strong foundational skills resource to address all components of the core literacy block.
No Rating — Evidence is insufficient to generate rating. This rating was most often provided for the Impact on Learning criterion in CURATE reports published before Spring 2025. The "insufficient evidence" referenced is specific to evidence in tiers 1, 2, or 3 as defined by ESSA on the specific product reviewed, not just the pedagogical strategies the curriculum incorporates.
For questions about CURATE, please email DESE-CURATE@mass.gov
Last Updated: April 23, 2025