Fractions became horses in my classroom, and it taught me a lesson that I will never forget… instructional coherence matters. I was teaching a third-grade fractions lesson, and I pulled up a slide filled with different representations and written fractions, including word problems. I asked my students to tell me everything they knew about what they noticed and what they saw. After giving them a few minutes to think independently, I asked them to turn and talk with a partner about their prior knowledge of what they had seen.
As I walked around listening in, I noticed something surprising. A majority of the students were talking about horses. I wondered if it had something to do with PE, music, or even a text that they had read about horses in reading. When I brought the group back together and invited students to share what they discussed during their turn and talk, one student eagerly raised his hand. He looked at the board and said, “Those are all horses on the board.” Several other students either nodded or verbally agreed with him. At that moment, I was unsure how most students had arrived at the same conclusion and was completely at a loss for what to say next.
Upon further investigation, it quickly became clear why this misconception existed. These students had previously been taught a trick for remembering fractions. They were told to think of the denominator as the horse, the fraction bar as the saddle, and the numerator as the rider. When they looked at the representations on the board, they were not analyzing the mathematical meaning but instead trying to apply the trick they had memorized. This revealed a gap in their conceptual understanding that would take intentional instruction and time to unlearn. These students had previously been in the classroom of Teacher A, who was not consistently using the district's high-quality instructional materials during Tier I instruction. Instead, Teacher A utilized alternative instructional materials that included shortcuts for teaching fractions. Although these methods supported students’ immediate performance, they did not always foster lasting conceptual understanding and occasionally used incorrect vocabulary. Meanwhile, another group of students had Teacher B, who consistently used the district’s adopted high-quality instructional materials and helped her students build strong conceptual understanding. These students had learned fractions in second grade using correct vocabulary and had developed a solid foundation to engage with more advanced content in third grade.
This difference revealed to me the need for strong instructional coherence. What students learn, and how consistently they learn it, directly impacts their success as they progress through school. Consistent use of high-quality instructional materials supports this coherence by ensuring students experience aligned learning that tells a continuous, connected story and builds knowledge over time
What Are High-Quality Instructional Materials and How Are They Approved in Texas?
High-quality instructional materials are curricular materials created to support consistent, standards-aligned, rigorous learning for all students. They are not random worksheets or unvetted activities pulled from the internet. Instead, high-quality instructional materials are intentionally developed to align with state standards, support effective instruction, and include guidance for teachers. In Texas, a material can be labeled high-quality only after it has been evaluated and approved through the Instructional Materials Review and Approval process which is overseen by the State Board of Education.
During the review process, curriculum submissions are evaluated by educators and subject-matter experts for alignment with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, clarity of design and instruction, accessibility for diverse learners, and inclusion of teacher and student support. Once approved by the State Board of Education, these materials become part of the state list of high-quality instructional materials that school systems may adopt with confidence that they are rigorous and aligned to grade-level expectations.
What the Research Says About High-Quality Instructional Materials
Research from TNTP’s The Opportunity Myth showcases why high-quality materials and aligned instruction are essential. Despite students often being engaged and completing classroom work, they demonstrated mastery of grade-level standards only about 17% of the time because the assignments they were given rarely required them to engage with grade-level content (TNTP, 2018). This finding is extremely important because it does not point to a lack of effort or care on the part of teachers.
Across core subjects, students spent more than five hundred hours per school year, which is about six months of instructional time on assignments that were not appropriate for their grade level. The Opportunity Myth also found that students who entered behind grade level were often given less access to grade-level work, even though they benefited the most from rigorous, standards-aligned learning experiences.
The data also shows that students grow significantly when they have access to stronger academic experiences. In classrooms with more grade-appropriate assignments, students earned nearly two additional months of learning, and students who started the year behind their peers closed gaps with their classmates by more than seven months. Because instructional materials shape the tasks students encounter each day, aligned high-quality materials serve as a powerful way to ensure students consistently have the opportunity to engage in grade-level thinking.
How High-Quality Instructional Materials Support Teachers
Teachers want their students to succeed, yet many spend hours each week searching for or creating instructional materials, frequently resulting in content that does not align with grade-level expectations or support deeper learning. TNTP found that teachers spend an average of 7 hours per week gathering or developing classroom materials, totaling over 250 hours per school year. When districts adopt high-quality instructional materials, teachers are freed from much of that work. Instead of wondering whether a worksheet is on grade level or how to structure an activity to build understanding, teachers can spend their time on what genuinely matters.
Using high-quality instructional materials is similar to using a meal kit service. The ingredients are portioned, the recipe is written out, and the steps are clearly laid out, which saves time and increases the likelihood that the meal turns out well. Still, the meal is not identical in every kitchen. Cooks adjust seasoning, cooking time, or presentation based on preference and who they are serving. Of course, if the recipe is ignored entirely or the cooking time is not followed, the end result may be underdone or burnt. The structure matters. Similar to a meal kit service, high-quality instructional materials provide a clear starting point for instruction.
When using high-quality instructional materials, teachers have trusted resources that are on grade level and coherent, so they can focus on deeply teaching content in ways that are research-based and meaningful.
How Students Benefit from High-Quality Instructional Materials
When schools and teachers consistently use high-quality instructional materials, students develop strong conceptual understanding rather than relying on tricks that fall apart as learning becomes more complex. Because concepts are introduced, revisited, and extended, students build meaningful understanding that transfers across topics and grade levels. Over time, this coherent learning progression allows students to move beyond surface-level success and engage in deeper reasoning, problem solving, and mathematical communication.
The importance of instructional consistency becomes even clearer when considering student mobility. In Texas, student mobility affects a large population of students each year. According to the most recent data from the Texas Education Agency, about 16% of students in Texas public schools during the 2023–24 school year were classified as mobile, meaning they spent less than 83 percent of the year at a single campus (Texas Education Agency, 2025). When instructional materials are consistent, students do not lose instructional momentum as they move between schools. Consistent use of high-quality instructional materials changes the student's experience. In a new classroom, the routines and representations are familiar, and the expectations make sense right away. Students recognize how lessons are structured and how ideas are represented, enabling them to engage with the content immediately. The continuity preserves momentum and strengthens both competence and confidence as they move forward with their classmates.
The Importance of High-Quality Materials in Practice
My “Fractions Became Horses" story still makes me smile, but it also reminds me why instructional coherence starts with high-quality instructional materials. When teachers consistently use standards-aligned, research-based materials, students receive equitable access to meaningful, grade-level learning. Teachers gain time to focus on delivering instruction that supports every learner, from those who need scaffolding to those ready for enrichment. High-quality materials give students the foundation and background knowledge they need to engage with more complex content as they progress through school, and they ensure continuity even when students transfer between campuses.
References:
TNTP. 2018. The Opportunity Myth: What Students Can Show Us About How School Is Letting Them Down and How to Fix It. Retrieved from https://opportunitymyth.tntp.org/different-resources-different-results
Texas Education Agency. Instructional Materials Review and Approval. Retrieved from https://im.tea.texas.gov/imra
Texas Education Agency. 2025. Texas Academic Performance Reports. Retrieved from https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/2025/index.html