Districts across the country continue to implement high-quality instructional resources to meet the growing needs of students and ensure they receive an academically rich education. The growing investment in these materials has revealed a need to equip educators with the proper support to utilize the materials efficiently. To meet these needs, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) partnered with the Achievement Network (ANet) starting in 2021 to support the adoption of high-quality instructional resources (HQIR) in literacy, math, and science across the state.
Through this multi-year partnership, ANet has worked with 18 districts and 34 schools, building a statewide movement to ensure every Kentucky student has access to rigorous, standards-aligned, and empowering instruction. The impact has been tangible—13 of the 18 ELA pilot districts have outperformed the state average in student performance gains since adoption.
This partnership is rooted in the belief that materials alone are not enough. Success comes from combining a strong HQIR with robust professional learning, coaching, and aligned support. The result is transformational: empowered leaders, more confident teachers, and students who are engaged in meaningful learning.
Education leaders in each of these districts recognized early that adopting strong materials had to be paired with meaningful support and development for teachers. By integrating ANet's coaching, actionable data, and collaborative structures in PLCs, they’ve seen stronger student outcomes. Learn more about how this partnership supported three districts in Kentucky with the implementation of high-quality instructional resources.
Rowan County: Applying Real-World Concepts in Science Classrooms
In Rowan County, the shift to using a science HQIR marked a turning point. Like many other teachers, Rowan’s staff spent a significant amount of time searching for resources and hoping they were of high quality before this year. Students in different classrooms would experience a science standard differently. The transition to their HQIR OpenSciEd helped educators at Rowan County School provide rigorous, unified, and engaging science instruction. Instructional coach Christie Tackett emphasized the importance of understanding the "why" behind HQIRs when discussing the magnitude of this shift. “We went from having very few resources to having a full curriculum! Teachers were hungry for resources and to dig deeper into the rigor of the standards.”
District leaders placed an intentional emphasis on professional learning throughout the year. They integrated the HQIR implementation process into Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), protecting time for teachers to collaborate, and solicited teacher input to build buy-in, ownership, and clarity. Their investment in teacher time helped the educators dig deeper into the HQIR, allowing teachers to feel more equipped and confident in delivering high-quality science instruction and supporting teachers to increase their efficiency over time. Their ANet Coaches, Monica Bintz and Nora Rahim, help provide guidance and reassure the leaders as they continue to fine-tune this process.
“It was really nice to have someone to talk to in Monica, to say, ‘this is where our teachers are,’ and she can say, ‘hey, you’re at the same place as this other district,’ or ‘you’re really ahead in some ways.’ That reassurance and support have been invaluable,” Kendra Schroeder, the District Math and Science Instructional Coach, emphasized.
Now, walkthroughs reveal students engaging with science at a deep level, articulating learning in real-world terms. They are seeing impact in the classroom, where it matters most. "We're seeing students talk about solving problems, not just completing tasks," shared Shawne Wells, District Assessment Coordinator. "And that's what high-quality instruction should look like."
Graves County: Elevating ELA through Text Internalization
Graves County Schools has seen notable success in ELA thanks to its focus on implementing StudySync, their ELA HQIR. ANet support helped Graves County educators develop their PLC protocol and led text talks for teachers to begin understanding the new materials they would teach.
ANet Coach Anna Russell recounted a moment early in their partnership when they began working with the high school teachers on their HQIR. At that time, they chose to dial in on the text internalization piece. The educators would read the text, discuss the themes present, and then take the same tests they would give to their students. This process helps teachers see where students may have misconceptions and dig deeper into the themes they are trying to teach. While text internalization was a new regular practice for the teachers, it led to the biggest instructional shifts in the secondary classrooms.
“Certain things can be challenging, and they can even be challenging for us adults, but being able to take a specific look at it with a team or by yourself and know what students are going to be looking for diving into the text and what certain standards and skills are going to be hit on, [I ask] how can that guide my teaching? ” said Dakota Ray, 8th grade writing teacher at Graves County Middle School.
The text internalization process adapts as they continue to refine their approaches in the classroom. Allyssa Binkley, the Secondary Supervisor of Instruction for Graves County Schools, relates the conversations they have now about the texts like a book club, discussing and comparing their takeaways from the materials. The consistency of their HQIR work creates a rigorous foundation for all students across the district. She shared that the support, combined with the PLC and internalization structures, has resulted in positive outcomes in the classroom.
“We’ve seen the kids are able to have these rich and deep discussions with difficult text…and these kids get it! The teachers prompt this response in the classrooms, and the students can pull bigger ideas from the text in a way I don’t think they were able to before,” said Binkley.
Carroll County: A Comprehensive Approach to Implementing HQIRs
In Carroll County, the journey began with ELA—an effort that quickly gained traction with the help of ANet. They applied what they learned from their ELA adoption and implementation to math on their own and then returned to partner with ANet on their science HQIR, working with coaches Megan Downing and Nora Rahim.
The process for each subject built on the others and helped educators refine it as the process went along. "ELA went really well because we had ANet support from the start," Instructional Coach Christin Lewellyn shared. "That made all the difference. It gave us a roadmap and a team to problem-solve with."
Lessons from ELA shaped their approach to math and science. Science benefited from those learnings, with the district advocating for ANet support from the outset. The result has been greater instructional coherence, more time for teachers to tailor instruction to their students, and assurance that everyone has access to rigorous, grade-level instruction.
Supervisory Instruction Jeannie Rohrer shared an example of this adaptation as she discussed the development of their walk-through process. Between year one with ELA and year two with Math, they were able to narrow their implementation focus and make sure their work aligned with the district’s instructional priorities. The walk-through process refinement helped them define what actions they wanted to observe and what evidence to gather, ensuring their instructional philosophy was put into action.
“Once we knew [what we were looking for] then we were able to create a better walk-through process in order to make sure those things were happening and look at the data, analyze the data, and then be able to say ‘these are some things that are going well and these are some things that we need to tweak or make changes to’ in order to improve our outcomes and our implementation,” said Rohrer.
The impact ANet has had in Carroll County is felt across all levels of the district. Rohrer credits ANet as expert thought partners to help them uncover needs and choose the best direction for their students. The thought partnership has created a catchphrase in the schools, as they affectionately refer to their coach as “ANet Nora” and ask themselves during planning or data meetings, “What would ANet Nora do?” The question helps educational leaders remind each other to be intentional and focus on the processes they have developed, alongside their coaches, to do what’s best for students.
A Lasting Vision for Kentucky
What unites these districts is not just a shared partnership with ANet, but a shared belief in what students deserve: consistent, rigorous instruction and the tools to succeed. From ELA to math to Science in these districts, the impact of HQIR paired with dedicated support is clear.
Kentucky educators are proving what’s possible when all levels of education support and governance align around a vision of instructional excellence—and when educators have the tools, time, and trust to lead the way.