For Reviewers of High-Quality Instructional Materials
For Reviewers
A teacher-led rating system brings the voices of Maryland teachers and students to the forefront of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) identification.
What is an HQIM Reviewer?
HQIM Reviewers play a key role in Maryland’s HQIM identification process. Using MSDE’s frameworks and rubrics for ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies, teams of reviewers will assess instructional materials to determine their quality.
Interested in Becoming an HQIM Reviewer?
Join the HQIM Review Team
Maryland educators have a unique opportunity to shape teaching and learning in Maryland classrooms as a part of the HQIM review team. MSDE is seeking applications from Maryland educators with the following expertise:
- Deep knowledge of the content standards and experience in one or more of the four content areas: ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
- Experience in developing and/or reviewing and selecting curriculum for one or more of the above-mentioned content areas.
- Experienced in developing and/or providing curriculum-aligned professional learning with a focus on meeting the needs of diverse learners.
- The ability to collaborate with educators to develop consensus on curriculum reviews.
Applications for ELA, math, science, and social studies reviewers are open now!
Frequently Asked Questions
Please review the questions below related to the role and application process for Instructional Materials Review Team members. If you have a question that is not answered below, submit a Review Team Question, and a member of the recruitment team will reach out to you.
Logistics
The application process consists of two components: 1) a written application, and 2)
an interview.
- The written application opens on January 30, 2025 and closes on March 7,
2025. - Applicants who move forward based on the written application will be invited to
participate in interviews on a rolling basis. We encourage you to finish your
application as soon as possible. - You will be notified about your interview status by March 14, 2025.
- Interviewed candidates will be notified of selection by April 18, 2025.
Training will be held virtually over 4 sessions. Each session will take place from 9-12:30 on May 10, 17, 31, and June 7. Team Leads and Report Developers will have an additional session in May specific to their roles.
Once training is completed, Review Teams will schedule their own sessions to calibrate on evaluation of materials. The coordination and scheduling will all be led by the Team Lead, and therefore will be flexible according to your needs.
Each review should take 11-12 weeks; Review Teams will be assigned another set of materials for review upon completion of their first.
Compensation will be role-specific, based on the time commitment of each role. Participants will receive stipends based on the successful completion of tasks. The anticipated average required hours are indicated for your information; the number of hours will vary based on the reviewer and the complexity of materials.
| Task | Reviewer | Team Lead | Report Developer |
| Training | $1,320
22 hours |
$1,560
26 hours |
$1,560
26 hours |
| Each Completed Report
We anticipate each team will complete 2-4 reviews in a year. |
$3,600
60 hours |
$1,800*
30 hours |
$2,700*
45 hours |
*Team Leads and Report Developers may work on two teams at a time. They will receive the completed report stipend for every report that is completed on any team they support.
All trainings will be led by Watershed Advisors in partnership with MSDE. Training will take place virtually on the following Saturday dates:
- May 10, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- May 17, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- May 31, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- June 7, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
Team Leads and Report Developers will have an additional role-specific training session:
- Team Leads: May 20, 2025 from 4:30-6:30
- Report Developers: May 21, 2025 from 4:30-6:30
Instructional Material Review (IMR) Team members will be compensated for successful completion of all training sessions. Some prework will be required to prepare for sessions. The training stipend considers both the synchronous and asynchronous time demands, and participants will receive certificates for 20+ PDPs.
Participation in all training sessions is mandatory. Please ensure you are available on the dates for training:
- May 10, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- May 17, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- May 31, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
- June 7, 2025 from 9:00-12:30
Team Leads and Report Developers will have an additional role-specific training session:
- Team Leads: May 20, 2025 from 4:30-6:30
- Report Developers: May 21, 2025 from 4:30-6:30
Teams will be composed of the following 5 positions:
- 3 Reviewers
- 1 Team Lead
- 1 Report Developer
Roles: Reviewers, Team Leads, Report Developers
The HQIM Reviewers will conduct the unbiased review of curricular materials, analyzing the content of the instructional materials and considering evidence that demonstrates alignment to the rubric.
The Team Lead will facilitate the discussion of the review team, manage the consensus-building process through dialogue, schedule collaborative review meetings, and ensure arrival at a consensus rating for each curriculum.
The Report Developer will create the final report for each curriculum, including ongoing review of all ratings and notes collected by the team, documenting the strengths and weaknesses of each curriculum accurately and in a timely manner, and presenting the overall rating and key findings clearly and concisely on deadlines established by MSDE.
HQIM Reviewers should have content level expertise in their grade band and content area, as well as commitment to and demonstrated experience implementing HQIM skillfully and instructing diverse students. Any experience directly related to curriculum development, review, or evaluation, is preferred, although not required.
All members of the team are required to demonstrate commitment to equity and the ability to work as a team towards a shared objective.
The Team Leads should have expertise in organizing groups (norms, schedules, communications, etc.), managing disagreement between team members to reach a common objective, and previous experience facilitating discussions between adult learners.
All members of the team are required to demonstrate commitment to equity and the ability to work as a team towards a shared objective.
The Report Developers should have professional expertise in writing reports, as well as experience synthesizing and documenting information succinctly, accurately, and in a timely manner.
All members of the team are required to demonstrate commitment to equity and the ability to work as a team towards a shared objective.
Materials
Educators with experience implementing material selected for review are still encouraged to apply. MSDE will be prioritizing impartiality, and decisions about staffing review teams for any selected material will be made on a case-by-case basis.
MSDE prioritized materials based upon two considerations:
- Materials that primarily met expectations for standards alignment through an existing curricular review, such as that led by EdReports
- Materials that were frequently used by our districts
No. MSDE maintains objectivity and impartiality as a state agency. Neither MSDE nor their partners exchanged any financial compensation with any publishers.
