Administrators, curriculum directors, and schoolteachers often call IEW’s Schools Department asking if our curriculum meets state educational standards. Some schools or charter schools are not allowed to recommend items if they are not aligned with state standards, so it is important to have these standards. Additionally, teachers who have autonomy to choose curriculum for their classrooms sometimes need to provide state standards documentation to their administrators. Furthermore, some homeschooling families may be required by their state to prove their curriculum is aligned with state standards. In 2025 IEW contracted with EdGate, a nationally recognized company that offers comprehensive educational standards and alignment services, to provide state standards correlations for twenty-eight different IEW titles.
What are educational standards?
All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and many US territories have adopted a set of core academic standards that detail grade-level learning goals designed to ensure high school graduates acquire the necessary English language arts (ELA)/literacy and mathematics skills and knowledge for college and career readiness. The majority of these states and territories follow Common Core State Standards, which were developed in 2009 by a coordinated, state-led effort by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. The nine states that did not adopt the Common Core State Standards each individually adopted their own set of core standards to inform instruction in their states.
Why are educational standards useful?
Grade-level educational standards provide teachers and administrators with clear and measurable outcomes for what students should be able to do at each grade level. The standards inform instruction. They do not, however, dictate how teachers should teach. Local school districts, administrators, and teachers decide the best methods and curriculum for their schools and classrooms. Finally, the standards help measure achievement. Districts, school administrators, and teachers can measure student success, both individually and collectively, based on these common goals.
What are the English Language Arts/Literacy Standards?
The standards for English language arts include outcomes for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills in the ELA classroom. They also encompass literacy standards for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects because students must use language effectively in all content areas. The skills and knowledge in the ELA/literacy standards comprise critical thinking skills and involve attentively reading texts so that students learn reasoning and evidence collection skills. The standards are meant to define what it means to be a literate person who is prepared for college and a career.
What is EdGate?
According to the company’s website, “At EdGate, we’ve spent more than 25 years helping publishers and edtech innovators turn complex standards into clear, actionable results.” IEW began working with EdGate in 2012, when the company first provided standards alignments for the Structure and Style® methodology and the Schools Department’s Primary Writing Lessons. In 2023 IEW contracted with EdGate to provide standards correlations for Adventures in Writing, all levels of Structure and Style for Students, and all levels of Fix It!® Grammar. Fifteen more titles were aligned at the end of 2025.
How does IEW curriculum align to educational standards?
EdGate provided standards correlations for IEW’s Primary Writing Lessons, Structure and Style for Students (Writing with Video Lessons), ten Writing Across the Curriculum titles, Introduction to Public Speaking, University-Ready Writing, and Fix It! Grammar.
Primary Writing Lessons provide standards alignments for kindergarten through second grade.
Structure and Style® for Students (SSS) courses are standards-aligned at the following grade levels:
SSS-1A – Grade 4
SSS-2A – Grade 5
SSS-1B – Grade 6
SSS-2B – Grade 7
SSS-3B – Grade 8
SSS-1C – Grade 9
SSS-2C – Grade 10
Writing Across the Curriculum titles are standards-aligned at the following grade levels:
Adventures in Writing – Grade 3
Discoveries in Writing – Grade 4
Frontiers in Writing – Grade 5
Investigations in Writing – Grade 6
Correlations for Journeys in Writing (grade 7) and Voyages in Writing (grade 8) will be added soon.
The reports for additional Level B and C Writing Across the Curriculum titles, which can be used in all the grades within the associated levels, will include the standards alignments for all the grades in the level.
Level B Grades 6–8
Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons
Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons
Modern World History-Based Writing Lessons
U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons
Wonders of Science Writing Lessons
Level C Grades 9–12
Bible-Based Writing Lessons
Introduction to Public Speaking (11, 12)
University-Ready Writing (11,12)
Fix It!® Grammar grade level correlations are as follows:
Level 1 – Grade 4
Level 2 – Grade 5
Level 3 – Grade 6
Level 4 – Grade 7
Level 5 – Grade 8
Level 6 – Grade 9
EdGate also included a state-by-state correlation of the IEW methodology to specific state standards. All the standards listed are met by the specific unit and stylistic technique taught within that unit regardless of source text. Therefore, for the few IEW titles that are not included in these standards alignments, educators can review an aligned book from the appropriate grade level to review which standards are met. Also, additional standards could be met by choosing source texts that cover certain content standards. While the IEW® curriculum is generally associated with writing and grammar skills, the Structure and Style method also cultivates reading, speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills.
How do you find and read EdGate’s state-by-state grade-level correlation reports?
EdGate’s state standards correlation reports can be found here. Once you choose your state, you will find grade-level alignments for each book listed above. For the Primary Writing Lessons and Structure and Style for Students curriculum, the standards correlations are listed by week. Writing Across the Curriculum and Fix It! Grammar correlations are listed by lesson.
If you have questions about IEW curriculum and state standards alignment, please contact us. Administrators and schoolteachers can contact the Schools Department. Teaching parents, tutors, and other homeschool instructors can contact customer service.
by Andrea Pewthers
