Curriculum misalignment is a major obstacle for EdTech companies trying to scale in the K-12 space. In our recent webinar, a panel of experts discussed how innovative tools and smarter workflows are helping publishers and providers overcome these barriers, streamline state-level alignments, and improve approval timelines.

Meet the Panel

The session was moderated by Rich Portelance, Senior Consultant at EdGate, and featured insights from:

• Melissa Quinn, Education Specialist at News-O-Matic
• Ashli Denton, Manager of Catalog Operations at Edmentum
• Heather Talbot, Business Development Executive at EdGate

Together, they offered a grounded look at what’s working, what’s not, and how forward-thinking teams are handling the growing complexity of curriculum alignment.

The Core Challenges

Curriculum providers today face a mix of logistical and procedural challenges when aligning to state-specific standards. Panelists highlighted a few key hurdles:

• Varied standards across states make multi-jurisdictional alignment a moving target
• RFP response timelines are tight, but manual alignment slows teams down
• Incomplete or outdated alignments can result in lost opportunities and delayed approvals

How Technology is Making a Difference

One of the main themes of the discussion was how technology, especially technology-assisted alignment tools, can remove much of the friction from the process. Tools like EdGate’s ExACT Standards Alignment Platform use data-driven frameworks to speed up alignment, automate tagging, and generate cross-state coverage with far more accuracy than manual methods alone.

This isn’t just theory, panelists shared real-world examples from News-O-Matic and Edmentum, showing how these tools helped reduce manual lift, improve consistency, and respond to state requirements faster and more effectively.

Strategic Moves for Alignment Success

If your team is working through the challenges of state-level adoption, the panel shared a few important takeaways:

• Choose platforms that are built for multi-state standards management
• Regularly update standards data to stay in sync with state-level changes
• Use analytics to identify and close gaps in your content proactively

Why It Matters

For publishers and EdTech companies, faster alignment means lower costs and a shorter path to market. For educators and districts, it means confidence that the content they are using truly aligns to the standards they are required to meet. Everyone benefits when the process is more efficient and precise.

What’s Next

You can watch the full webinar recording to hear directly from the panelists and see how these strategies are playing out in practice. Or follow our Powers Education Podcast for more insights.

If your team is looking to gain a competitive edge in curriculum adoption, explore EdGate’s ExACT to learn how multi-state alignment, gap analysis, and streamlined standards management can support your goals.