Recent Communications

Meet the CSA Team: Mary Ann Lidrbauch

Interviewer: What is your name? Mary Ann: Mary Ann Lidrbauch Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Mary Ann: Executive Editor, Career & Technical Education (CTE) Interviewer: What does that position entail? Mary Ann: I oversee, develop, and edit CTE projects while managing independent contractors. Goals for my position include meeting client-specified guidelines and delivering

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a portrait of Gabriela Moya

Meet the CSA Team: Gabriela Moya

Interviewer: What is your name? Gabriela: Gabriela Moya  Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Gabriela: Associate Director, World Languages Interviewer: What does that position entail? Gabriela: The World Languages department is new at CSA, which is exciting as I get to establish a solid foundation for its evolution and growth. In this role, it

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Bellamy Taylor-Pines

Meet the CSA Team: Bellamy Taylor-Pines

Interviewer: What is your name? Bellamy: Bellamy Taylor-Pines Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Bellamy: Alignment Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Bellamy: I work on projects for publishing companies so that their curriculum resources are aligned to various educational standards. Sometimes, I complete the alignments myself, but oftentimes, our fantastic crew of

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Meet the CSA Team: Homer Ortega

Interviewer: What is your name? Homer: Homer Ortega Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Homer: Design and Production Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Homer: Working with different teams to design and produce the educational content that CSA creates. I also get to learn new, advanced applications such as content management systems (CMS)

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Meet the CSA Team: Junior Barros

Interviewer: What is your name? Junior: Actually, my first name is Ronald, but no one except my mom (when she was angry) called me by that. So I grew up as a Junior, and that kind of matched my personality and stuck. Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Junior: Senior Multimedia Designer Interviewer: What

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Learning Outdoors with CSA

May 10, 2023 (rev) Outdoor education programs can happen anywhere, for any grade, and in all kinds of educational settings. By connecting classroom learning with the great outdoors, teachers can create awesome learning communities that truly immerse students in science and help them understand the material on a deeper level. Outdoor education offers curricular benefits

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Meet the CSA Team: Kerri Killeen

Interviewer: What is your name? Kerri: Kerri Killeen Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Kerri: Resource and Training Specialist Interviewer: What does that position entail? Kerri: My job is to ensure we have talented freelancers for all of our projects. This includes not only finding talent, but also providing training so individuals can improve

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Online Learning Engagement

The prevalence of online learning may have gained popularity as an emergency response to a global pandemic, but it has shifted to a viable learning option that is being adopted around the country. Even as the pandemic started to recede, enrollment in virtual schools and online learning grew to 176% of its pre-pandemic levels.  Your

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An illustration of Andrea Stefanowicz

Meet the CSA Team: Andrea Stefanowicz

Interviewer: What is your name? Andrea: Andrea Stefanowicz Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Andrea: Project Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Andrea: As a Project Manager, I make sure all the pieces of a project meet the required schedule and budget expectations. I work with internal staff and clients to ensure material

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Meet the CSA Team: Amber Allen

Interviewer: What is your name? Amber: Amber Allen Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Amber: Associate Director, Business Development Interviewer: What does that position entail? Amber: I work directly with clients to learn and fully understand their goals and connect them with the teams and services that CSA offers. I collaborate closely with clients

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students in a classroom raise their hands

CSA Can Do That

You probably heard it in the classroom all the time: there is no such thing as a dumb question and you don’t get what you don’t ask for. CSA Education thrives on seeing clients’ eyes light up when we hear those wonderful words: “I didn’t know you could do that!” Our multidisciplinary staff is the

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A portrait of Olivia Quinn

Meet the CSA Team: Olivia Quinn

Interviewer: What is your name? Olivia: Olivia Quinn Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Olivia: Associate Project Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Olivia: My work involves wearing a few hats—for some projects, I support CSA’s Project Managers behind the scenes. For other projects, I work as a client-facing Project Manager. If I

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Accessibility in Educational Design

When companies ask CSA Education to create online materials, we design them with accessibility for all learners in mind. We always consider different learning styles and physical abilities of students, making sure our clients’ programs leave no one out.  Examples of accessibility:  With the prevalence of online learning using digital products, publishers and content creators

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Middle-school students play a game in the classroom

4 Benefits of Play-Based Learning

Play-based learning isn’t always easy to weave into curriculum, but it is arguably even more important now as educators face pandemic-related learning gaps. And, yes, play-based learning is important for middle-school students, too! Benefits of play-based learning include: If you need help incorporating play into your program’s lessons or creating a more balanced program, CSA

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A portrait of Ron Watson

Meet the CSA Team: Ron Watson

Interviewer: What is your name? Ron: Ron Watson  Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Ron: Director, Humanities and Assessment Interviewer: What does that position entail? Ron: I oversee curriculum development for K–12 Humanities projects, covering Social Studies as well as some higher-level ELA projects. I also work with other disciplines on Assessment projects as

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Portrait of Via Baker

Meet the CSA Team: Via Baker

Interviewer: What is your name? Via: Via Baker  Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Via: Resource Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Via: A little bit of many different things, which suits me well. My primary responsibilities are most easily described as tech support and data management, but I also support other departments

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Phonics Instruction Is the Key to Reading Success

November 9, 2022 (rev) In education, the spotlight that shines on phonics comes and goes. Though the practice of connecting letters and sounds is the basic foundation of reading, its importance is often overlooked. A couple years ago, the spotlight was shining brightly on phonics, so much so that publishers and developers started to evaluate

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A portrait of Michael Aki

Meet the CSA Team: Michael Aki

Interviewer: What is your name? Michael: Michael Aki Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Michael: Senior Director of Design and UX Interviewer: What does that position entail? Michael: My role is a hybrid role, as it spans both the traditional and digital areas. On the traditional side, I lead the creative efforts in design

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Supporting Struggling Readers

Among many other things, October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month. This reading disorder affects approximately 3–7 percent of the population, making it one of the most common learning disabilities. Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder characterized by difficulties in word recognition and decoding, independent of intellectual ability. Research shows that explicit, systematic instruction in phonological awareness

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Chris Benson portrait

Meet the CSA Team: Chris Benson

Interviewer: What is your name? Chris: Chris Benson Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Chris: Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Interviewer: What does that position entail? Chris: I help develop all types of print and digital content related to Career and Technical Education. There are sixteen different career clusters in CTE that

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Portrait of Karen Veit

Meet the CSA Team: Karen Veit

Interviewer: What is your name? Karen: Karen Veit Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Karen: Director, Math and Instructional Design Interviewer: What does that position entail? Karen: I oversee all of the projects in the Math department and support any Instructional Design needs in all areas. I’m also always looking for opportunities to support

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Guided Readers

September 14, 2022 (rev) Students will always learn to read at their own individual pace. Some learn quickly but struggle to find interesting topics, while others have difficulty with simple sentences. For these and many other reasons, guided reading programs and leveled readers have become essential in building fluency and critical reading skills. It is

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Portrait of Cathy Castle, Project Manager

Meet the CSA Team: Cathy Castle

Interviewer: What is your name? Cathy: Cathy Castle Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Cathy: Project Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Cathy: As a Project Manager, my role is to work with both the client teams and the internal CSA teams to ensure that projects run smoothly, that workflows and schedules are

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Differentiated Learning Makes for an Effective Curriculum

August 31, 2022 (rev) Over the last few years, a spotlight has fallen on a unique factor in education. While traditional schooling might have presented distractions, learning from home has helped some students thrive. Teachers and parents have seen how differentiated learning plays a role in student success. Each student has different interests, needs, and

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Portrait of Christine Ruiz, Director of Science and SEL

Meet the CSA Team: Christine Ruiz

Interviewer: What is your name? Christine: Christine Ruiz Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Christine: Director of Science and SEL Interviewer: What does that position entail? Christine: I oversee curriculum development for K–12 Science as well as consulting with other disciplines on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) projects. I work closely with our amazing

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Art Buying Services

August 15, 2022 (rev) Art plays a pivotal role in students’ learning when aligned properly to content. Our Art Buying team at CSA Education makes certain that the content demands are thoroughly understood by using an integrated workflow with the editorial team. Our teams work closely to ensure that specs are clearly written and that an

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Portrait of Kim Fletcher

Meet the CSA Team: Kim Fletcher

Interviewer: What is your name? Kim: Kim Fletcher Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Kim: Account Executive Interviewer: What does that position entail? Kim: I wear a couple of hats here. I work directly with clients to help them fully understand the services that CSA offers, and how those services can provide solutions to

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Short-Form Instructional Videos

July 26, 2022 (rev) With the increase of digital content, it can be a challenge to create materials that focus on engagement in a comprehensive and concise way. At CSA Education, we tackle this challenge by creating short-form instructional videos. Working with teachers and designers, we can develop videos, from simple to complex, to fit any

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Portrait of Angelique Chavez, Director of PM

Meet the CSA Team: Angelique Chavez

Interviewer: What is your name? Angel: Angelique Chavez Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Angel: I am the Director of Project Management. Interviewer: What does that position entail? Angel: I provide leadership, direction, guidance, and coaching to the Project Management team and the broader project team in relation to approach, activities, risks, issues, and

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CSA Can Develop Your PD Materials

July 12, 2022 (rev) Teachers continue to face many challenges as they navigate in-person, online, and hybrid teaching. Education companies are stepping up to provide training and support to all teachers, and CSA is here to help. CSA Education has former teachers on staff, covering all subject areas and grades PreK–12 plus CTE. We understand how

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A close up of dart board with a dart in the bullseye

Five Reasons Clients Hire CSA Education for Alignment Services

June 29, 2022 Over three decades, CSA Education’s Alignment Services department has grown into an elite operation and the go-to alignment service for academic publishers and digital platform developers of every size. Here are five reasons why clients hire CSA for their Alignment Service needs: Accuracy: CSA’s subject-matter experts (SMEs) are well-versed in the ins

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African American girl with friend watch video lesson on computer

Accessibility Reviews Ensure WCAG Compliance

June 14, 2022 WCAG compliance and various accessibility requirements are now a de facto necessity for virtually all school districts. WCAG guidelines, and other guidelines, provide a means for compliance. The challenge is that it is often not clear what compliance means for various products, and the educational settings they are in. That is where

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Universal Design for Learning

May 23, 2022 (rev) Publishers and Developers continue to work to make their curricula accessible to all students by offering a variety of learning experiences. While the one-size-fits-all program continues to be the convenient option, teachers are leaning towards adapting their lessons to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to meet their students’ unique learning

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A portrait of Joanna Merrithey, Senior Director of Content

Meet the CSA Team: Joanna Merrithey

Interviewer: What is your name? Joanna: Joanna Merrithey Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Joanna: Senior Director, Content Interviewer: What does that position entail? Joanna: I oversee the content development teams in ELA, Math, Science, and Humanities.  Interviewer: How did you become a part of CSA? Joanna: When I graduated from college, I had

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A portrait of Chelsea Hutto, Project Manager

Meet the CSA Team: Chelsea Hutto

Interviewer: What is your name? Chelsea: Chelsea Hutto Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Chelsea: Project Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Chelsea: For my projects, I create the project schedule and tracker, manage budgets, take care of file management and posting files to the clients, and help out freelancers. Basically, I coordinate

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Digital Learning

April 19, 2022 (rev) Your digital lessons have become an essential part of education. Right now, more students are reaching for laptops than they are for textbooks. In attempting to provide additional interactive elements beyond flipping a page, more publishers are exploring engaging and memorable ways to enhance their programs. Gamification keeps students invested in

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Team CSA logo on top of a photo of Chicago

Team CSA – Working Better Together™

April 5, 2022 Our Team CSA freelancers are the backbone of our company. Beyond our staff, we know our value and effectiveness relies on our ability to scale, which is dependent on the knowledge, experience, and resources we can bring to the table for our clients. In order to attract the best talent and resources,

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Meeting New Math Demands

Your products play a key role in a student’s positive view on mathematics. With new attention on personalized learning and digital programs, the growing demand for a diverse range of educational materials brings additional pressures. You are continuously exploring new avenues to present your products while continuing to keep them informative and engaging. This is

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English Language Learners

March 15, 2022 (rev) Effective communication is the essential gateway to learning, and your ELD programs provide the foundation each child deserves. The rising number of English language learners in the United States foreshadows a greater demand for this kind of curriculum. However, most teachers have little to no training in effective methods for teaching

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A portrait of Kimberly Gier, Associate Director of Alignment Services

Meet the CSA Team: Kimberly Gier

Interviewer: What is your name? Kimberly: Kimberly Gier Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Kimberly: Alignment Manager, STEM Interviewer: What does that position entail? Kimberly: I staff and manage projects that have us looking at different textbooks, digital curricula, and supplemental materials and comparing them to educational standards. We help schools and districts learn

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A portrait of Corrie Thompson, Senior Editor

Meet the CSA Team: Corrie Thompson

Interviewer: What is your name? Corrie: Corrie Thompson Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Corrie: Senior Editor Interviewer: What does that position entail? Corrie: I work on editorial projects, and I do everything from answering freelancer questions to ensuring we are meeting due dates, writing content, editing content, and other project-specific needs. Basically, I

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A portrait of Katie Delbridge, Associate Director of ELA

Meet the CSA Team: Katie Delbridge

Interviewer: What is your name? Katie: Katie Delbridge Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Katie: Executive Editor Interviewer: How did you become a part of CSA? Katie: I worked for a major client of CSA years ago. I really enjoyed the experience and working with the CSA team. When this position opened, I went

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A portrait of Emily Baier, Senior Editor of Math

Meet the CSA Team: Emily Baier

Interviewer: What is your name? Emily: Emily Baier  Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Emily: Senior Math Editor Interviewer: How did you become a part of CSA? Emily: I started freelance writing on various math projects for CSA. When this position became available, I applied immediately because I loved working with the people at

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A portrait of Liz Howe, Alignment Manager

Meet the CSA Team: Liz Howe

Interviewer: What is your name? Liz: Liz Howe Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Liz: Alignment Manager Interviewer: What does that position entail? Liz: That’s a really good question. I receive requests from educational publishing companies to have their programs/curriculum aligned with educational standards. Sometimes, I will perform the alignment myself. But the majority

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A portrait of Teresa Roberts, Vice President of Human Resources and Operations

Meet the CSA Team: Teresa Roberts

Interviewer: What is your name? Teresa: Teresa Roberts Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Teresa:  Senior Director, Alignment Services Interviewer: What does that position entail? Teresa: I oversee the Alignment Services department, which means making sure that our fantastic Alignment Managers have all the tools they need to follow through on projects for a

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A portrait of Eric Placek, Alignment Manager

Meet the CSA Team: Eric Placek

Interviewer: What is your name? Eric: Eric Placek Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Eric: Alignment Manager, Humanities Interviewer: What does that position entail? Eric: I receive alignment requests from educational publishing companies and fulfill those requests by explaining the project to a correlator, who will align the requested program and educational standards. In

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Meet the CSA Team: Jen Gavigan

Interviewer: What is your name? Jen: Jen Gavigan Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Jen: Associate Director of Editorial Services Interviewer: What does that position entail? Jen: This is a new position at CSA in which I will build and manage the team responsible for any editorial services that a project would need. This includes copyediting, proofreading, indexing, fact-checking, accuracy

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Meet the CSA Team: Andrea Woudenberg-Harvey

Interviewer: What is your name? Andrea: Andrea Woudenberg-Harvey Interviewer: What is your position at CSA Education? Andrea: Senior Editor Interviewer: What does that position entail? Andrea: I oversee projects, create and edit materials, manage freelance writers and editors, and liaise with clients. My job is to solve problems for both my clients and my freelancers!

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Meet the CSA Team: Brian Kozlowski

Interviewer: What is your name? Interviewee: Brian Kozlowski Interviewer: What is your position at CSA Education? Interviewee: Director of Operations Interviewer: What does that position entail? Interviewee: The simplest way to describe the role is to say I am a “behind-the-scenes” part of the CSA team.  I’m involved in a little bit of everything from managing/monitoring systems, procedures, and internal projects

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Meet the CSA Team: Ingrid Benson

Interviewer: What is your name? Interviewee: Ingrid Benson Interviewer: What is your position at CSA? Interviewee: Senior Director, Strategy and Business Development Interviewer: What does that position entail? Interviewee: I work with our clients and the various CSA teams to learn about, estimate, and kick off projects. I also promote CSA’s services to help our clients match up their project needs

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Meet the CSA Team: Pam Garner

Interviewer: What is your name? Interviewee:  Pam Garner Interviewer: What is your position at CSA Education? Interviewee: Executive Director Interviewer: What does that position entail? Interviewee: I have my nose in just about everything at CSA. I help with business development. I help with determining growth and where the growth should be. I also oversee the math department and played

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STEAM Education Creates Synergy

March 19, 2021 By teaching in-demand skills that prepare students for their future careers, publishers and developers are seeing an ever-growing demand in STEAM curriculum. STEAM education not only encourages project-based learning across five disciplines, it fosters an inclusive learning environment where students engage and contribute to help each other learn. According to the U.S.

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Successful Pre-K Curricula Emphasize Play over Academics

February 18, 2021 Preschool is often a child’s first experience in a school environment. These programs provide support for working parents while carefully introducing children to the school experience. With more cities and states designating additional funding for preschool curricula, publishers understand the importance of creating programs that strike a balance between basic academic skills

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CSA Education Welcomes Karen Veit

CSA Education offers a huge welcome to the newest member of our team, Karen Veit! With over twenty-three years of experience in education as a math teacher and curriculum developer, Karen joins us in a new role as Associate Director, Math and Instructional Design. Known for her proficiency in resource forecasting, project planning, and product

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Repurposing for Digital Delivery

January 15, 2021 With more focus being placed on online learning, many educational companies are trying to find ways to make their programs accessible digitally. They already have quality print curricula and are seeking to repurpose those materials for digital delivery. However, educational companies are finding that the shift from print to digital is not

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CSA Education Makes Online Learning Engaging

December 30, 2020 Online learning has become a necessity, and there is an increasing demand for web-based curriculum. Your programs bring essential academics into students’ homes, but online lessons are challenging for those unfamiliar with the territory. Parents and guardians may find programs difficult to navigate, and teachers are struggling to keep students invested in

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CSA Education Welcomes Angelique Chavez

CSA Education is delighted to announce that Angelique Chavez has joined our team! Angel will step into the role of Director of Project Management and work with our Alignment Services and Curriculum Development departments to keep our projects on track and up to our high quality standard. Previously, Angel held the roles of Art Manager

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CSA Education Knows Alignment

September 22, 2020 Accuracy in aligning curriculum is critical to meeting the most important standards set by states and the federal government. Whether it’s addressing a state’s new standards or designing rubrics for the Next Generation Science Standards, CSA Education is familiar and comfortable with every alignment project a publisher might need. Along with increased accuracy

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