ELA Curriculum Adoption

The current elementary ELA curriculum, Reading Wonders, was implemented in K-5 classrooms in the fall of 2015. Through professional learning in the Science of Reading, we identified a need to supplement Reading Wonders with an explicit and systematic foundational literacy program. K-2 teachers were trained in the implementation of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI) in August of 2021. 3rd grade teachers were trained in ECRI in August of 2022. 

Through the research phase of our Curriculum Adoption Flowchart, we reviewed our current Reading Wonders curriculum and implementation of ECRI. A need was identified for a large scale K-5 ELA curriculum adoption. The estimated process and timeline for this work is listed below:

Phase I: Foundation Reading Skills Rubric | The initial rubric process will be completed by our in-district LETRS local facilitators and focused on foundations reading skills. These four individuals have completed Units 1-4 of LETRS training and are working through the process of becoming LETRS trainers. The screening rubric for this process is linked here (Foundational Reading Skills tab). The task of the foundational reading skills rubric team is to narrow the list of curricula to bring to the larger K-5 ELA Adoption Committee. 

Foundational Skills Screening Team Summary | 3.8.24

Phase II: Comprehensive K-5 ELA Adoption Committee | The second phase of this process is to establish a comprehensive K-5 ELA Adoption Committee comprising of a representation of classroom teachers from all grade levels and all schools as well as Title I/LAP, principals, multi-lingual, and Special Education. The task of the comprehensive K-5 ELA Adoption Committee is to take the narrowed list of curricula and further narrow the list, reaching consensus on two curricula that will be piloted in the fall of 2025. The constraints of the work are alignment with the Washington State English Language Arts Standards, Science of Reading, LETRS professional learning, and the Task Force Guiding Principles. The screening rubric for this process is linked here.

K-5 ELA Adoption Committee Summary | 3.28.24
K-5 ELA Adoption Committee Summary | 4.8.24
K-5 ELA Adoption Committee Summary | 4.26.24
K-5 ELA Adoption Committee Summary | 6.3.24

Phase III: Stakeholder Input | As part of the rubric screening stage, we will actively seek community input regarding experience with our current Elementary ELA curriculum as well as priorities that should be considered when reviewing curriculum options. Surveys will be sent to elementary teachers, students, and families. The family survey will also be posted on this website. In addition to our surveys, adoption committee members and school staff will be hosting listening sessions. With the goal of soliciting as many voices in this process as possible, families and students will have the opportunity to share their input on ELA instruction.

All stakeholder input will be provided to the ELA Adoption Committee for review and consideration as a new curriculum is selected. Additional opportunities for stakeholder input will be provided during Stage 3 - Classroom Pilot.  

A small group of classroom teachers will pilot ELA curriculum materials in the fall/winter of the 2023-2024 school year: 

• Early September - Early November | Wit & Wisdom and Really Great Reading
• Mid-November - Early February | CKLA

The pilot will include all grade levels, K-5, and at least 3 teachers from each of our elementary schools. 

Stakeholder Input | Throughout the pilot process, teachers who are piloting materials in their classroom will solicit feedback from students and families. The data collected will be shared with the Elementary ELA Adoption Committee for their review prior to the committee decision. During the pilot stage, the Teaching & Learning team will also host community preview events where families can review the curriculum that is being piloted in classrooms. 

Based on the current timeline, our Elementary ELA Adoption Committee will meet to review pilot data and stakeholder input in order to reach consensus on a curriculum recommendation in late winter of 2025. 

Stakeholder Input | After the Elementary ELA Adoption Committee reaching consensus, the Teaching & Learning team will host a community preview where families will be able to preview the selected materials. 

Once the Elementary ELA Adoption Committee reaches consensus on a recommended curriculum, the recommendation is taken to the Instructional Materials Committee (IMC). The role of the IMC is to ensure that our adoption process was completed with integrity and then vote to move the recommendation on to the School Board for adoption. 

Once the IMC votes to approve the Elementary ELA Adoption Committee recommendation, a representative from the committee will present to the School Board. In the first reading to the School Board, the recommendation will be presented as well as an overview of the process that was taken to reach that decision. In the second reading, the School Board will vote to adopted the recommended curriculum. The current goal is that this process will take place in the spring of 2025. 

Based on the current timeline, the goal is to start implementing the newly adopted curriculum in K-5 classrooms in the fall of the 2025-2026 school year. 

The current middle school ELA curriculum, College Board's SpringBoard, was implemented in 6-12 classrooms in the fall of 2008. In the fall of 2022, College Board's representatives informed us of their intent to sunset the SpringBoard product. Because several ELA products for middle school are K-8, we have been waiting for the elementary rubric screening process to ensure that our middle school team closely examines any K-8 products that the elementary team is investigating and will be able to rule out products that the elementary team identifies as not aligned with the Science of Reading.

Phase I: Middle School ELA Adoption Committee | The first phase of this process is to establish a Middle School ELA Adoption Committee comprising of a representation of ELA classroom teachers from all grade levels and all schools. The task of the committee is to take the list of curricula identified for review by the K-5 team, combine it with the list of available 6-8 products, and reach consensus on two curricula that will be piloted in the fall of 2025. The constraints of the work are alignment with the Washington State English Language Arts Standards, Science of Reading, and the Task Force Guiding Principles. Screening of curricula is based on rubrics from IMET and the Screening for Biased Content in Instructional Materials.  

Phase II: Stakeholder Input | As part of the rubric screening stage, we will actively seek community input regarding experience with our current middle school ELA curriculum as well as priorities that should be considered when reviewing curriculum options. Surveys will be sent to middle school ELA teachers, students, and families. The family survey will also be posted on this website. With the goal of soliciting as many voices in this process as possible, families and students will have the opportunity to share their input on ELA instruction.

All stakeholder input will be provided to the Adoption Committee for review and consideration as a new curriculum is selected. Additional opportunities for stakeholder input will be provided during Stage 3 - Classroom Pilot.  

Based on our current timeline, the plan is to pilot curriculum in middle school classrooms in the fall and winter of the 2024-2025 school year. More information will be posted as the timeline approaches. 

Stakeholder Input | Throughout the pilot process, teachers who are piloting materials in their classroom will solicit feedback from students and families. The data collected will be shared with the Middle School ELA Adoption Committee for their review prior to the committee decision. During the pilot stage, the Teaching & Learning team will also host community preview events where families can review the curriculum that is being piloted in classrooms. 

Based on the current timeline, our Middle School ELA Adoption Committee will meet to review pilot data and stakeholder input in order to reach consensus on a curriculum recommendation in late winter of 2025. 

Stakeholder Input | After the Middle School ELA Adoption Committee reaches consensus, the Teaching & Learning team will host a community preview where families will be able to preview the selected materials. 

Once the Middle School ELA Adoption Committee reaches consensus on a recommended curriculum, the recommendation is taken to the Instructional Materials Committee (IMC). The role of the IMC is to ensure that our adoption process was completed with integrity and then vote to move the recommendation on to the School Board for adoption. 

Once the IMC votes to approve the Middle School ELA Adoption Committee recommendation, a representative from the committee will present to the School Board. In the first reading to the School Board, the recommendation will be presented as well as an overview of the process that was taken to reach that decision. In the second reading, the School Board will vote to adopted the recommended curriculum. The current goal is that this process will take place in the spring of 2025. 

Based on the current timeline, the goal is to start implementing the newly adopted curriculum in 6-8 ELA classrooms in the fall of the 2025-2026 school year. 

Phase I: High School ELA Adoption Committee | The first phase of this process was to establish a High School ELA Adoption Committee comprising of a representation of ELA classroom teachers from all grade levels and all schools. The task of the committee was to review high school ELA products that received all green ratings from EdReports, and reach consensus on two curricula that will be piloted in the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. The constraints of the work were alignment with the Washington State English Language Arts Standards, Science of Reading, and the Task Force Guiding Principles. Screening of curricula is based on rubrics from IMET and the Screening for Biased Content in Instructional Materials. The High School ELA Adoption Committee selected two products to move forward to the pilot state: myPerspectives from Savvas and the Odell High School Literacy Program published by Open-Up Resources.

Phase II: Stakeholder Input | As part of the rubric screening stage, we will actively seek community input regarding experience with our current high school ELA curriculum as well as priorities that should be considered when reviewing curriculum options. Surveys will be sent to middle school ELA teachers, students, and families. The family survey will also be posted on this website. With the goal of soliciting as many voices in this process as possible, families and students will have the opportunity to share their input on ELA instruction.

All stakeholder input will be provided to the Adoption Committee for review and consideration as a new curriculum is selected. 

Teachers will pilot curriculum in high school classrooms during second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Piloting teachers will notify students and families of the pilot prior to beginning a unit from either myPerspectives or Odell. Units were selected for piloting based on their alignment with standards and unit goals already established for second semester in an effort to maximize coherence to students in those classes.

Stakeholder Input | Throughout the pilot process, teachers who are piloting materials in their classroom will solicit feedback from students and families. The data collected will be shared with the High School ELA Adoption Committee for their review prior to the committee decision. 

On May 7, our High School ELA Adoption Committee will met to review pilot data and input from students, families, and teachers. The team selected to recommend Odell High School Literacy Program, published by Open-Up Resources, for adoption by the school board. Families expressed an interest in students reading more whole texts and having more print access, both of which are strengths of the Odell product. Because Odell's materials for each course include more content than can be taught in a single year, teams at each school met to discuss which units to include in the adoption and generate common book lists for community review. These book lists include all of the long form texts that students will be assigned but do not include all excerpt content that would be included in Unit Readers. For more information about excerpts and essays associated with each development unit, please refer to the Course-at-a-Glance page for that unit.

The role of the IMC is to ensure that our adoption process was completed with integrity and then vote to move the recommendation on to the School Board for adoption. The IMC met on Thursday, May 30 to review a presentation by the team and voted to approve the process, moving the adoption forward to the School Board.

After the IMC's approval of the High School ELA Adoption Committee's recommendation to adopt the Odell High School Literacy Program, a representative from the committee will present to the School Board. In the first reading to the School Board, the recommendation will be presented as well as an overview of the process that was taken to reach that decision. In the second reading, the School Board will vote to adopted the recommended curriculum. The current goal is that this process will take place in the spring of 2025. 

Based on the current timeline, the goal is to start implementing the newly adopted curriculum in 9-12 ELA classrooms in the fall of the 2024-2025 school year.