[{"_1":2,"_96":-5,"_97":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6088921,"mediaKeyId","2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7","parentId",2878650,"title","District hears competing pitches for K–6 ELA core as pilot wraps up","audioSeconds",5079,"startMs",656905,"endMs",5736105,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7&start=656&end=5736","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7/thumbnail_656905.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6088921/Pennsylvania/District-hears-competing-pitches-for-K6-ELA-core-as-pilot-wraps-up","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088921-a01e6f634cf32f219cbc81e52e298496/orig.mp4?Expires=1770394839&Signature=fkdRptowPXbx7~NSwgWPDaciyKzFPXOjqNZ7s6XylS2zbCS1R4nE-CxuCkXT704Z2Q2OZ~YEvwykhdsghJDqtztRd~Ypewb3aoh5iZ6WajGKu4KqBKC956YOA7aZFVxKrRSB~VPUnX~FQm2LtbKCiWNQHqVIIFBl4e~56312bEEKaNDz3J9tuzsjDF0WaDrBHyK6hxgG3sjC706LptegulS8y0dzvbL7vbDJM6Yi8oJw9G-qgEeD-2CorVZtKoCM9t4WwakerIywmI4lGXWmjjcZJO0b3CeuHL1QAd2MzIcnICG2H6NV6Mg9pczAXIbFpJY2T9lnufgiOPo6ooqX1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-04T20:40:07.563Z","article","Benchmark Advance and Great Minds presented competing English language arts curricula to the Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District Education Affairs Committee as the district’s classroom pilot for K–5 ELA nears completion.

Committee Chair Dr. Sharon Badick told the meeting that pilot classrooms will finish instructional materials on Friday, Aug. 4, and that staff will survey teachers and students immediately after the pilot; the committee will receive a recommendation in May. The presentations summarized classroom materials, assessment and digital supports, and implementation plans.

Why it matters: the committee is narrowing an adoption decision that will determine the district’s primary K–6 ELA materials and the associated professional development, student consumables and digital platforms for multiple grades. Staff said a May recommendation will guide summer professional development and fall rollout planning.

Benchmark Advance, represented in person by John Wolf and Molly Felicia, described the Benchmark Advance 2026 package as a structured, research‑based K–6 program aligned to Pennsylvania standards and the science of reading. Wolf emphasized vertical knowledge progression and a balance of fiction and nonfiction across 10 units per grade; he described integrated phonics routines, decodables for early grades, weekly and unit assessments, and an online portal called Benchmark Universe that offers interactive ebooks, practice games and reporting for teachers. Benchmark staff said the 2026 edition increases explicit foundational instruction and adds practice and handwriting supports for early grades.

Great Minds staff presented Arts and Letters (K–8), represented by Dakota Pondis and regional implementation lead Ashley Cook. Pondis said Arts and Letters centers instruction around conceptually coherent, knowledge‑building modules that pair authentic literature with informational texts, grammar and writing tasks, and embedded supports such as prologue lessons for multilingual learners. The presentation highlighted a continuum of decodable texts for small groups, consumable student workbooks, teacher editions with language‑support boxes, and digital assessment/reporting tools. Pondis said Arts and Letters brings the same design DNA as the publisher’s previous Wit and Wisdom curriculum but adds additional teacher supports and integrated prologue lessons to front‑load language for students who need it.

Committee members asked both vendors about supports for students who struggle with decoding and about evidence for gains in student writing. Benchmark representatives said their program includes systematic, explicit phonics and additional practice options (videos, games, and decodables) in Benchmark Universe and that teachers can use the materials alongside a foundational skills program such as the 95% Group. Great Minds said Arts and Letters is designed to pair with a separate explicit‑phonics program for students who need intensive decoding instruction and that their writing progression and rubrics (carried over from Wit and Wisdom) give teachers tools to monitor growth across modules and years.

Both vendors described professional learning and implementation supports. Great Minds emphasized on‑site coaching, differentiated administrator training, and an 18‑lesson ProLog sequence to give multilingual learners and students with language‑based disabilities access to core lessons. Benchmark highlighted consultant visits and embedded PD videos in the Benchmark Universe platform.

The committee did not take a final adoption vote tonight; staff reiterated that the pilot ends in early August, teacher and student surveys will be run immediately afterward, and a May recommendation will be made to the full school board. Dr. Badick also noted that the recorded presentations will be available to pilot teachers and the broader community.

Other meeting business: the committee approved the previous month’s minutes and tabled the planned Professional Learning Communities (PLC) update until the committee’s May meeting.

Quotes from presenters are drawn from their remarks during the April committee meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Educational Affairs Committee 4/2/25","oneSentenceSummary","Benchmark Advance and Great Minds presented competing English language arts curricula to the Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District Education Affairs Committee as the district’s classroom pilot for K–5 ELA nears completion.","taxTitle","Wallingford-Swarthmore SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",38778,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6088915,"District to deliver coeducational fourth‑grade puberty lesson; families given opt‑out option",0,7271945,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7&start=7271&end=7271","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7/thumbnail_7271945.jpg","/articles/6088915/Pennsylvania/District-to-deliver-coeducational-fourthgrade-puberty-lesson-families-given-optout-option","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088915-55cec695a388b9cc6c25d83afee926d5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770394839&Signature=SdwSOtqquUDYctFALBkTZAKtH6ubArkI3gak7zVNgMz7vpQWGPVy-xT5Tlu2qRrhGX1TxFkzS84UeGOuZ00~Q9OIRol6NrqeQZKhRBjsPu1jC-uq9UEUhCKC1fXPGAiuLbb3TVWMMvKjJgNP7OSBuCc9Uhos204C90CQLLqH0Ajxrpy8LfcuNO5buxUMP29F4c8f5BYG6eMtJKSqlUmMQVuO2KKWCa4P8cPKljWoaBJucVq5xPAxnqkur4mJwtV9qmcttonfc6YYNa0eEo2aUjYMnMuFTNCxUgmN7cOOMoVuSP3exi9TUQ6bnKxZSbyYhn6q~I3Rb-wwNd~rbO059w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District will present a coeducational puberty lesson to all fourth‑grade classes, district staff told the Education Affairs Committee, providing families a link to the video and an opt‑out process.

District staff described a 20–30 minute lesson taught in the classroom by the school nurse and health/PE teacher with materials adapted from an educational puberty video. The recorded lesson is approximately 13 minutes long and will be paired with teacher‑facilitated discussion; staff said principals and teaching teams prepared practice sessions, question‑box procedures and contingency plans for student opt‑outs.

Why it matters: staff said coeducational instruction reduces stigma, promotes safety and ensures students hear factual information about body changes from trusted adults rather than social media. Staff also said teaching correct anatomical terms supports child‑safety and disclosure to trusted adults if needed.

Leslie Pratt and Dr. McCullough described the district’s decision to move this instruction from fifth grade to fourth grade so students receive a common, guaranteed lesson rather than a variable set of practices across classrooms. District staff said the change followed collaboration among the K–12 nursing team, health and PE, building principals and the curriculum office, and that Pennsylvania is in the process of updating state health standards.

Fifth‑grade families received the same video and resources this year but will not have an in‑class lesson because of schedule constraints; staff said more substantial health lessons are provided in sixth, eighth and tenth grades as part of the district’s health curriculum sequence.

District staff described inclusivity measures for the lesson: the use of neutral language, provision of multilingual family resources, and planning for students who identify as transgender, nonbinary or intersex. Staff also noted a workshop with the Mazzoni Center on inclusive puberty education and said family communications included resources and the opt‑out process.

Several parents and committee members asked whether families were opting out; staff said they had not received widespread opt‑outs and that principals would manage individual opt‑out contingencies (for example, an alternate supervised activity) depending on class timing and local arrangements. Staff emphasized the opportunity for parents to view the video and raise questions with school staff.

The committee heard that earlier “safe touch” instruction teaches correct names for private body parts beginning in primary grades; staff said those earlier lessons have enabled some students to report abuse using anatomically correct terms. The district asked families to review the materials and contact building principals or nurses with questions.

The district plans to run the fourth‑grade lesson each year; this year’s parent letter and video link were distributed to families and will remain available for reference.

This summary is based on the presentation and discussion during the April Education Affairs Committee meeting.","Wallingford‑Swarthmore officials said fourth graders will receive a 20–30 minute coeducational puberty lesson in class, taught by health/PE and nursing staff, with a 13‑minute educational video and family resources; fifth‑grade families received the video and resources but no classroom lesson this year.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":78,"_43":89,"_45":89,"_47":90,"_49":91,"_51":92,"_53":93,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":94,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":95,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6088918,"Middle school literacy specialists expand push‑in and individualized interventions, district says",5664825,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7&start=5664&end=5664","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878650-5f397fe273bb09a277911859a40ab2f7/thumbnail_5664825.jpg","/articles/6088918/Pennsylvania/Middle-school-literacy-specialists-expand-pushin-and-individualized-interventions-district-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6088918-ab8f93603a3e5307390027cc33cf168d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770389310&Signature=kHcqpZxA9zW9F0Hul6kfEHdAgL~n~B2OMdiU0axTKQceMOYS~-fKIr1WKG51aJJCMFUlzBwheCRj8nJt3k4hUq3CS~WSud6Sn5wFS6kNHmOMIu4UC50MonBN-zaG7DkrNshXTs0oUmxlusGzNNI~ZobddmXa9wDmaG3QqE2yo0jVcHaVHcCU~4WcF~6ma8fu5kSL5vyDVmp1kjVoc7KQnBmZGTIb9FfbKgTp9tVqmVxP6juFNbQQamcWAGjazPwl2qUQQ2CfbtFJfLR9CKglURHhu9Hlkq4TbWmV4kKJWqF9LSj1e1-UsoSjPfCADPH97YuyCMXz5oRyuSbJd3e4SQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District secondary literacy staff told the Education Affairs Committee that a year‑old secondary literacy program at the middle school is providing individualized interventions, classroom push‑in, and schoolwide supports for students and teachers.

The district said the program’s core goals are to support students, support teachers, and build literacy‑rich schoolwide practices. Leslie Pratt introduced the update and said the work follows four guiding touchstones: combating deficit language, using embedded data snapshots, creating flexible push‑in/pull‑out/co‑teaching models, and tracking student progress through data profiles.

Why it matters: specialists said early screening and flexible supports aim to catch students earlier so fewer middle schoolers require intensive services later. The district described an approach that blends one‑to‑one and small‑group intervention with classroom co‑teaching and teacher support to make tier‑1 instruction more accessible.

Kyla Preto, Michelle Miles and Mikayla Bridal Sorto (in absentia) serve as the three secondary literacy specialists. Preto said the program is currently serving 25 students in one‑to‑one or small‑group settings (12 sixth‑graders, nine seventh‑graders and four eighth‑graders) and uses research‑based interventions including Foundations, UFLI, 95% Group materials and other fluency and vocabulary routines. Specialists run instruction from designated learning pods in the middle school library and maintain daily logs, reading inventories and literacy data profiles to monitor progress.

Michelle Miles described supports for teachers: curricular planning, co‑teaching lessons (for example Cornell‑style note taking in social studies), resource development (vocabulary slides, organizers and mnemonics), and collaborative work such as thesis‑writing workshops and peer conferences. Specialists said their work includes frequent classroom attendance — they reported push‑in support across 23 classes and roughly 60 students in that mode — and tailored professional learning such as brief “literacy lantern” handouts delivered to teacher mailboxes to seed low‑burden strategies.

Pratt and the specialists highlighted screening and data work: the district screened all students new to Swarthmore Middle School and builds 19‑point literacy profiles that include assessment results and qualitative observations to flag students earlier. Staff described a goal of “planned obsolescence,” meaning supports aim to reduce need for intensive services as students progress through grades.

The specialists also reported growing family engagement and district coordination: communications to families, small parent touches and follow‑up phone calls, and plans to expand staffing to 2.6–3.0 full‑time equivalent literacy specialist roles next school year depending on staffing allocations.

The committee praised the program and asked about access; staff said push‑in lessons are available to all students in classwork and that students not formally identified still approach specialists for help outside class time. The specialists said short, focused conferences — sometimes as brief as three minutes — can be effective for goal setting and targeted feedback.

The district said outcomes will be tracked with MAP and common assessments; staff provided examples of teacher evaluations and data use but did not present district‑level aggregated achievement figures at the committee meeting.

The specialists asked for continued support as staffing and program scope expand; the committee thanked them and noted the literacy work supports the ELA pilot underway in elementary grades.","Wallingford‑Swarthmore’s secondary literacy team reported growth in targeted literacy supports at the middle school, including individualized intervention pods, push‑in/co‑teaching, and a district screening program to identify students needing extra help.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District hears competing pitches for K–6 ELA core as pilot wraps up

District to deliver coeducational fourth‑grade puberty lesson; families given opt‑out option

Middle school literacy specialists expand push‑in and individualized interventions, district says