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South Orangetown begins vendor reviews ahead of state reading-curriculum deadline
Summary
District administrators described a multi-step review of phonics and whole‑program reading curricula, with vendor demonstrations Feb. 26 and March 6 and a target to certify K‑3 alignment with the state’s “science of reading” by Sept. 1, 2025.
The South Orangetown Central School District is conducting a formal review of its K‑5 reading curriculum and phonics options, district leaders told the Board of Education, and expect to bring a purchasing resolution to the board after a series of vendor demonstrations and a teacher-training timeline are finalized.
District Superintendent Dr. Culott told the board that the administration has "been going through a meticulous process of evaluating our current program, supplementing the program with other teacher created lessons and materials." Assistant administrator Mr. Arrieta said teams of teachers and specialists will use a Reading League rubric to rate programs against the science of reading and instructional-practice criteria.
Why it matters: New York State requires districts to certify by Sept. 1, 2025, that K‑3 reading curricula align with the science of reading; the board and administrators said that timeline is guiding their vendor selection and training schedule.
District staff described the process and next steps. Mr. Arrieta said the district currently uses Units of Study (K‑5) as the core curriculum, TC Phonics in kindergarten through second grade, Hegarty in preschool/UPK/kindergarten, Words Their Way for word study at Cottage Lane, and the "word love program" for K‑5. The vendor visits are scheduled to include phonics- and word‑study reviews on Feb. 26 and whole‑program reading demonstrations on March 6. A multi‑disciplinary selection team of "approximately 25 to 30 people" will evaluate programs; team members will include building administrators, general and special‑education teachers, reading specialists, and the district K‑5 ELA instructional coach.
Administrators listed a set of phonics programs under review: Foundations; Orton‑Gillingham Plus (with morphology); UFLI; 95% Group (95%); and PAF (acronym not specified). Mr. Arrieta said grade spans differ by program and that if the district chose a program that covered only K‑2 or K‑3 the district would have to decide whether to keep Words Their Way or to integrate additional word‑study materials.
Board members and attendees pressed for a clear timeline. A board member asked for a detailed implementation plan by the district’s next meeting, including dates for trainer training, teacher training, and material procurement. Mr. Arrieta agreed to provide a timeline the board could review at the March meeting and noted that some vendor training schedules and material lead times could change the final timeline.
Administrators said training needs and costs will vary by program and that the business office will be involved in estimating material lead times and purchase schedules. The board was told that if a program could not be delivered and teachers trained in time for fall instruction it would not be a viable option.
Ending: District leaders said they will return to the board in March with recommendations and a proposed resolution to purchase whichever program the selection process and rubric support. The board directed staff to provide a firm training and materials timeline in advance of adoption so the district can meet the Sept. 1, 2025 certification timeline.
