District recommends Benchmark Advance for K–4, delays decision on grades 5–6 pending framework work

Assistant Superintendent Dutton and ELA Curriculum Instructional Specialist Amy Riemenschneider presented the results of a two‑year review and a yearlong pilot of literacy programs and recommended that Benchmark Advance be adopted for all kindergarten through fourth‑grade classrooms in the 2025–26 school year.

Riemenschneider told the board that a teacher rubric and survey responses favored Benchmark Advance for its explicit, systematic phonics instruction, comprehension with knowledge building, writing instruction, fluency supports and materials for multilingual learners. She said universal screening growth (AIMSwebPlus) showed larger student growth percentiles among students identified as at‑risk during the fall‑to‑winter window in pilot classrooms using Benchmark Advance.

Classroom teachers who piloted the program described concrete classroom practices. Kindergarten teachers said the program’s first 20‑day “foundations and routines” unit helps establish letter‑sound knowledge and daily classroom routines; a kindergarten teacher at Fayetteville Elementary said songs, high‑frequency‑word videos and decodable big books increased engagement. A kindergarten teacher at Enders Road emphasized phonics routines such as sound boxes, magnetic tiles for word building, weekly encoding (dictation) and decodable texts that go home with students.

Second‑through‑fourth‑grade pilots highlighted Benchmark’s spiral review, text complexity, tighter connections among phonics, vocabulary and writing, topic‑based units with informational texts, and writing instruction closely tied to mentor texts. Fourth‑grade teachers described scaffolded instruction that moves from modeled skill to independent writing and noted grammar instruction is integrated into writing lessons.

Staff explained why the pilot did not support recommending the programs for grades 5–6 this year: both pilot programs received lower rubric scores in March, and teachers reported that the programs required longer contiguous instructional blocks than available in the middle‑school schedule, sometimes lacked full‑length novels and did not match teachers’ needs for unit flow and student engagement. Riemenschneider said the next step for 5–6 is to develop a common framework, identify priorities the rubric highlighted, and build or adapt units that preserve strong word study and nonfiction features while fitting the middle‑school schedule.

On logistics, staff said the district can fund a K–4 rollout if the proposed budget is approved. Training plans include an initial staff development day May 20, a June 6 day with a Benchmark consultant, and a district‑created online course running June 7–Aug. 15 to allow teachers to complete onboarding on a flexible schedule. Riemenschneider stressed that “programs don't teach kids. Teachers teach kids. But when you have a solid program, and you have teachers like these, you have magic.”

Why this matters: Adopting a district‑wide core literacy program for K–4 represents a major curriculum change, affects classroom materials and professional learning, and aims to produce more consistent vertical alignment across early grades. Staff said 5–6 will be addressed with a targeted development schedule so middle‑school needs are met.