Wayland elementary pilot team recommends Wayfinder as K'05 social-emotional curriculum
Summary
After a year-long pilot of two curricula, Wayland elementary pilot teachers recommended adopting Wayfinder for kindergarten through fifth grade, citing developmentally appropriate lessons, assessments for upper grades and Spanish-language parity; implementation planning and professional development will follow.
Wayland elementary teachers who piloted social-emotional learning (SEL) programs this year told the School Committee April 30 they recommend Wayfinder as the district's K'05 SEL curriculum after evaluating multiple programs.
The pilot compared Wayfinder and Second Step across 20 core lessons at each grade level. Educators said Wayfinder scored higher on engagement, lesson depth, assessment options for older students, a responsive vendor model and parity for Spanish-language classrooms. One presenter described Wayfinder lessons as varied and developmentally appropriate and noted the program's online hub provides optional activities to deepen learning beyond the 20 core lessons.
Teachers described classroom examples including workbooks, songs and activities that prompted sustained student reflection and practice; presenters said Wayfinder's lessons sometimes require splitting a lesson across two sessions because of the depth of student engagement. Pilot teachers also said the site's feedback mechanism and vendor responsiveness helped address curriculum concerns during the pilot.
Pilot-team members reported a unanimous recommendation to adopt Wayfinder for the elementary grades. The district will meet with the Wayfinder representative to negotiate contract details and plan professional development, including sessions during "super Wednesdays," time in professional learning communities, and districtwide PD for fall implementation. Pilot teachers agreed to serve as implementation ambassadors and to assist with training and classroom support.
The committee discussed embedding instruction within existing schedules; district staff said 30 minutes per week is blocked for SEL districtwide, with lessons generally designed for about 20 minutes but with teachers describing occasions when lessons ran longer due to student engagement. The program includes teacher-facing assessment tools for grades 3'5 and teacher-led monitoring in primary grades.
Committee members encouraged proactive communication with families and community members so that school and home use a consistent SEL vocabulary; staff said Wayfinder provides family letters and the district will explore how to share lesson focus with guardians more consistently.
No formal procurement vote was taken April 30; the district plans to finalize contract terms and a PD schedule before presenting any contract for the committee's formal approval.
