Salem details three-year rollout and supports for WIT & WISDOM elementary literacy program

Salem school officials presented the district’s implementation timeline and supports for the WIT & WISDOM elementary literacy curriculum during the Salem School Board meeting on May 13, saying the program moved from pilot to full kindergarten-through-grade‑5 use in the 2024–25 school year and will expand professional development for grades 6–8 next year.

The program’s rollout matters because district leaders said WIT & WISDOM emphasizes grade‑level complex texts and “knowledge building,” which they called a shift from the prior workshop-style approach and a step toward more explicit, evidence-based literacy instruction. Tara Bizidlow, the district’s director of literacy, told the board the process began in 2022 with a literacy professional learning community, a year of pilot work in 2023 and a districtwide full implementation this school year.

“We formed that PLC group … we read research, analyzed our district data and set priorities,” Bizidlow said, describing a pilot year in which about 22 teachers across the district tested two resources and 11 piloted WIT & WISDOM. Bizidlow said the district supported teachers with substitutes for release time, summer training and literacy coaches in buildings.

Katie Summers, literacy specialist and coach at North Salem, described how coaching and classroom modeling supported teachers during the pilot and the first year of rollout. “Pilot teachers at North Salem became teacher leaders and they became more collaborative colleagues,” Summers said. She said coaches modeled lessons, provided weekly classroom support and led grade‑level planning to address pacing and lesson scaffolds.

Fifth‑grade teacher Allison Kissel said early access to materials and summer training helped classroom preparation. “Being able to see the curriculum in action … was so beneficial to me and as a teacher it gave me so much confidence,” Kissel said. Student speaker Ellie Edwards said her class used Socratic seminars and enjoyed a Civil War unit: “I’m so happy that Salem is doing WIT & WISDOM because I’ve learned so much already,” Ellie said.

District staff and principals told the board they used early release time and a day‑and‑a‑half at the start of the school year for professional development; they also trained a mentor team drawn from pilot teachers. Administrators said instructional coaches are “boots on the ground” who have carried much of the implementation work and that the district devoted multiple summer and in‑service sessions to mentor‑teacher and leadership training provided by Great Minds, the curriculum provider.

Officials also acknowledged challenges. Summers and Bizidlow said pacing has been a concern — the district allocates a 90‑minute literacy block and some WIT & WISDOM lessons have required two or three class periods to complete — and writing expectations have been higher than many students previously experienced. “Pacing is something we need to work on next year,” Bizidlow said. Staff described using formative tasks, grade‑level planning and coaching to adjust pacing and to scaffold rigorous writing.

District leaders said they will combine anecdotal and observational evidence with standardized results to evaluate the program. Bizidlow said the district is examining i‑Ready and SAS scores and will incorporate parent feedback gathered before the end of the school year. The administration indicated it will continue targeted professional development, use literacy coaches in buildings and hold K–8 training in the coming summer to support middle‑school rollout.

Board members asked about next steps and data timelines; administrators said they expected more definitive outcome data as standardized test results are finalized and said they will continue to monitor pacing, writing supports and teacher needs.

The presentation described the district’s multi‑year selection process (beginning 2022), a 2023 pilot year and the expansion to full K–5 use in 2024–25; Woodbury piloted a middle‑school module this year and the district plans full 6–8 implementation next year with summer professional development.

District officials said they would return with more outcome data and continue to use early release time and in‑building coaching to address pacing and writing supports.