Teachers, students and staff recommend Savvas MyPerspectives for grades 6–12; Vista proposed for English‑language development

Beaverton School District staff recommended on April 8 that the district adopt Savvas MyPerspectives as the core language‑arts curriculum for grades 6–12 and Vista for English language development (ELD). The materials were identified after a yearlong committee process, publisher presentations, and classroom pilots.

Why it matters: Endorsed curricula shape classroom instruction for multiple years, affect teacher preparation and professional development, and carry implementation costs. Staff said the recommendation centers the Oregon adolescent literacy framework and district equity priorities, and includes a multi‑year implementation plan with professional development, coaching and classroom‑library support.

How the adoption process worked - The district convened a representative adoption committee (teachers, administrators, parents, students) and reviewed the Oregon instructional‑materials evaluation tool and the Oregon Adolescent Literacy Framework. - From the state‑approved list, staff narrowed options to four publishers, invited in‑person presentations and then piloted the top two (McGraw Hill StudySync and Savvas MyPerspectives). Pilot teachers and students returned evaluation surveys; AVID student input was also solicited. - The committee recommended Savvas MyPerspectives for secondary language arts, citing high‑quality texts, translations, culturally responsive materials, robust vocabulary and grammar instruction, strong teacher usability and Oracy supports.

ELD and newcomer supports - For ELD and newcomer students the committee recommended Vista for English language development and is piloting additional supports for newcomers, including Language! (fourth edition) for intensive literacy and Flashlight 360 for speaking/writing progress monitoring. - Staff noted that Savvas includes a Spanish middle‑school dual‑language version but currently lacks a high‑school Spanish dual‑language edition; to address that gap, the district plans a dual‑language work group and additional pilots for high‑school dual‑language materials.

Implementation and budget notes - Staff proposed a multi‑year rollout that includes leader coaching, grade‑level cohorts, curriculum maps, calibration through common assessments and continued classroom‑library investment. - Consumables and digital licenses were included in a four‑year contract proposal; staff said consumable replenishment was planned annually for the contract term.

Limitations staff cited - Savvas is a strong Tier‑1 curriculum but will not by itself fill all Tier‑2/3 foundational literacy needs; the district intends to pair core materials with targeted interventions and progress monitoring tools. - The committee emphasized teacher supports, grading and standards alignment work will be required to integrate the new material with BSD’s standards‑based grading practices.

Quotes “We realized as we were reviewing these curricula that there's no exactly perfect curriculum out there and that anything that we adopt, we are gonna have to kind of think about how to make it fit for all of our students at BSD,” — Rebecca Ramirez Larsen (teacher on special assignment).

Ending: The board received the recommendation and asked questions; staff said adoption would proceed through the board’s formal approval process and that professional development and coaching would begin before classroom implementation.