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Johnston County adopts new K–12 science and ELA curricula; staggered timelines, teacher supports planned
Summary
The board approved a five-year science adoption and a three-year English/Language Arts adoption that administrators say align to North Carolina standards and the science-of-reading. The district plans training, pacing guides and materials purchases to support classroom implementation.
The Johnston County Board of Education approved new K–12 curricular adoptions for science and English/language arts during the April board meeting.
Science: The board recommended and approved a K–8 adoption of Discovery Education and high-school adoptions of McGraw Hill for biology, chemistry, earth and environmental science, and physical science; for high‑school physics the district selected Pure Physics. District staff said the selections scored highest in teacher evaluations and better integrate North Carolina’s 2023 science standards and the science-and-engineering practices. Administrators emphasized hands‑on, inquiry-based instruction and interactive science notebooks as central components.
ELA: The board approved a three‑year adoption of ELA curriculum to align with anticipated standard‑setting activity by the State Board of Education. The recommendations are: - K–5: Continue with HMH’s InterReading (new version aligned to the science of reading), recommended because of continuity, updated content and consumables for instruction; - 6–8: HMH (for continuity across K–8); - High school: Savvas (updated edition with texts, benchmark and SAT/ACT supports).
Why three years for ELA: North Carolina is revising ELA standards; the district chose a shorter adoption window so the district can re-evaluate if the state changes expectations.
Teacher support and rollout: District leaders said they will create JCPS pacing and curriculum guides, identify lab and consumable needs, and coordinate professional development. Administrators plan vendor training during county workdays, targeted school-level PLC support, and “sandbox” access for teachers to preview materials. Elementary leaders said materials-heavy K–5 packages are costlier because consumables (phonics, decodables, manipulatives) are central to early-reading instruction.
Budget and procurement: District staff told the board they identified funding sources and will work with finance and purchasing to schedule orders; some materials contain digital components and schools will manage device scheduling and shared-cart usage where one-to-one access is not available.
Board discussion: Board members asked about device needs, weekly lesson length for behavior/character curricula that will integrate with the ELA day, and teacher planning time. Administrators said the new resources are intended to reduce teacher planning time by providing ready-made lessons, but staff will work with schools to ensure schedules and planning time accommodate new modules.
What this means for classrooms: District leaders said the adoptions aim to give teachers coherent, standards-aligned resources and reduce variation between schools. The board approved the science recommendation for a five‑year adoption and the ELA recommendation for a three‑year adoption.
