Board adopts new social studies texts and West Virginia Head Start pre-K curriculum

The Kanawha County Board of Education on March 20 approved a social studies textbook adoption for secondary grades and purchased a West Virginia Head Start pre-K curriculum bundle.

Jessica Abshire, identified in the meeting as the district’s social studies lead teacher, summarized the secondary adoption work of the instructional committee. "The materials we have chosen are aligned with our content standards and have been thoroughly reviewed by a team of experienced certified social studies educators as well as community members," Abshire said. She named committee members and said adopted materials include McGraw Hill for grades 6–7, Gallopade for grade 8 and Savvas for grades 9–12.

Carol Lane, preschool director, described the Head Start pre-K curriculum bundle from Teaching Strategies LLC and said the purchase covers 83 classrooms and includes teacher manuals, 18 studies, digital lesson planning tools and parent-engagement resources. Lane said the amount breaks down to approximately $4,170 per classroom over five years and that the district’s preschool program recently received a favorable audit.

Board members asked no substantive follow-up questions before approving both items. The curriculum adoptions were presented as aligned to content standards and with teacher materials intended to support instruction and family engagement.