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District outlines Aug. 18–20 staff development schedule, including Acadience reading and behavior training
Summary
The committee reviewed opening professional development plans: half-day structured PD on Aug. 18–19, district kickoff Aug. 20, training on the Acadience reading assessment for grades 4–6, behavior-management sessions led by Katie Arndt, iPad and career-readiness tool sessions and special-education co-teaching work.
The Curriculum Committee reviewed the district’s opening professional development schedule for the 2025–26 school year and heard details about training sessions for teachers and support staff.
Curriculum staff said August 18–19 would be half days focused on structured, level-specific professional development in the mornings and teacher classroom preparation in the afternoons. On Aug. 18, elementary sessions will emphasize the summer curriculum work — including K–6 ELA content developed with the Wonders resource — and training for fourth through sixth grade teachers on the Acadience reading assessment. The district piloted Acadience in four classrooms at grades 4, 5 and 6 in spring, and the presenter said the August training will prepare teachers for full administration.
On Aug. 19, the middle- and high-school sessions will prioritize behavior supports and classroom management; Katie Arndt, the district’s behavior specialist, will lead sessions for middle and high school teachers with a follow-up elementary session the next day. Those days will also include responsive-classroom practice sessions and curriculum-audit conversations for middle grades on recent science and social-studies revisions. High-school staff will have sessions on iPad implementation and tools to manage hall traffic, described in the meeting as the district’s career-readiness tool and a new digital pass system (“smart passes”).
Special-education staff will receive two days of targeted training: a broad overview of mandates and paperwork on the first day and focused work on co-teaching practices with intensive learning-support staff on the second day. Support staff will join training on Aug. 19.
The committee confirmed that structured PD sessions will run roughly 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by lunch and afternoon time for teachers to prepare classrooms. The district-wide kickoff will take place Aug. 20 at the high school and include all staff before faculty meetings in individual buildings that afternoon.
No formal action was recorded; staff confirmed plans and agreed to proceed with the scheduled trainings and to include support staff in the Aug. 19 sessions.
