Longview board adopts new ELL curriculum for middle and high schools

Longview School Board voted May 27 to adopt new English-language development curricula for secondary students, approving VISTA Get Ready for middle schools and HMH English 3D for high schools.

The move follows a two-year review and pilot process that district educators said aimed to provide a continuous “newcomer” curriculum and tiered units tied to proficiency levels. The materials were presented to the board by Carrie Montgomery, executive director of teaching and learning, and pilot teachers who tested the programs in classrooms.

District staff told the board the manuals and digital options were chosen for several features: a newcomer-specific onboarding sequence for students who arrive midyear; lessons that integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening; and built-in assessments that let teachers place new students quickly. Kristanna Evelyn, a pilot teacher, said one immediate classroom change stood out: “This is the first year that we have been made to speak out loud,” and she described lessons that require students to speak with a partner before moving on.

Montgomery and pilot teachers said HMH English 3D provides high-school‑level texts and tasks so older learners are not asked to work with elementary‑level materials, and that the program’s lessons include speaking requirements, common-core alignment and formative data tools. VISTA Get Ready was described by district staff as better matched to middle‑school learners and to include phonics and writing units designed with older students in mind.

Board members asked about languages represented by students served and whether curricula would accommodate diverse backgrounds; presenters said the programs are delivered in English but intended as entry points for students who speak many different home languages, and noted district multilingual enrollment is rising.

A motion to approve the instructional materials committee’s recommendation to adopt VISTA Get Ready (middle school ELL/ELD) and HMH English 3D (high school ELL/ELD) carried with an aye vote. The board’s action will place the materials in district use for the coming school year; staff said professional development and coaching accompanied the pilot and will continue as the programs are implemented.

Implementation details, including teacher training schedules and student placement protocols, were presented as next steps. District staff said parents and the public had an opportunity to review materials during a public review window that preceded the board vote.

Board members and staff thanked the pilot teachers and instructional leaders for the multi-year review and noted the materials were selected after local piloting and external review.