District pilots Amplify Science and Character Strong for K–8; board to consider adoptions June 23

District curriculum staff and teachers described classroom pilots of Amplify Science and Character Strong at the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District board meeting on June 9 and recommended the board consider formal adoption at its June 23 meeting.

Mr. Krennick, a district curriculum presenter, said Amplify Science is a phenomenon‑based K–5 program designed to deepen inquiry, engineering practices and data interpretation. He said teachers reported greater student engagement, improved use of scientific vocabulary and that units could be implemented across two days to allow deeper work. A participating teacher said, "The kids loved it because we get to make mistakes. We get to do experiments. We get our hands dirty." (Kim Allen, grade-level teacher)

Counselors and pilot teachers presented Character Strong as a hands‑on social-emotional and character resource that emphasized relationship‑building and classroom culture. Forest Ridge counselor Sydney French said Character Strong "has a huge emphasis on… school culture building. Every lesson starts with a relationship-building game." (Sydney French, school counselor)

Staff told the board Amplify aligns to Wisconsin Academic Standards and includes teacher supports, formative and summative assessment options, and materials for K–5 units. For Character Strong, district counselors said the program provided easy-to-implement lessons, circle prompts, and community-building routines. Staff said they compared multiple resources; Second Step and Character Strong were the top two contenders under their rubric.

Administrators noted adoption costs and curriculum-team capacity mean the district will phase implementation, starting with elementary and middle grades and working toward high school alignment. The board was told both items are listed as action items for the June 23 meeting. No adoption votes were taken June 9.