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Red Oak ISD board approves new K-12 instructional materials, including digital platforms
Summary
The Red Oak Independent School District Board voted 4-0 to approve a package of updated textbooks and digital instructional materials covering kindergarten through high school subjects, including K–1 reading, elementary social studies, high-school math and world history/geography.
The Red Oak Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve purchases of updated instructional materials for multiple grade levels and subjects after presentations from curriculum coordinators and program staff.
The vote approving the package was moved by Trustee Sean Kelly and seconded by Trustee Brian Sebring and passed 4-0.
District staff told the board the purchases are intended to improve coherence across grade bands, increase digital access for teachers and students, and expand options for blended and small-group instruction. Sue Ann Dockery, the district's elementary curriculum coordinator, said the recommended K–1 reading program, Savvas, already aligns with materials used in grades 2–5 and meets state quality standards. "When we did the survey, 100% of the kindergarten and first grade teachers voted for this material," Dockery said.
Other adoptions approved by the board included a new elementary social studies program on the same platform as the approved reading materials, Explorals for ninth- and tenth-grade world geography and world history, a new digital world-language (LOTE) platform that emphasizes interpersonal speaking practice, and Agile Mind for high-school geometry and algebra II. District math and science coordinator Elizabeth Howe said Agile Mind brings digital reporting and formative-assessment tools that are not available with the current, textbook-only materials.
Erica Nelson, the secondary social-studies coordinator, described Explorals as a fully digital curriculum that provides frequently updated content and interactive lessons and said the district obtained demo accounts so teachers could test the platform with students. Nelson said Explorals will be used primarily for ninth- and tenth-grade courses; district middle-school classes will continue using materials purchased previously.
Staff emphasized that several approved products are fully digital but allow printing of lesson materials when a student needs a paper copy. Coordinators also said the products integrate with the district's Canvas and ClassLink systems.
Board discussion included questions about whether teachers had sufficient time to review materials. Dockery said teachers received presentations and digital access and had several weeks to pilot units before giving feedback. For the K–1 reading adoption Dockery said district teachers had classroom time using the materials as part of the review process.
The board approved the package with no recorded amendments. The consent agenda and the textbook-adoption motion each passed 4-0 during the same meeting.
The board later recessed into closed session; no additional actions on instructional materials were recorded in the public minutes.
