School board approves Wit & Wisdom and Arts & Letters for K–8 literacy

The Farmington School Board approved purchase of new K–8 English language arts curricular resources — Wit & Wisdom for elementary grades and Arts & Letters for grades 6–8 — after staff presented the district’s review process, pilot feedback and implementation plan.

District literacy coaches described a multi-step selection process that began with elementary and secondary review teams in January and February, community viewing during March conferences and a presentation to the district’s IPR committee on March 18. Staff said they selected resources that Minnesota Department of Education reviewers had identified as highly aligned with structured‑literacy approaches and the science of reading.

Staff emphasized that the two resources serve complementary purposes: the foundational, phonics‑oriented component the district uses is UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) for phonemic awareness and decoding, while Wit & Wisdom and Arts & Letters supply the “knowledge‑building” texts and grade‑level modules that staff said support vocabulary, background knowledge and comprehension.

District coaches told the board they considered horizontal and vertical alignment across buildings, the availability of print core texts and supplementary digital materials, and built‑in scaffolds for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Staff also highlighted family‑facing materials and multilingual glossaries included in the curricula.

Board members asked about training and planning time for teachers, classroom pacing (Wit & Wisdom at a 90‑minute block; Arts & Letters at 60 minutes), the so‑called “implementation dip” many districts see in year one and ongoing subscription costs. Staff said teachers would receive phased professional development, a summer phase‑1 training for some 6–8 teachers, and dedicated planning days in the district calendar so teams could study and adapt modules with what staff described as “integrity and flexibility.”

On cost, staff said the new materials will include both print and digital licensing and that the district expects recurring annual subscription or workbook costs. A ballpark figure discussed during the meeting (for related technology and support in other contexts) was cited as about $100,000 per year; staff said final K–8 pricing and multi‑year subscription options would be finalized after an initial one‑year trial and assignment of who needs digital access.

The board moved to accept the curricular recommendation. Motion by Gorman, second by Dorelle. The motion carried with an oral voice vote: all present voted aye.

Implementation steps outlined by staff include ordering materials this spring, summer planning sessions for teachers, distribution and classroom preparation upon delivery and ongoing coaching support during the school year. Staff named several internal coaches who will lead rollout and follow‑up: Carrie Betton (literacy lead), Maddie Sullivan, Linda Island, Melissa Zay, Christie Hughes and other literacy coaches who will support teacher teams and monitor fidelity and adaptation.

Board members and staff agreed to continue collecting feedback from pilot teachers and families and to provide the board updates as teachers complete training and materials arrive.