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Kennewick staff recommend Amplify CKLA for K–5 ELA after 18-month review and pilot
Summary
District curriculum staff recommended Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) for K–5 reading and ELA instruction after an 18‑month review and classroom pilot, citing alignment with the science of reading and positive pilot feedback.
Kennewick School District staff told the board they plan to recommend Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) as the district’s K–5 English language arts curriculum after a year-and-a-half review and a classroom pilot.
Jen Jordan, identified in the presentation as the district’s K–5 content specialist who led the review, described the process: staff issued a request for proposals, rated materials against research-based criteria (including the “science of reading”), pilot-tested two finalists in classrooms and solicited feedback from pilot teachers, parents and the community. Jordan said the CKLA material “is explicit, it’s sequential, it’s rewarding” and that pilot teachers reported strong student engagement.
Jordan and other staff said the CKLA program combines foundational reading skills (phonics, phonological awareness) with knowledge-building units in science, social studies and literature and includes built-in supports for struggling learners and extensions for advanced students. The district shared pilot data and parent/teacher comments; a sample parent comment in the packet reads: “My fourth grader comes home weekly telling me about all the things that she has learned in ELA. … The topics of the lesson have been brought up at our dinner tables multiple times.”
Staff described community outreach that included an evening preview, two weeks of public review sites across the city and an online access link for board members and parents to examine teacher and student materials. The materials were cited as receiving strong third-party reviews (EdReports green ratings) and district staff said they negotiated contract terms to manage cost: an eight-year digital license with a shorter consumables commitment so the district can adjust quantities in future years.
District staff said the Instructional Materials Committee will review the preliminary recommendation and that a final recommendation will come to the full board on March 26. Staff also noted planned professional development and building-level supports for teacher training and implementation; pilot teachers said the program renewed enthusiasm for teaching reading and showed early gains in winter benchmark data.
Ending
No final adoption vote was taken at the March 27 working meeting; staff will return with a formal recommendation and contract details for board consideration on March 26 (per the district’s adoption timeline).
