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Wallingford‑Swarthmore begins K–5 ELA pilot between Benchmark Advance and Arts and Letters
Summary
District literacy administrators described a K–5 ELA pilot that narrowed an initial list of 21 programs to two finalists—Benchmark Advance and Arts and Letters—now being piloted by 26 K‑5 teachers across the district while professional development and review continue.
At the March 12 Educational Affairs meeting, district literacy staff updated the board on the K–5 elementary English language arts pilot that is testing Benchmark Advance and Arts and Letters as potential core curriculum adoptions. The pilot involves 26 volunteer teachers across all three elementary schools, administrators said.
Dr. Jess Merzocastini (identified in the record as the presenter for the ELA update) described the multi‑stage selection process: an initial list of 21 programs compiled from external recommendations and neighboring districts was narrowed to 16 using district requirements, then to five using external review resources, and finally to two finalists using a research‑based review matrix and teacher feedback. The Reading League curriculum evaluation guidelines and curriculum navigation reports were used as a point of reference during evaluation.
“The reports are…
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