Pleasant Valley board adopts HMH 'Into Reading' after monthslong review

Pleasant Valley School District trustees voted Feb. 27 to adopt HMH Into Reading as the district's primary elementary English-language arts curriculum, following a multi-month review of multiple programs.

The board approved the recommendation after reviewers and administrators presented a fall-long evaluation that narrowed an original set of materials to two finalists. "As part of the reading review committee ... we as committee members feel that of the 2 programs, Into Reading is the best program to meet our students' needs," the review committee wrote in a summary read to the board during the meeting.

Why it matters: District leaders said the adoption seeks to correct uneven instruction across buildings and to align K-12 literacy work. Superintendent Doctor James Conrad told the board the district's standardized-test results showed a need for more consistent, vertically aligned reading instruction: "We have to bring something together, so we aren't so disjointed, K to 12. Our teachers haven't talked a lot about what's happening in other buildings." He and curriculum staff said the new program will be paired with a multi-session professional-development plan before full classroom rollout.

Board discussion and dissent: Several board members and teachers urged caution. Board member Michael Fitzgerald asked for more time and more options; one teacher who submitted written comments compared the process to choosing between "Burger King or McDonald's" and said staff wanted more choices. Trustee John Zitzke voted against the final motion and said he'd prefer more testing of alternatives before committing district funds.

Implementation and follow-up: District curriculum staff and building leaders said training dates are already scheduled in March, April and May and that further coaching and summer professional development will follow. Doctor Howell, director of curriculum, said the plan is to align classroom practice to standards and provide follow-up coaching for teachers. Administrators told the board they will present implementation milestones to the board in the summer and early fall, and staff asked for explicit measures that will show whether the program is improving outcomes.

Board action: The board approved items related to the curriculum package (motions covering implementation steps c through i on the agenda) and later approved the specific contract item for the adopted program. Supporters emphasized professional development and monitoring; opponents urged ongoing review and asked for measurable benchmarks to be reported back to the board.

Next steps: District staff said they will present an implementation timeline and professional-development schedule, and report progress to the board after the first year of implementation. If measurable gains do not appear over the agreed monitoring period, board members indicated they will reconsider the approach.