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Abington Heights board reviews curriculum work, professional development and proposes instructional coaches
Summary
School officials reported progress on math, science and social studies curriculum rewrites, professional development timing, PBIS discipline metrics, gifted screening results and a proposal to add instructional coaches to support classroom instruction.
Board members and administrators reported several curriculum and instructional initiatives during the Abington Heights School Board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
The curriculum committee, represented at the meeting by board member Mrs. Henderson, reviewed ongoing work on comprehensive goals for math, science and social studies. Administrators reported that math consultants delivered professional development in November and will return later in the school year to determine whether additional training is needed. Science curriculum work at the middle school prompted requests from teachers for extra training; district administrators are looking for additional days for that training because the current teacher contract provides one professional-development day before the school year starts.
District staff said the elementary social studies curriculum rewrite is complete, with 22 trade-book–based lessons planned; the middle school social studies team is drafting about 80 lessons, and the high school social studies curriculum has been finished. High-school course and curriculum-guide updates were circulated on BoardDocs and will later appear on the district website.
On school climate, district staff reported a decline in discipline referrals at the middle school, noting the middle school produced about 56% of last year’s discipline referrals so far this year. The administration is evaluating whether existing survey tools are sufficient and is considering Renaissance assessment tools to capture broader student input. The district also hired an additional crisis counselor so each building now has a dedicated crisis-counseling resource.
Administrators discussed gifted screening at lower grades and said approximately 23% of screened students moved on to further testing pending parental approval. Staff are planning follow-up supports for identified students.
A recurring item was a proposal to add instructional coaches. According to the report, coaches would provide daily, job-embedded professional development, model lessons, and give feedback to teachers. The district said it would provide one coaching assignment for grades K–6 and another for grades 7–12, supported by an online training course for coaches. The board and administration described this as a multi-year staffing and budgeting decision to be developed further.
Board members and administrators framed these items as part of a multi-year, incremental plan to avoid replacing large amounts of curriculum materials or equipment at once and to prioritize predictable replacement cycles for instructional and facility resources.
Questions raised at the meeting focused on scheduling professional development within contractual limits, how PBIS outcomes are being measured, and the timeline for expanding curriculum-writing cohorts to additional grade levels.
The district did not take a formal vote on any of these instructional proposals at the Feb. 19 meeting; administrators said next steps would include scheduling additional training, refining implementation timelines and returning with more detailed cost and staffing proposals.
