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Davis County outlines yearlong process to adopt new secondary English language arts materials
Summary
District staff described a multi-step review for secondary ELA materials, saying the process will prioritize literacy, teacher and parent representation, and a year of early implementation before districtwide rollout.
Davis County School District officials on Tuesday described a multi-step process to adopt new secondary English language arts materials aimed at improving literacy and writing supports for seventh through 12th grades.
District administrators said the process begins with a needs assessment showing about 50% of secondary students score proficient in reading and roughly 30% meet ACT college-and-career reading benchmarks; staff said those data drove the search for more structured, literacy-focused curriculum. “We have about 50% of our students who are proficient in reading in Davis County secondary schools,” said Ms. Varney, a district staff member leading the adoption update. “When we get to the ACT, it becomes about 30% of our students are meeting college and career ready reading benchmarks.”
The district released a request for proposals to publishers in December; proposals are due Feb. 14, administrators said. A committee made up of two teachers per grade level, junior-high and high-school special education teachers and six parents will score submissions using a rubric provided by district staff. District employees organize the process but are not voting members of the curriculum committee, Ms. Varney said.
After scoring and a cost review with purchasing, the district will host two open houses — including a virtual option — where parents can review materials and meet publishers. The board will receive a formal adoption decision for vote after those steps. Ms. Varney said the district plans a year of preparation after approval: building Canvas resources, assessments and other classroom supports, and making an “early implementer” option available to schools willing to pilot the materials ahead of a systemwide rollout.
“The RFP will include specific requirements,” Ms. Varney said, noting the packet includes rubric language and technical vocabulary related to the science of reading that committee members will use. Assistant Superintendent Logan Toon introduced the update and framed the goal as supporting teachers’ implementation as well as student outcomes.
Board members asked about committee selection, timeline and whether district employees influence the rubric. Ms. Varney said applications were solicited last spring and the rubric and RFP are approved by the superintendency before submission to publishers. She said district staff create the RFP and rubric to reflect district needs, but the committee of teachers and parents uses that rubric to vote.
The district said it will keep current materials available for one more year while providing optional early implementation to sites that volunteer to pilot the new materials immediately after board approval. That staged approach is intended to let pilot teachers work out implementation issues and help the district refine teacher supports before full adoption.
Board members did not take a vote on the curriculum at the meeting; staff said the formal adoption vote will follow the public review and open houses later this spring.
