New supervisor for specialized instruction outlines priorities for consistency and program alignment

Amanda Soreen, the Council Rock School District’s new supervisor of curriculum and specialized instruction, introduced herself and told the Education Committee Wednesday she will prioritize a needs assessment of special-education curricular resources and work to increase consistency across buildings.

Why it matters: Soreen’s role is intended to bridge general and special education, align interventions and progress monitoring, and expand structured literacy training across grade levels — steps district officials said should improve program coherence and parent communication.

What she told the board: Soreen described a 24-year career in education that included elementary inclusion classrooms, academic coaching and curriculum leadership. "My goal as far as curricular resources for special education is a needs assessment — what do we have? How are we using it?" she said, adding she will work with the curriculum supervisor and special-education supervisors to "marry those two worlds."

Priorities mentioned: Soreen said she will map current programs, identify core resources and align progress monitoring so parents receive regular, data-linked updates. She also plans further building visits and collaboration with teachers and supervisors to ensure teachers receive training on key evidence-based programs.

Next steps: Soreen and the special-education supervisors will continue a needs-assessment process and report findings to the committee as work progresses. Several board members encouraged clear family communication and welcomed the new supervisor’s focus on consistency.