Sumner School District outlines ELA goals, new curriculum choices and SBA strategies

Sumner School District curriculum leaders told the Board of Directors that the district is aiming for 80% of 3rd-, 5th- and 8th-graders to meet Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) benchmarks by 2026 and described how new curriculum adoptions, benchmark assessments and classroom supports will be used to reach that target.

The presentation from Darla Ochner, director of elementary curriculum, Cassie Meath, director of curriculum for secondary, Steve Schulen, executive director over secondary, and Beth Eichmann, executive director for elementary, framed the work around a district focus on “tier 1” classroom instruction, routine benchmarking and targeted professional development. Ochner told the board the presentation was intended to give trustees “some base knowledge around what literacy looks like at that tier 1 level across the district in all grade levels.”

District leaders said the ELA budget totals roughly $400,000 across elementary and secondary programs and primarily covers maintenance items: classroom set purchases, consumable materials at the secondary level, curriculum adoption work and…