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Board committee recommends EL Learning and 95% Group pairing for K–5 English language arts; early literacy grant would fund rollout
Summary
A district committee recommended adopting EL Education core modules and pairing them with a 95% Group foundational reading program through grade 5. The adoption would be paid largely with Early Literacy grant funds; the board asked for additional public review time before final action.
A K–5 curriculum review committee for the Ashland School District recommended the board adopt EL Education’s core modules for content and comprehension and the 95% Group’s foundational reading program for systematic phonics and morphology through fifth grade.
What the committee said: Christine McCollum, Bellevue principal and curriculum lead, told the board the selection followed a yearlong review of state‑approved materials and rubric‑based scoring. The committee prioritized materials that build background knowledge with substantive, full‑length texts and programs that provide explicit, research‑aligned instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics and morphology. McCollum said the team found many state‑approved materials lacked either deep texts or the explicit reading strand the district sought.
Funding and timing: the district’s early literacy grant balance and current-year funds would cover most upfront costs. The committee reported the combined price for EL Education core modules (with recommended materials) and 95% Group resources, plus professional development, is about $320,000; the district holds roughly $331,331 in early literacy grant funds set aside for this purpose. The committee recommended buying teacher materials and digital licenses now so staff can study materials before August professional development, and defer some supplemental text purchases if inventory shows existing titles can be reused.
Public input and next steps: staff said materials were displayed at the district office and an evening public review session was held; uptake was limited but staff said they had site representation from every K–5 school during the adoption work. Some board members requested one more scheduled, visible opportunity for public review and invited the committee to host a board‑level viewing so directors and community members who missed earlier sessions can examine materials before formal adoption. Board members emphasized the importance of clear public notice and an additional public presentation or time at the next work session to allow comment prior to a final vote.
Why it matters: the district is moving toward “science of reading” aligned instruction across elementary grades; the committee recommended a pairing because no single state‑approved package in their review combined both substantive core texts and a systematic, explicit foundational reading strand through fifth grade.
Ending: staff will schedule an additional public review session and return to the board for adoption action at a future regular meeting; the committee requested permission to begin limited purchases (workbooks, licenses and PD funding) from early literacy grant dollars to support teacher preparation should the board approve adoption later this spring.
