Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elementary Reading Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pennridge proposes one‑year renewal of 'Being a Reader' for grades 3–5 to address PSSA declines
Summary
District staff recommended a one‑year renewal of a new elementary reading program, Being a Reader (second edition), to replace the discontinued Making Meaning component. Staff presented assessment trends, DIBELS data and a professional‑development plan and said they will bring a full budget and implementation plan to the board for consideration.
Jennifer Bloom, director of teaching and learning for Pennridge School District, and Meg Burke, supervising curriculum staff member, presented a proposed curriculum renewal for grades 3–5 and related assessment data.
Burke told the committee the district learned this summer that the Making Meaning component currently used in grades K–5 is being discontinued by the publisher and that the publisher’s revised product — Being a Reader — integrates comprehension components and additional materials the district would need. Burke said the district did not plan for the unexpected discontinuation and presented Being a Reader as a renewal option that aligns more directly with Pennsylvania eligible content and the state’s recent structured‑literacy emphasis.
Burke and other staff reviewed state and local assessment trends. Committee members were shown multi‑year PSSA declines cited by staff: grade 3 proficiency from about 70% to 61%, grade 4 from about 68% to 58%, and grade 5 from about 71% to 51% (figures cited by staff). Burke and colleagues cautioned those are single‑assessment snapshots and said the district will present additional internal measures next month. Burke cited current fall DIBELS screening for the cohort that will be third grade this year and said “69.4 percent of students fall into core support, core support plus or minimal risk,” which staff described as a sign the K–2 foundations work is showing positive early‑grade progress.
Staff recommended a one‑year renewal and an implementation package that includes a combination of train‑the‑trainer, virtual and self‑paced professional development. Staff presented an estimated first‑year implementation cost of about $145,000 and said annual consumables in subsequent years would be roughly $21,000–$31,000; they also estimated an approximate per‑student online access cost of $102 and said online assessment components would remain available on renewal for seven years. Staff said continuing to pilot multiple vendors would likely take an additional year and be more costly.
The committee discussed implementation fidelity, the professional development schedule (district launch and orientation beginning Nov. 4, follow‑up sessions in January, March and May), and the board financing route. Burke said the district’s finance lead indicated the $145,000 could be accommodated if the board approves the recommendation; staff said they will present detailed budget and procurement documents at the November board meeting. No formal vote occurred in committee; staff will place the renewal recommendation on the board agenda for board action.
