Ames school board approves $45,000 pilot of 95% Group phonics materials over objections from veteran teachers

The Ames Community School District Board of Directors voted 4-1 on Sept. 22 to approve a purchase order of roughly $45,000 to pilot elementary literacy materials from 95% Group, including professional development for classroom teachers.

District staff said the purchase would allow a committee of teachers and specialists to pilot a second set of materials alongside Benchmark Advance to better evaluate options for a scheduled elementary literacy adoption.

The board's decision follows public comments from veteran classroom teachers who urged the district to continue using Foundations, the phonics-based program the district already owns. Marie Shipley, a second-grade teacher at Kate Mitchell Elementary, told the board that Foundations had produced “tremendous growth” in her students and that the district already holds…