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District proposes headphone purchase for Amira reading tutor and recommends disposal review for old assessment kits
Summary
Staff recommended purchasing elementary headphones (recommended vendor CDW, $56,375) for use with Amira reading tutor and proposed disposing of certain FMP assessment materials because HMH provides phonics and phonemic assessments; the board will consider both items in August.
A district presenter described implementation plans for the new K–5 HMH ELA curriculum and associated digital tools, including the Amira online reading tutor that records students reading and provides diagnostic data. Staff said high‑quality headphones with microphones are required to capture accurate audio data and recommended purchasing headphones through CDW at a total cost of $56,375; staff said Title funds are available to cover the purchase and that the item will go for action at the August board meeting.
Staff also recommended retiring district FMP (Fountas & Pinnell) and Pinnell assessment materials because HMH includes phonics and phonemic assessments. A board member expressed concern about disposing of all FMP kits, citing their role as an additional teacher‑level data point for MTSS. Staff said they have consulted curriculum committees and teacher groups and will reconsider how many kits to retain per site before taking the item to the full board.
A board member asked how many headphones that purchase would buy; staff confirmed the order quantity but did not provide a per‑unit breakdown in the committee discussion. No formal approvals were made at the July 28 Curriculum Committee meeting; both the headphone purchase and the disposal of assessment materials were described as items that will be presented for board action in August.
