Pine-Richland board reviews proposed 2025–26 English curriculum; asks staff to study restoring To Kill a Mockingbird in Academic English 9

Pine-Richland School District administrators presented the proposed 2025–26 English curriculum for grades 9–12 at the district's Academic Achievement Governance meeting on July 21, 2025. The discussion focused on Academic English 9, where teachers recommended "A Separate Piece" as the primary novel and listed To Kill a Mockingbird as a secondary resource; several board members asked staff to investigate whether To Kill a Mockingbird should be restored as a guaranteed (primary) text for Academic English 9.

The curriculum presentation, led by Dr. Pasquinelli (district administrator), walked board members through the program-of-studies documents, course-enrollment history, and a new core-text/anthology overview that lists primary and secondary resources for each unit across grades 9'12. Dr. Pasquinelli said, "the curriculum in terms of the standards, the eligible content, the learning goals, they do not change and have not changed," and described the board-approved materials as the "guaranteed experience" students should receive in a given course.

Board members and administrators discussed several points of evidence the staff provided: course-request counts (for 2019'20, English 9 had 161 requests and Honors English 9 had 180 requests), enrollment trends showing growing Advanced Placement (AP) participation in grades 11 and 12, and AP performance data. The administration reported an average AP score of 3.91 for the 2024'5 school year and noted substantial increases in AP enrollment (AP 12 requests projected near 130 for 2025'6, up from 108; AP 11 requests projected near 196). For grade-level distribution the staff cited that, in recent course requests, roughly 54% of 11th-graders requested AP English 11, 18% requested honors English 11 and about 26% requested academic English 11; in grade 12 the staff reported about 30% academic, 32% honors and 37% AP.

The staff explained the district's approach to text selection and complexity: the My Perspectives anthology (board-approved in May) is the primary anthology for multiple course levels; teachers used qualitative and quantitative measures (including Lexile ranges) to evaluate texts; and course spreadsheets show where primary texts are integrated into unit sequences (for example, Academic English 9: My Perspectives, a "separate piece," Romeo and Juliet (tragedy), and excerpts from the Odyssey listed as primary resources).

Several board members expressed concern that moving To Kill a Mockingbird from primary to secondary in Academic English 9 could mean fewer students would read it cover-to-cover. One board member said she was "concerned that To Kill a Mockingbird is now secondary and may not be read at all," noting that unit 1 is typically 40 days in length and asking whether there is time to read two full novels in that unit. Staff replied they could not guarantee that every teacher would read a secondary resource in full but emphasized that secondary designations allow teacher discretion to integrate texts where appropriate.

Board members proposed options for addressing the concern without disrupting the start of school: asking the English department to consult teachers and report back on whether To Kill a Mockingbird can be incorporated as a guaranteed text for Academic English 9 and, if so, what instructional adjustments would be required (for example, changing unit sequencing or reallocating days to preserve depth of instruction). Dr. Pasquinelli and other administrators said they would gather teacher input and provide the board with data on which honors ninth-grade classes read which novels in the 2024'5 year.

Public commenters at the meeting voiced support for teachers and cautioned against late changes to curriculum. Stacy (resident) said, "Changing anything with 3 weeks left until the school year starts is deplorable," and urged the board to consider teacher workload. Another resident, Brittany Kindersmith, told the board she supported the staff and administrators and recommended trusting teachers' professional judgment given the district's strong results. One commenter asked for clarity about summer-reading expectations; staff said summer reading is publicly posted, is based on student choice at lower levels and is more prescriptive for AP-level courses because of exam preparation needs.

No formal vote was taken during the July 21 meeting. The board asked staff to collect two specific pieces of follow-up information: (1) a definitive report on which novels honors ninth-grade classes covered in 2024'5, and (2) a feasibility analysis from teachers and department leaders on restoring To Kill a Mockingbird as a primary (guaranteed) resource for Academic English 9, including implications for unit sequencing, instructional time and summer preparation. Staff indicated they can provide the requested information and recommended allowing time to work with teachers to avoid disruptive last-minute changes.

Board members said they want clearer, earlier circulation of curricular proposals in future cycles so members have time to review recommendations before the summer; administrators said the June materials were intended to increase transparency and alignment and that earlier conversations remain the district's goal. The board left the item open for follow-up rather than making immediate changes to the approved materials for 2025'6.

Looking ahead, the district will report back to the board with the honors-grade reading data and a teacher-informed plan if the staff determines a change is feasible. The conversation highlighted trade-offs staff and teachers weigh between breadth (more titles) and depth (in-depth study of fewer texts) and the practical constraints of starting a school year in mid-August.