Pullman School District staff presented a condensed five-phase curriculum adoption process at the Oct. 22 board meeting and said a Curriculum Advisory Committee (CAC) will meet in early November to review instructional materials and make recommendations to the board.

The district described the five phases as: research and goal-setting; curriculum mapping and gap analysis; review and selection of instructional materials; implementation and professional development; and ongoing maintenance and review of adopted materials. Staff said the updated policy text shortens and clarifies earlier language and aligns district practice with WASA/WASBO/WASDA recommendations.

Officials listed recent adoptions and current priorities: Illustrated Mathematics for grades 6–8, Bridges math and Collaborative Literacy in K–5, and the Second Step social-emotional curriculum for K–12. Staff said teachers are now implementing the K–5 adoptions with fidelity and making classroom-level adjustments based on experience.

Staff also identified future needs if funding permits: a review of 6–12 English language arts and additional math beyond algebra and geometry, and an update to K–5 social studies materials, which staff said have not been reviewed recently. Middle and high school teachers may also propose new course texts, and staff said some college-credit or AP course materials may already be preapproved by external bodies.

The district said the CAC will include elementary, middle and high school teachers, principals, community members and a board member; the board member listed as the CAC representative is Amanda Tanner (excused from the Oct. 22 meeting). Staff said supplemental and temporary materials and library resources are reviewed at the principal or teaching-staff level and that intervention materials will be reviewed by the CAC and brought to the board for approval.

Staff said the CAC is expected to follow the district’s five-phase process and present recommendations to the board as adoptions reach the selection stage.