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Committee reviews a suite of curriculum and technology contracts — Canvas, FlexPoint, laptops and instructional platforms
Summary
The committee considered renewals and purchases for digital platforms (Canvas, FlexPoint, Elevation), school laptops and lab carts, and curriculum tools (Study Island, Aimsweb, Magnetic Reading) aimed at scaling digital curriculum, supporting multilingual learners and progress monitoring; board members asked for implementation and PD plans.
District leaders presented multiple recommended procurements and renewals for the coming year, explaining intended uses and previous outcomes.
Key items discussed: - Canvas (Instructure) renewal: District recommended renewing Canvas (learning management system) to host digital textbooks, curriculum and professional development. Staff said interruptions last year reduced usage (94,000 student account events in 2023–24 vs. a sharp fall during an approval gap) and explained Canvas now integrates with the district’s online textbook platform (Thrivist).
- FlexPoint (online K–12 curriculum): The district recommended renewing FlexPoint to provide asynchronous curriculum for the district’s virtual schools, to support courses for vacancy mitigation and advanced academic options, and to supplement teachers (used across many schools in 2023–24 when vacancies occurred). Staff noted FlexPoint previously supported thousands of students when in‑person teachers were unavailable.
- Devices and tagged purchases: Multiple schools (Kingsbury High, Kingsbury Middle, Melrose High) requested purchases of student laptops, charging carts and teacher devices funded with Title I (TAG) dollars; officials said the devices address aging hardware and short battery life and serve as backup when 1:1 devices are unavailable.
- Instructional platforms and curriculum resources: Contracts and one‑year purchases recommended included Edmentum’s Study Island for CSI schools (standards mastery and tutoring support), Elevation platform to support multilingual learner reporting, PCG 10Pulse MTSS add‑on, Pearson Aimsweb for progress monitoring (K‑3 state coverage noted), Science kits for Grades 6–8 CSI schools, and Magnetic Reading Foundations for K‑2 in CSI schools. Clearview Consulting was recommended for personalized leadership development for principals and assistant principals in CSI cohorts.
Board members sought more detail on implementation plans and teacher professional development time, asking how summer PD and in‑service time will be used to ensure fidelity. Staff said training would be provided during in‑service and via Canvas, and that district central offices will align support, monitoring and ROI checks; they also noted urgency because some tag funds must be obligated by the fiscal deadline.
