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Board members ask for follow‑up after English 9 curriculum narrows novel list; district schedules deeper review
Summary
Board members pressed administrators on recent changes to the Grade 9 English curriculum, including a decision to guarantee one full novel (or drama) for all students and to list other titles as secondary resources; the board requested a follow‑up discussion at the next meeting to review high‑school novel choices across grades.
Members of the Pine‑Richland Academic Achievement Committee said on June 9 that they want more discussion before the board finalizes changes to the Grade 9 English curriculum after administrators described a narrower set of guaranteed texts.
Administrators said English teachers collaborated this spring to identify which whole texts are most tightly aligned to Grade 9 learning goals. Under the proposed academic Grade 9 plan, staff said, "there's an assured experience" that every student in the academic course will read a specific whole text in Unit 1, and all students will read Romeo and Juliet in Unit 3.
"So now that tells me that regardless of which teacher my child gets in Grade 9 academic English, they're reading a separate piece in Unit 1. That's that's an assured experience," Dr. Pasquinelli said. He said the teachers prioritized a single guaranteed whole text in Unit 1 so every student has a common, cover‑to‑cover experience while other texts may be used at teacher discretion.
Board concerns and teacher role
Several board members said the change felt abrupt compared with the broader menu of novels that had been available earlier in the year. One board member noted that moving a title from primary to secondary status does not ensure it will be taught.
"Moving it to a secondary resource doesn't necessarily mean it gets taught," a board member said during the meeting. Members asked administrators to explain the rationale for choosing particular novels over others and asked for a review of the high‑school literature experience across the full four years.
District administrators, including high‑school staff, defended the approach as a hybrid model that uses both anthology (shorter texts and excerpts) and whole‑novel instruction depending on grade and course level. "We are different ... we're a hybrid approach," Dr. Keith, a high school administrator, said, explaining that the district uses a combination of anthologies and whole novels to support vocabulary, writing and analysis.
Next steps
Board members agreed to schedule additional discussion about secondary English (high‑school English) at the next regular meeting so department members can be invited to answer specific questions about novel selection and sequencing. Administrators said they would invite department staff where possible and asked the board to indicate which courses they want pulled for deeper review ahead of final action.
The board also discussed the role of summer reading and how guaranteed, cover‑to‑cover novels fit with course goals and AP preparation; administrators noted there is classroom discretion for differentiation, remediation and enrichment across tiers of instruction.
