Downingtown leaders recommend Amplify ELA for grades 6–8 after year‑long pilot; purchase listed on upcoming agenda
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Summary
After a nine‑month review and two spring pilots, district teachers and the resource adoption committee recommended Amplify ELA for grades 6–8. The district listed a $479,787.48 purchase of Amplify ELA on the forthcoming action agenda; no board vote on that purchase appears in the transcript.
The Downingtown Area School District resource adoption committee on May 20 recommended Amplify ELA as the core English language arts resource for grades 6 through 8, following a nine‑month review, two six‑week classroom pilots and site visits to districts using competing programs.
Committee leaders told the school board the committee used a rubric that weighed text quality, alignment to Pennsylvania academic standards, text‑dependent questioning, vocabulary, writing, constructing knowledge, student access and teacher support. "We feel like we did our due diligence with this process," Paula Shinske, the district ELA curriculum leader, said during the presentation.
Why it matters: A single adopted ELA resource will shape reading, writing and literature instruction across the district’s three middle school grades and change pacing, professional development and summer curriculum writing. Teachers who piloted the programs will act as early implementers — the district plans to write curriculum over the summer and provide professional development in August and November.
How the committee chose: District presenters said they narrowed a field of resources (including Amplify ELA, Savvas My Perspectives and StudySync) using evidence from vendor materials, reviews, district data and visits to higher‑performing districts. The committee ran two pilots: Amplify in December/January, and Savvas in March–April. According to the presenters, committee ratings and follow‑up district conversations produced the Amplify recommendation.
Implementation plans and classroom structure: The district said all 6–8 teachers may "pioneer" the program in 2025–26 (an opt‑in implementation year the presenters called "pioneering"). The district will ask teachers to review all texts in the resource over the summer, work with the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) on Understanding by Design curriculum writing, and provide embedded on‑site coaching during rollout. Presenters said Amplify includes six levels of built‑in differentiation and a "100‑day pass" sequence intended to map standards across that window.
Schedule and course structure changes noted: The committee recommended combining literature and writing into an integrated course for seventh grade (matching the sixth‑grade model) and said most teachers supported double‑period blocks for the combined literature/writing classes; eighth grade will continue as a single 45‑minute period, with lessons that can span multiple days.
Cost and board action: District staff placed a request on the action agenda to purchase Amplify ELA for grades 6–8 at a listed cost of $479,787.48. The transcript records the presentation, committee recommendation and the listed purchase price but does not show a board vote on the Amplify purchase during this meeting.
Concerns and follow‑up: Board members asked how the resource will accommodate honors/advanced students, how coaching will be organized, how eighth‑grade pacing will align with ninth‑grade expectations and whether whole‑novel reading will be preserved; presenters responded that differentiation is embedded in Amplify, principals and instructional coaches will join professional learning, and the district will plan whole‑class novel units for eighth grade to support the high‑school transition.
Next steps: District staff said they will finish curriculum writing over the summer, provide professional development in August and November, and confirm coaching plans and schedules before full implementation.
