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Board hears staff recommendation to adopt Benchmark literacy program, including dual‑language edition
Summary
District staff recommended adopting Benchmark Advanced for elementary literacy and Benchmark Adelante for dual‑language sites after a multi‑phase pilot involving teachers, students and families. Staff said teacher manuals will be delivered before summer and professional development from the vendor is included in the contract.
Thompson School District staff recommended the board adopt Benchmark Advanced for elementary literacy and Benchmark Adelante for dual‑language implementation following a pilot and district task‑force review presented May 7.
Why it matters: Elementary literacy materials are core instructional tools and the district said the current program (ReadyGen) is no longer on the Colorado Department of Education approved list and is not aligned with the science of reading. Staff said the pilot and task force found Benchmark materials better aligned to district needs and state expectations.
Pilot and process: Tiffany Jones, director of curriculum and learning, and Sarah Rasmussen outlined a multi‑phase review that surveyed every elementary teacher, invited volunteer pilots, collected student and family feedback and used a rubric aligned to teachers’ core values. About 79 staff piloted materials and approximately 1,300 students were involved; 26% of piloting students were interviewed for detailed feedback. Task‑force subcommittees reviewed professional development, communication and implementation needs.
Adoption details and schedule: Staff told the board that teacher manuals and digital access will be delivered to buildings before summer break. The vendor included a package of vendor-provided professional development days and embedded coaching in the purchase price; staff said additional district PD beyond the vendor package would be budgeted separately if needed. Staff proposed purchasing aligned ELD and ESS materials to complement the core adoption.
Board questions and next steps: Trustees asked about disagreements during the rubric/pilot narrowing process; staff said most dissent was resolved by discussion and that the task force used a “fist to five” style consensus process. Trustees also asked about cost timing; staff said most materials and vendor‑provided PD will be delivered before July 1, and one final run of teacher manuals will arrive after July 1. The adoption will proceed through the district’s normal 2+2 review and then the board will receive the formal recommendation for action at the next meeting.
Ending: Staff emphasized teacher involvement in the selection and said the adoption aims to improve alignment with state expectations and provide more consistent, rigorous literacy instruction across elementary and dual‑language schools.
