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Board discusses curriculum tool adoptions and report-card alignment for multiple grades
Summary
The board heard pilots and adoption recommendations for Freckle (K–8) and IXL (9–12), reviewed fourth- and fifth-grade math report-card changes, and considered a middle-school Character Strong pilot.
District curriculum staff summarized recent pilot work and proposed adoptions for supplemental instructional platforms and report-card alignment.
Math intervention staff presented the Freckle math pilot (K–8), which the district said included three teachers per elementary grade, special-education and intervention teachers, and middle-school teachers. Pilot metrics the district reported included 150 days of implementation and 3,743 total logins across participating classrooms; teachers provided largely positive rubric reviews and cited differentiation, embedded hints, instructional videos and reporting tools as valuable. The district presented a per-student license price of $7.30 for districtwide adoption and outlined professional development supports.
District secondary staff presented results from an IXL pilot for high-school math content areas. Teachers reported IXL supported remediation, enrichment and ACT/state-test preparation. The district stated the per-student license is $7.50 and noted that, according to staff, next school year KSDE will cover the cost at full cost for the district.
Curriculum leaders also reviewed updated, standards-aligned report cards for fourth- and fifth-grade math; the updates narrow grading focus to essential standards for promotion. Staff described the alignment work as collaborative across grade-level teams and said the new report-card drafts reflect state standards for targeted grading.
Finally, staff proposed a three-month, no-cost pilot of Character Strong for grades 6–8 to test a secondary-level social-emotional program that the district has already implemented in pre-K–5. The presenter said the vendor is providing three months free for the pilot; staff would return to the board with pilot findings and recommendations after the trial.
Presenters emphasized professional development, fidelity monitoring and teacher support as central to successful rollouts. Board members asked questions about data collection and family access; staff said Freckle and IXL are accessible at home via student Chromebooks and that the math committee will guide implementation monitoring.
Where votes were taken on these items, the record is summarized in the meeting's "Votes at a glance" summary.
