Shawnee Mission board approves phase‑one world‑languages instructional resources, emphasizing Spanish instruction

The Shawnee Mission School Board voted to approve phase‑one instructional resources for the district’s world‑languages program, focusing initially on foundational Spanish courses and resources to support heritage‑Spanish learners.

Kristen Ridgeway, the district’s secondary curriculum and instruction coordinator, summarized a multi‑step selection process that followed Kansas State Department of Education guidance. The pilot team previewed resources from several publishers and ran classroom pilots; teachers and students provided feedback used in the final recommendation.

Ridgeway told the board the recommendation covers middle‑level Spanish 1 and 2, a middle‑level Spanish for heritage speakers subscription, and high‑school Spanish levels 1–3 — courses that account for roughly 70 percent of world‑language enrollment in the district. The board motion to approve the phase‑one adoption passed on a 7–0 vote.

The team said it previewed materials from multiple vendors during the prescreening and pilot phases, including vendors listed in their report and vendor demonstrations. Teacher feedback and student responses were the deciding factors in the recommendation, Ridgeway said. The selected package includes premium digital licenses and PDF e‑book access for students; the district negotiated print materials and digital access as part of the purchase, and the adoption is planned on a multi‑year cycle with professional learning and onboarding scheduled over the coming months.

The presentation also highlighted the district’s Seal of Biliteracy efforts. Ridgeway and world‑language teachers noted that Shawnee Mission led Kansas in the number of students earning the Seal of Biliteracy over the prior three years, rising from 16 students to 56 last year in one referenced example. The Seal recognizes graduates who demonstrate proficiency in English and an additional language at ACTFL‑defined thresholds; the district said earning the seal also provides a market value asset and is aligned with the district’s real‑world learning goals.

Nick Reese, a world‑language teacher, described the Spanish for heritage speakers classes as focused on strengthening literacy skills — reading and writing — to match students’ often advanced conversational ability: “The course is focused, yes, on those literacy skills, so we're gonna build up their reading and writing capacity,” he said.

The board and presenters discussed program growth: the district reported that Spanish for heritage speakers enrollment doubled at the high‑school level and tripled at the middle‑school level over the past five years. Ridgeway said the district split the adoption into two phases because the foundational levels account for the bulk of enrollment and budget constraints required staging. Phase 2 will address remaining French and other language materials and heritage high‑school resources.

Implementation steps include vendor onboarding and professional development this summer, virtual support sessions through the year, and district‑led follow‑up during 2025–26. The district also proposed annual subscriptions for certain heritage resources to allow flexibility as programs grow.

Board members praised the inclusion of student voice in the pilot and emphasized the long‑term benefits of expanded language proficiency for students’ postsecondary and career options. The vote to approve the phase‑one world‑languages instructional resource adoption (Spanish-focused phase 1, with digital and print materials and a heritage‑Spanish subscription) passed 7–0.

No additional budget appropriation was approved during the motion; implementation and textbook ordering will proceed under the district’s normal procurement and budgeting processes.