Hernando County schools plan May adoption of new English language arts textbooks

Tiffany Howard, a member of the district curriculum team, told the Hernando County School Board at a workshop April 22 that the district plans to adopt new English language arts (ELA) instructional materials in May and purchase them for use over the next five years, pending board approval and the state’s release of the short bid list.

Howard said a recent change to Florida’s statute governing instructional materials — tied to the state’s work on “science of reading” policy — moved ELA up one year in the state adoption cycle, creating the current schedule for an immediate adoption. She told board members the district began committee work in October 2024 and followed state guidance about approved publishers and the adoption timeline.

The curriculum team split elementary committees into two grade bands (K–2 and 3–5) to prioritize foundational literacy. Both elementary committees recommended Benchmark Advance; Howard reported teacher vote results of 73 percent (K–2) and 92 percent (3–5) in favor of Benchmark Advance. For middle school, committees and teacher voting favored McGraw Hill StudySync (about 86 percent); for high school, teachers chose Savvas My Perspectives…