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High school ELA team recommends in-house units, replenished anchor texts and Membean vocabulary; $194,000 initial ask
Summary
High school English teachers described a multi-year plan to standardize 9–12 instruction with locally developed units, refreshed texts, and a Membean vocabulary program. Staff requested initial funding and said the plan will be presented for board action next meeting.
High school English teachers on April 28 briefed the board on a recommendation to update 9–12 ELA resources by combining district-written units of study, refreshed anchor texts, additional high-interest novels for literature circles, and a district-wide Membean vocabulary subscription.
Andrea Alta Peter and Mary Drumm, members of the high-school steering committee, told the board the group prioritized vertical alignment across ninth through 12th grades, created essential questions and unit plans, and crosswalked old standards to newly revised state standards. They said their approach emphasizes disciplinary literacy, common priority standards and common formative assessments on those priorities.
The committee recommended updating writing-instruction textbooks, replenishing shared anchor texts, adding memoirs and high-interest novels in verse for choice-based literature circles, and purchasing Membean, a web-based vocabulary program for grades 9–10. The presenters described an initial expenditure request of about "$194,000" that covers textbooks, anchor-text replacement, the first year of Membean and some replenishment copies; they presented an estimated 7-year total of "$284,000." Mary Drumm said Membean supports individualized vocabulary growth and can be recalibrated for students who need lower-level lists.
Board members discussed implementation. Dr. Hodek praised the depth of the high-school committee's work; members asked about the seven-year duration for textbook commitments, and Amy Barch explained seven years is a typical vendor cycle for curriculum updates. Board members also asked about cross-curricular literacy and PLC collaboration; presenters and administrators described curricular work in PLC time and collaboration with other departments for disciplinary reading and writing skills.
Administrators said the recommendation will return to the board for action at the next meeting, with contract and cost details. The high-school team emphasized the plan blends common district expectations with local teacher-authored units rather than adopting an all-in-one commercial high-school ELA anthology.
