Perkiomen Valley plans May–June presentations on curriculum updates, resource purchases and personal finance requirement

Perkiomen Valley School District supervisors told the Education Committee of the Whole they will present Stage 1 curriculum documents to the board in May and June and requested approval for several instructional resources and materials.

Humanities supervisors said Stage 1 curriculum for sixth‑grade social studies, middle‑level English language arts, K–5 music and two newly approved high‑school courses — AP African American Studies and Printmaking — will come forward for review. “We’ll be presenting Stage 1 curriculum guides for sixth grade social studies, middle level ELA and K to 5 music, as well as 2 new high school courses that were approved and have enough student enrollment to run next year,” the humanities supervisor said.

STEM supervisors said K–5 math has been the elementary focus for the year and staff will recommend a resource after a pilot. The committee discussed i‑Ready (currently piloted at K–5 and used at middle levels) and recommended adding the personalized instruction and intervention components to create individualized learning paths. At the high school level, staff recommended continued use of Desmos for Algebra I and broader use of Mathematic (used in precalculus and statistics) across geometry, Algebra II and precalculus.

Resource requests described for board review included extending an elementary informational text database subscription (PebbleGo), purchasing textbooks for AP African American Studies (the district said the current core African American studies text is approved by College Board for the AP class), and buying materials for a new printmaking course. Music pilots (Music Play for K–2 and Essential Elements for grades 3–5) were described as complementary: Music Play was characterized as “highly interactive” and more appropriate for primary grades; Essential Elements as stronger for upper elementary theory.

Personal finance: staff and board members discussed Pennsylvania’s recent requirement on personal finance. A staff member read from Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance and the group discussed Act 35’s requirement that students take a personal finance literacy course worth at least one half‑credit. “Act 35 requires that students take a course in personal finance literacy with a value of at least 1 half credit,” the presenter said. Staff noted PDE guidance indicates personal finance must be delivered as a standalone half‑credit course rather than integrated into another class; staff said they would investigate summer‑bridge or test‑out options for students with scheduling constraints.

Scheduling and enrollment details: supervisors said each newly approved high‑school course will run one section next year because of current enrollment. For AP African American Studies, staff said students chose between the two available courses and the district will purchase additional copies of a text already approved by College Board. Staff said pilot data for i‑Ready show student progress in classrooms using the program and recommended purchasing licenses for all students to provide continuity between elementary and middle levels.

No formal board vote or purchase was approved at the committee meeting; staff will present recommended Stage 1 curriculum documents and specific resource procurement requests to the school board in May and June for the board’s 30‑day review and subsequent action.