Baltimore County board approves purchase of My Perspectives ELA materials for grades 6–12

The Board of Education of Baltimore County voted to approve a contract to purchase My Perspectives as the district's high‑quality instructional materials for grades 6 through 12.

Board members approved Contract CWA 120‑224 after presentations from system staff summarizing a yearlong pilot, teacher and student survey results, and implementation planning. The first‑year cost presented to the board for implementation was just under $2 million, with a requested total spending authority of $14 million over a seven‑year contract.

District staff told the board that the pilot included vendor‑led coaching, weekly drop‑in curriculum support sessions, demonstration classrooms, and quarterly feedback from teachers and students. In presentations, staff said 70% of teachers in the pilot agreed the materials supported reading instruction and 61% agreed the materials promoted active engagement with text; about 60% of students surveyed said topics and learning experiences supported their learning. Staff cited a Cincinnati district as a comparable example provided by the vendor, which the vendor said showed a roughly 6 percentage‑point gain in proficiency over three years in that district.

Board members asked about costs, implementation supports and evidence from other districts. Staff said they evaluated options (digital only, print only, mixed formats) and recommended retaining both print consumables and digital access because the vendor pricing difference between formats was small and consumables provide students with the ability to annotate texts. Staff also described an implementation plan aligned to research‑based keys for curriculum adoption, including principal and teacher professional learning, classroom coaching, look‑for tools for principals, and demonstration classrooms where central‑office specialists co‑plan and model instruction with teachers.

During discussion, several board members emphasized that success depends on consistent, systemwide professional development and fidelity of implementation, and asked staff to continue monitoring supports for multilingual learners and students with disabilities who, staff acknowledged, continue to lag behind peers.

The motion to approve the contract was forwarded from the Building and Contracts Committee and passed by roll call. Board members recorded the vote before the board moved on to additional contract approvals covering items M‑2 through M‑14.

The board approval allows superintendent and procurement staff to finalize the contract and begin vendor‑supported implementation work with selected pilot schools and a broader rollout schedule.

Votes at a glance Contract CWA 120‑224 (My Perspectives ELA) Motion: Approve contract CWA 120‑224 to purchase My Perspectives for grades 6–12 (first‑year cost just under $2,000,000; spending authority requested up to $14,000,000 over seven years) Mover: Chair/committee recommendation (Building & Contracts Committee) Second: Not required (committee motion) Outcome: approved Vote tally (as recorded at the meeting): yes 10, no 2, abstain 0 (transcript note: “Favor is 10” recorded after roll call)

Contract approvals M‑2 through M‑14 Motion: Approve contracts M‑2 through M‑14 as forwarded by the Building & Contracts Committee Outcome: approved (roll call vote recorded in meeting minutes)

Why it matters The Board’s action commits the district to a single high‑quality English language arts curriculum for secondary grades and launches a multi‑year implementation process that the district said includes sustained professional learning and classroom coaching. Staff told the board the materials are intended to align instruction, reduce variation across classrooms, and provide vendor supports that supplement central‑office coaching.

What’s next District staff will finalize the contract with the vendor, continue scheduled professional learning (including demonstration classroom visits and vendor coaching), and monitor implementation, with periodic reports back to the board on teacher uptake, student engagement, and assessment outcomes.