School board approves CommonLit 360 for grades 7–12 and Vista ELD; k–6 knowledge-curriculum debate continues

The Ogden School District Board voted to adopt CommonLit 360 for grades 7 through 12 English language arts and Vista Higher Learning for elementary English language development, approving both the instructional materials and the proposed professional-learning investments for the 2025–26 school year.

District Executive Director of Curriculum Adam (last name not specified in the transcript) presented the materials and costs before the vote and said the district would also reconvene committees and continue public input on a separate K–6 adoption. “This adoption in both K–2 and 3–6 represents the closest we’ve ever had,” Adam said while reviewing committee scoring and final fee proposals.

School board leaders said they wanted to be sure teachers and students had time to compare final copyrights and vendor proposals before a K–6 decision. Vice President Anderson moved to approve CommonLit 360 and Vista Higher Learning for the specified grades; Board Member Purnell seconded the motion, and the board approved it by voice vote. Anderson later moved and Board Member Allred seconded a separate motion to approve the accompanying professional-learning investments; that motion also passed.

Why it matters: The vote puts new, vendor-selected ELA resources and an implementation plan in place for middle and high school classrooms while leaving elementary core instruction unresolved. K–6 choices are consequential because the two leading contenders—Amplify CKLA (third edition) and EL Education as published by OpenUp—are both “knowledge-building” programs whose structures affect how students build content knowledge across grades.

What the board discussed: Adam summarized committee work, scoring and the final fee proposals. For K–2 and grades 3–6 the committees produced very close scores; the K–2 committee ranked Amplify CKLA first, OpenUp (EL Education) second. For grades 3–6 the committee favored EL Education by a narrow margin. Adam told the board his recommendation was to adopt a single K–6 knowledge curriculum (either Amplify or OpenUp) because mixing two distinct knowledge programs across adjacent grades would complicate vertical alignment and teacher training.

Administrators presented three modeled cost scenarios: adopting Amplify for K–6; adopting OpenUp/EL Education for K–6; or a split approach (Amplify K–2 and OpenUp 3–6). The transcript lists the district estimates (all seven-year, all-inclusive figures provided by the vendors and administrators): - Amplify option (K–6 materials and associated professional learning as presented): about $1,700,000 over seven years. - EL Education/OpenUp option (K–6 materials and associated professional learning as presented): about $2,100,000 over seven years. - Mixed option (Amplify K–2 and OpenUp 3–6 as the committee had recommended across both committees): about $2,000,000 over seven years.

Administrators explained the difference stems partly from publisher scale and the mix of trade-book purchases, digital platform costs and vendor training proposals. Adam noted major publishers (HMH, McGraw Hill) can leverage scale to produce lower per-district pricing; OpenUp/EL Education — a nonprofit publisher model — had different cost drivers including trade-book purchases and a separate digital platform.

Public comment and committee input: Committee members and educators who served on the adoption panels spoke at the meeting. Theresa MacInnes (committee member) and Tony Weldon (committee member) said OpenUp/EL Education “offers a deeper, well-rounded literacy experience” for grades 4–6 and praised its integration of science and social studies topics into literacy instruction. Theresa told the board OpenUp “provides explicit language supports such as language dives and scaffolding to assist multilingual learners.”

Several classroom teachers urged the board to adopt a single K–6 curriculum rather than split systems. Third-grade teacher Holly Bailey, representing Shadow Valley Elementary, said her staff preferred Amplify and asked that, if two programs are used, that third grade be grouped with K–2: “Shadow Valley believes Amplify is easier to access as a teacher in general, which allows the teacher more time to use student data to support choices within using the curriculum instead of spending a lot of time trying to figure out what we’re supposed to be teaching.”

District specialists including Natalie Dussol and Shannon Wilcox urged the board to consider teacher workload and coach capacity; Wilcox, the district’s early-literacy administrator, emphasized the importance of a single K–6 program for fidelity and urged adoption of one consistent program so specialists and instructional coaches can sustain implementation.

Board debate and next steps: Board members asked detailed questions about scoring nuances, fee proposals and the implications of splitting two knowledge curricula across adjacent grades. Vice President Anderson pressed administrators on why Savvas (another vendor) scored differently on fee proposals, and other board members raised concerns about transitions between grade bands if two different knowledge-building programs are used.

Administrators said the K–6 decision will return to the board at its April 17 meeting following reconvened committee work, additional public comment and further analysis of final vendor copyrights and fee adjustments. Adam said he would provide a final recommendation for April, and the board will vote then if it chooses to move forward.

Votes at a glance: - Motion: Adopt CommonLit 360 for grades 7–12 ELA and Vista Higher Learning for elementary ELD (SY 2025–26); mover: Vice President Anderson; second: Board Member Purnell. Vote: passed (voice vote). - Motion: Approve professional-learning investment tied to CommonLit 360 and Vista Higher Learning (SY 2025–26); mover: Vice President Anderson; second: Board Member Allred. Vote: passed (voice vote). - (K–6 adoption pending) The board did not take a final K–6 adoption vote; administrators will return in April with committee updates and a final recommendation.

Ending: Administrators will reconvene adoption committees, collect additional teacher and public feedback and return with a final K–6 recommendation at the board’s April 17 meeting. The board’s adopted 7–12 and ELD materials will move into vendor orientation and professional-learning planning for summer 2025.