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Grafton K-1 teachers roll out EL Education, early literacy programs and Project Lead The Way
Summary
At the March 25 Grafton School Committee meeting, North and South Grafton principals reported that the district has begun implementing EL Education for K–1, continued Heggerty and Foundations in pre‑K, introduced Project Lead The Way modules for STEM and expanded PBIS supports and a therapy dog program in both K–1 schools.
Julie Flynn, principal of North Grafton Elementary School, presented the K–1 update at the March 25 Grafton School Committee meeting, summarizing district literacy and early‑STEM work and outlining next steps for professional development and curriculum alignment.
The presentation said the district piloted several literacy programs and selected EL Education for use at the K–1 level. Flynn said the program “builds a strong foundation for lifelong literacy” by combining explicit instruction in decoding with language comprehension to support reading comprehension. The presentation noted that preschool teachers continue to use Heggerty for phonological awareness and Foundations for early phonics and letter‑sound recognition.
Flynn credited district literacy coaches and specialists — Kristen Perron, Lauren Ignoyan, Jill Rekia, Sarah Thompson and Gail Killian — with supporting teachers’ implementation. She described multiple forms of professional development this year, including half‑day PD sessions, release time for lesson internalization and peer observations at schools already using EL Education.
Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a STEM curriculum, was introduced this year at the K–1 level. Flynn said two first‑grade teachers and the district technology teacher participated in training and piloted a PLTW module; students worked on hands‑on design projects such as biomimicry and early coding exercises. Two first‑grade students, identified in the presentation as Emma and Bradley, described classroom projects on biomimicry — Bradley said, “I built animal ears similar to a jack rabbit. They work great,” and Emma described building “false eyes” for a scarecrow and other designs. Flynn said PLTW is funded through a three‑year grant that covers professional development and classroom consumables and that the district has developed a five‑year plan for sustaining the program after the grant period.
Flynn also reported progress on PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) at both South and North Grafton, including schoolwide recognition systems (penguin prints and other incentives) and new activities tied to earned privileges. The schools have begun using therapy dogs on Fridays to support student well‑being.
School committee members asked about how EL Education differs from previous balanced literacy practices and how teachers are personalizing instruction. Flynn said the approach involves more whole‑class, knowledge‑building instruction combined with targeted “win time” small‑group work and that teachers are learning to scaffold lessons for diverse learners. She described ongoing coaching, classroom observations and a plan to continue rollout work in the coming year.
Flynn closed by apologizing for technical issues with embedded videos and said the district would share video links with committee members after the meeting.
The presentation emphasized districtwide alignment: Flynn said EL Education, PLTW and PBIS work are being coordinated across North and South Grafton and that shared professional development and teacher collaboration are central to the rollout.
Looking ahead, the district plans additional professional development focused on writing within EL Education and continued expansion of PLTW modules. Flynn said teachers and students have shown increased vocabulary use, deeper engagement with texts and visible student ownership of work in classroom routines.
