Sunnyside curriculum team outlines new ELA, science, math and social-studies rollouts
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Summary
District curriculum leaders described this year’s new English/language arts modules, middle-school CommonLit adoption, science pilots and a data-driven math focus, and said some curricula include guidance on classroom use of AI.
Pam Benton, director of curriculum and instruction for Sunnyside Unified School District, told the governing board Tuesday evening that the district has rolled out several curriculum updates and supports aimed at improving classroom coherence and teacher readiness.
The most visible change is a new set of English language arts materials. Michelle Gottlieb, the district’s director of English language arts and language acquisition, said the district updated kindergarten through fifth-grade EL Education modules and adopted CommonLit for grades 6–8. "Formative assessment strategies are built into this curriculum," Gottlieb said, adding that teachers reported feeling ready to use the new materials after two days (16 hours) of professional learning.
The curriculum team also described science and social-studies changes. Elementary schools are piloting two OpenSci units while middle- and high-school science courses are using the OpenSci curriculum adopted last year; the district renewed a partnership for physics instruction with Pure Physics. For social studies, the district is expanding use of Discovery Education materials in grades 6–8 and adding selected high-school resources to bolster inquiry units.
Math work is focused on data-driven placement and interventions, the presenters said. A district math lead summarized a multi-year effort to compile historical math data sheets that identify students for honors and dual-enrollment pathways and flag credit-recovery needs. The presenter emphasized instructional planning and student-work analysis anchored in a CPA (concrete–pictorial–abstract) approach.
District staff discussed how AI tools are being incorporated into instruction in limited, skill-building ways. "It's not about 'write my essay for me,' but it's about how do I become a skilled prompt writer?" Benton said, describing efforts to help teachers guide students in using AI as an editing and idea-generation tool rather than a shortcut.
Board members asked about rollout communication. Gottlieb said the district previewed middle-grade units with teachers in the spring and included site leaders and instructional coaches in early professional learning. Science staff said they used targeted Wednesday professional development and vendor demonstrations to pilot materials before board consideration.
District leaders asked principals and teachers to report implementation issues as they arise and said the district will continue targeted professional learning and site-level support through the school year.
