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Board hears staff, principals and parents on science textbook adoption and accessibility
Summary
Board members, staff and principals discussed the district's science textbook adoption cycle, accessibility features for digital curriculum and the possibility of aligning curricular adoptions by feeder strands to improve professional learning.
District staff and school leaders discussed the science textbook adoption process, how curriculum adoption cycles are sequenced and accessibility concerns for digital materials.
Dr. Susan Field (Learning Services) and Shane Knight (instructional leadership) explained that the district follows an adoption cycle for core content and that elementary and secondary adoptions occur on a staggered schedule. Knight said the district typically reviews one subject area each year and that full district alignment would require multi-year planning and investment. He cautioned that rapid, districtwide changes can cause dips in student achievement if teachers lack time and support to implement new resources.
Board members and community reviewers raised accessibility questions for specific science materials. Staff noted that an open-source curriculum (OpenSciEd) has a paywalled hosted version provided by a vendor (Carolina) that includes accessibility features such as built-in text-to-speech and closed-captioned media; the open-source PDFs can be made accessible with third-party tools but may lack native accessibility without the hosted service. Staff said technology and accessibility reviews are conducted before district technology components are approved for classroom use.
Several board members suggested piloting feeder-strand alignment (for example, aligning math or language-arts resources across elementary feeders that feed the same middle school) as a potential first step toward broader district alignment. Staff said such alignment is being explored and that any districtwide change would require multi-year budgeting for purchases and professional development.
