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Board approves five‑year Renaissance contract to unify screening and intervention tools
Summary
Trustees approved a five‑year partnership with Renaissance to consolidate the district’s multiple assessment and intervention platforms into a single ecosystem, funded in part by MSCS and educator effectiveness grants. District staff said the move will streamline data, support tiered interventions and provide ongoing professional learning.
The Amador County Unified School District Board approved a five‑year contract with Renaissance on July 9 to create a districtwide assessment and intervention ecosystem covering early literacy through high school, district staff said. The board heard a presentation from Director of Student Success Scott Worthing and Assistant Superintendent Patty Horn who described the change as a switch from several fragmented tools to a unified platform intended to improve data‑driven instruction and intervention.
What was proposed: Staff recommended replacing multiple assessment systems with Renaissance’s Star suite, Accelerated Reader, Freckle and supporting teacher tools such as Nearpod. Worthing said the suite would provide a universal screener, progress monitoring for tiers 1–3 and intervention supports linked to instructional materials. The proposal includes a professional learning plan and a five‑year rollout.
Funding and fiscal notes: The district estimates the annual net cost after grant offsets at roughly $67,000 (a net reduction vs. the prior fragmented spend). Worthing identified two grant sources — the Math, Science and Computer Science (MSCS) grant and an Educator Effectiveness grant — to help fund implementation across the five‑year term. Staff said the total program is partially offset by those grants and that the system will replace several paid platforms the district used in 2024–25.
Board discussion: Trustees and staff discussed teacher adoption, integration with special education services and how data from earlier tools would be handled. Staff said FastBridge elementary data (already in occasional use) will be accessible and that the implementation plan includes robust professional learning so schools are not left to implement piecemeal.
Board action: The motion to approve the five‑year Renaissance contract passed on a roll‑call vote. Trustees asked for ongoing reporting on implementation and impact as a condition of the rollout.
Why it matters: A single assessment and intervention platform aims to reduce duplicate systems, give teachers real‑time, comparable data across grades and free intervention teachers to concentrate on higher‑need students by enabling more classroom‑level interventions. Staff said the move supports the district’s strategic plan goals around instruction and data use.
Provenance: presentation and motion recorded beginning at the Renaissance item (block_7958.195) and concluding at the contract motion and vote (block_9681.84).
