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Hermosa Valley teachers highlight new curricula and in-school interventions
Summary
Valley teachers and students showcased projects and new curriculum adoptions — Wit & Wisdom, FOSS and Eureka — and described advisory-period interventions and targeted pull-outs aimed at students ‘on the cusp’ of meeting standards.
Miss Bledsoe, the Hermosa Valley presenter, described classroom work across grades 5–8 and the school—s recent curriculum adoptions, saying teachers are embedding “enduring themes” from the Wit & Wisdom materials and giving students more opportunities for discussion, writing and project-based learning. She said students are doing hands-on science (solar ovens, heat-transfer projects), comparative literature work and student-led engineering projects.
Bledsoe highlighted that advisory is now a 25-minute period four times a week and is being used for executive-functioning checks, SEL reminders and targeted intervention pulls. “We now have four periods of 25 minutes to pull them and we have designated intervention teachers that are focusing on whatever their deficit is,” she said, describing supports for reading and math that avoid taking students out of core academic time.
Board members praised the visuals and classroom examples. One member said the classroom focus walls and hands-on projects help students internalize learning; another asked about how intervention time is scheduled and whether pull-outs disrupt core classes. Bledsoe responded that advisory scheduling is designed to limit disruption and to provide intervention without affecting electives or physical education.
The presentation also emphasized professional development and collaboration time for teachers to "backmap" instruction to assessments and to study student work together. Bledsoe said the district—s adoption of new curricula over the past three years has required in-classroom supports and ongoing teacher training, and that early evidence from benchmarks shows growth in student engagement.
The board encouraged sharing the presentation deck with parents and staff, and staff said curriculum highlights will be posted in newsletters and on the district website. The presenter also invited the public to an upcoming Measure HV community input session to review facilities planning and solicit feedback.
