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Olentangy outlines literacy, math pilots and expanded career pathways as enrollment keeps rising
Summary
District leaders described new curriculum adoptions, middle-school math pilots and expanded career‑exploration partnerships — including a CTE biotechnology program and pre‑apprenticeships — as part of a strategy to serve rapid enrollment growth and keep tax rates steady through a "no new millage" bond plan.
Mindy Schultz, the district’s director of curriculum and innovation, told the Olentangy Local Board of Education on Aug. 27 that the district has reorganized curriculum, instructional technology and strategic partnerships into a single department to improve instructional alignment and family communication. "This department brings together curriculum, instructional technology, and strategic partnerships into one unified team," Schultz said.
Schultz announced an elementary literacy adoption: Benchmark Advance, with training completed for all elementary classroom teachers and building administrators. She said the district has also introduced a complementary word-study program for fourth and fifth grades and developed district instructional resources aligned to the adoption under K–12 literacy supervisor Ebony Ford.
At the middle-school level, assistant director Shane Shoaff described a retooled academic-assist period that will be used to expand multi-tiered systems of support. Shoaff said the district will pilot two math curricula this year at all six middle schools — Carnegie in the fall and a six‑week rotation of CPM starting in January — and collect staff and student feedback before a recommendation to adopt.
"We're going to collect that feedback from staff and students, and monitor that closely, and then hopefully come back for a recommendation to you all for adoption," Shoaff said.
Dr. Chris Sander reviewed related high-school work, including a review and refresh of literature for English classes and the launch of a biotechnology CTE (career‑technical education) program at the STEM Academy, which he described as an official CTE26 program. Sander said the district will also monitor work‑based learning hours to ensure report cards reflect that activity.
The curriculum push is framed against rapid enrollment: the board president noted the district has added roughly 500 students per year and emphasized the district’s "no new millage" bond proposal to build an elementary and a high school without increasing individual tax rates. Officials said the bond strategy and curriculum investments are part of a broader approach to manage growth while preserving local tax stability.
Next steps: the district will complete the math pilot cycle, gather feedback and return to the board with an adoption recommendation; details about the proposed bond measure were presented separately in board reports and related outreach materials.
