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East Penn proposes K–8 math pacing, K–5 ELA overhaul and a sixth-grade acceleration pilot
Summary
District leaders presented a package of curriculum revisions that reaffirm i-Ready as the primary math resource, introduce grade-level pacing and spiraling across K–8, revise K–5 ELA to align with the science of reading, and propose a Course 1–2 pilot to accelerate some sixth-graders toward Algebra I.
East Penn School District administrators presented a multi-part curriculum revision to the school board on Aug. 12, describing changes to K–8 math pacing and K–5 English language arts intended to increase instructional coherence and time on reading and math.
Dr. Thatcher, director of curriculum, said the district completed a root-cause analysis and reviewed program options before reaffirming i-Ready as the math curricular resource and mapping i-Ready lessons to Pennsylvania anchor standards. “We were able to look at what some of our demographically like peers were using… and ultimately i-Ready was reaffirmed as our math curricular resource,” Thatcher said.
At the elementary level, math pacing guides were revised so content spirals across years (for example, number work introduced in kindergarten recurs through fifth grade with growing complexity). Holly Petic, elementary math coordinator, explained that domains (counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, numbers and operations in base 10, measurement and geometry) are sequenced to build on one another and support a spiral model.
For middle grades, the district proposed a Course 1–2 accelerated pilot that would condense sixth-grade math and the first half of seventh-grade math into one year for qualifying students, with a reentry option to Course 2 in seventh grade if acceleration proves unsuitable. Administrators said the pilot would be evaluated with in-class assessments, screeners and teacher feedback and that the district tightened course-2 placement rubrics to reduce premature acceleration.
ELA revisions were grounded in the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Rope. Dr. Murphy and other ELA leaders said the plan expands evidence-based phonics (Hegarty, Fundations), adds decodable texts, and separates seventh-grade reading and writing into two courses to increase time on both skills. “We literally went thread by thread and made sure that we had resources and programming that addressed each of those components,” Murphy said.
Board members asked for Stage 2 and Stage 3 materials (unit assessments and classroom learning experiences). Administrators said Stage 1 (unit overviews) was shared for board review and that Stage 2/3 documents, look-fors and common assessments are available to teachers and on the district’s public math website. Special-education staff were included in the curriculum teams, and administrators said co-teaching or station models often embed accommodations in instruction.
The presentation was informational. The board will consider formal adoption or contract items at a future meeting.
