Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ela Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board to consider districtwide ELA resource after committee recommends My Perspectives
Summary
Administration recommended adopting the My Perspectives ELA resource for middle schools and running a December 'pilot/verification' with 10 of 12 teachers; board members raised equity and adoption concerns and asked for universal buy-in or stronger supports for late adopters before final approval in December.
Perkiomen Valley School District administrators asked the board to move a middle-level English language arts recommendation to the December agenda after a committee review named My Perspectives (Savvas) the top resource.
Natalie Ranco, curriculum and instruction supervisor for humanities (Speaker 5), described a multi-stakeholder review—including teachers, special-education staff and reading specialists—that narrowed candidates to a single recommended resource on a rubric emphasizing text quality, diversity, scaffolding and alignment with structured-literacy practices. She said 10 of 12 middle‑school ELA teachers volunteered to pilot My Perspectives when the board approves the ask; two teachers cited personal circumstances for delayed adoption.
Board members questioned whether the December rollout constituted an effective pilot, noting that 10 of 12 classrooms would use the new resource from December through June while two would continue with Collections for the remainder of the year. Some trustees urged administration to seek 100% departmental buy-in or provide targeted coaching and co-teaching so ‘late adopters’ are not left behind; administration said vendor professional learning will be offered and that teachers will have access to materials and coaching.
Administration also emphasized continuity with elementary-level Into Reading and pledged ongoing classroom observations and data collection to evaluate vertical alignment and rigor. The committee asked staff to return in December with clearer implementation plans and supports for universal adoption.
