Cheltenham committee narrows Algebra I placement, eyes K–5 ELA adoption and advances strategic‑plan steps
Summary
At its Jan. 20 Education Affairs meeting, Cheltenham School District officials proposed cutting Algebra I placement criteria from six to three, presented three K–5 ELA instructional‑materials finalists, and gave a year‑three strategic‑plan update covering Portrait of a Graduate, MTSS/mental‑health work, DEI efforts and facilities projects; minutes were approved and staff will return with recommendations and engagement plans.
Cheltenham School District administrators on Jan. 20 proposed streamlining how middle‑grade students are placed into Algebra I, previewed three finalist K–5 English‑language‑arts programs for district adoption and reported progress on the district’s year‑three strategic plan, including mental‑health supports and facilities work.
Dr. Savage, who framed the Algebra I placement discussion, said the district will reduce the existing six placement criteria to three: prior and current PSSA performance (proficient or advanced), an algebra placement test, and grade‑book evidence (no less than a B in the first three quarters). Savage said the change is intended to remove unnecessary “bricks in the wall” that have limited access to acceleration and that the district will still consider individual, bespoke appeals for students with special circumstances. She also flagged concerns about teacher‑recommendation subjectivity and implicit bias and said the staff want to use multiple, objective measures and clear family communication.
Supporters on the board asked how the change affects scheduling and high‑school pathways and whether the change could produce tracking. Administration said no board‑policy changes are required for the revision, that the placement test would be administered in May, and that communications and family engagement (letters, website updates and office hours) will precede any placements. Administration reported a small pilot this year that doubled Algebra I enrollment at Cedarbrook with no negative academic effects and said current counts at Cedarbrook are roughly 59 students in Algebra I and about 32 in geometry.
On curriculum, a teacher‑led committee presented three finalists for K–5 high‑quality instructional materials (HQIM): Amplify CKLA, HMH Into Reading and Savvas (MyView). The committee used a rubric that weighted assessment components, digital access, equity and usability and gathered teacher and parent feedback during review sessions. Administrators said they expect to return to Education Affairs in February with a recommendation and to bring a contract to the full board in March or April so teacher training can begin ahead of implementation.
In the strategic plan update, staff reported stakeholder engagement metrics collected while revising the district’s Portrait of a Graduate: 737 secondary student survey responses, 365 teacher/staff responses, and additional community and PTO focus‑group input. The revised portrait reframes competencies into actionable behaviors (for example, ‘‘communicates respectfully’’ and ‘‘leads with empathy’’). Staff said they will run a student graphic contest to produce visuals for classroom use and will begin embedding the competencies in the curriculum cycle over the coming year.
The meeting included a multi‑pillar update: staff described curriculum‑cycle work and adoption timelines; district social‑emotional/mental‑health work and MTSS processes (early‑warning reports are generated three times yearly to guide tiered supports); and DEI work that administrators said is embedded across the strategic pillars but that capacity constrained progress this year. Administration noted ongoing partnerships with community providers and that it will submit a PCCD grant in the coming days to expand services.
On facilities and finance, the business manager reviewed the district’s facilities strategy. Rather than build a single brand‑new school, the district is pursuing two smaller projects to add capacity at Glenside Elementary and Cedarbrook Middle School; staff said recent bids for those projects totaled $25,000,000. The business manager also outlined planned HVAC work at the high school, site‑planning for the future of the Elkins Park building and continued work to digitize requisition and absence reporting processes.
The board approved the minutes from the Dec. 16 meeting. No final adoption votes on instructional materials or policy changes were taken; staff will return with formal recommendations, clear family communications and further analysis on scheduling and equity implications.
