Middle‑school update: ELA HQIM implementation, multilingual strategies and a math pilot
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Summary
District academic staff told the committee that middle schools are in year two of ELA HQIM implementation with emphasis on teacher collaboration, multilingual SIOP strategies and a six‑teacher pilot comparing I‑Ready mathematics to Amplify Desmos.
District academic staff updated the Curriculum & Student Success Committee on middle‑school academic initiatives, including Year 2 of ELA HQIM implementation, multilingual instructional strategies and a math curriculum pilot.
Allison Lisonbee of the academic team described the ELA HQIM rollout as a continuing emphasis on teacher collaboration, pacing and high‑leverage strategies for multilingual learners. Lisonbee said the district is using walkthroughs, coaching and professional development to help teachers internalize the curriculum: "It is a thinking teacher's curriculum — you need that time to internalize and unpack together," she said.
Lisonbee said middle‑school efforts focus on high‑leverage multilingual strategies aligned to the SIOP model (comprehensible input and practice across speaking, reading, writing and listening) and to protocols that support teacher collaboration and student work analysis. She said coaches and leaders are prioritizing pacing so that each grade covers the full scope of standards.
On mathematics, Lisonbee said the district has convened a work group to pilot I‑Ready mathematics against the current Amplify Desmos curriculum. Six teachers (two at each middle school) are participating in the pilot to ensure representation across grade levels and student groups; staff described the sample as heterogenous rather than ability‑tracked.
Board members asked about teacher planning time, representation of pilot teachers relative to student demographics, and the district’s use of instructional rounds and demonstration lessons. Lisonbee said the district has provided collaboration blocks, coaches and content planning time, and that prior instructional rounds (cohorts visiting classrooms) will be reintroduced to support professional learning.
Staff described next steps as continued walkthroughs, data collection (NWEA and other measures) and further design sessions to translate the district’s portrait of a graduate into classroom practice. No formal decisions on curriculum changes were made at the meeting.
