Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Piedmont schools report $841,851 curriculum investment; new math and targeted reading supports rolled out
Summary
District curriculum staff told the board the district has invested roughly $841,851 in new curricula this year, including a K–12 math adoption, a consolidated K–9 ELA program and a new middle‑school reading intervention that will serve dozens of students.
Brenda, the district’s curriculum presenter, told the Piedmont School Board the district has invested about $841,851 in curriculum materials this year and described a package of new instructional supports aimed at improving grade‑level readiness.
“Our big goal is that every student finishes every grade level with just what they need, knowledge and skills to be successful in the next grade,” Brenda said during the board’s presentation. The package includes a K–12 math adoption, a consolidated K–9 English‑language arts adoption from HMH, a new pre‑K curriculum called Frog Street, and additional elective offerings such as AP psychology and AP environmental science.
Brenda drew particular attention to reading. She described a three‑part reading strategy: build a strong foundation (including an explicit systematic phonics program for K–3 that now extends into third grade), early interventions targeted at identified gaps, and strengthened classroom instruction supported by instructional coaches. To identify candidates for intervention, the district used screening data and test results; Brenda said the data indicated that “about 65 to 70 percent” of incoming freshmen previously were not reading at the expected level, a pattern the district hopes to address with a new middle‑school reading success class.
District staff said the reading success class is a full‑time, selective intervention staffed by a teacher and a teacher assistant, with small group instruction, ongoing assessment and a goal of allowing students to test out when they reach proficiency. The presenters said the model is grounded in the elementary practice of flexible grouping and that class sizes were kept deliberately small.
The district also described supports for English‑language learners: staff reported about 200 ELL students this year speaking 31 languages, with dedicated ELL support at elementary, middle and high school levels. Instructional coaches were reassigned so math and ELA coaches are housed at the middle school to support the new programs and the middle‑school reading intervention.
Board members thanked staff for the presentation and asked for continued updates on implementation and outcomes. No formal board action was required; staff invited board members and the public to contact the district office for more detail or to request follow‑up meetings.
