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West Noble teachers show early gains after switching to CKLA literacy curriculum
Summary
At a regular West Noble School Corporation board meeting teachers presented early assessment data and a classroom video showing students’ gains under the district’s new CKLA reading curriculum, and described how built-in small-group lessons and intervention time are used to support students who score low on skills checks.
Teachers and staff told the West Noble School Corporation board that the district’s new CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum is producing early signs of stronger skills and higher engagement.
At a “Spotlight of Success” presentation, an instructional coach described CKLA as a recent but intensive change and introduced kindergarten teacher Miss Hannah, who demonstrated the program’s two-part skills assessment. "If they scored 8 or higher on this test, they did not have to do part 2," Miss Hannah said, explaining that part 1 asks students to choose a written word that matches a spoken cue and that students who score low on part 1 move to an oral reading check to pinpoint whether problems stem from letter-sound knowledge or blending.
The teachers said the assessment data help them target small-group intervention time. "We have an intervention time in our schedule ... My assistant will pull kids during that time to work with, like, in a small group or one-on-one," Miss Hannah said. She described using CKLA-built small-group lessons and pullouts by Title and EL staff to reteach blending or letter-sound skills for students scoring in the yellow or red bands.
Mrs. Kaiser described CKLA’s knowledge units and culminating activities, citing a human-body unit where students built models and assembled a donated skeleton from the Ligonier Public Library. "We took wiggle breaks and things like that ... we had a culminating activity and we get to do some really fun things," she said, noting the units push listening comprehension and content knowledge that teachers can later connect to reading.
Board members praised the engagement they observed. One trustee said the difference in engagement in CKLA classrooms is "night and day," and another noted stronger vocabulary and writing in early-grade students.
The board also viewed a short classroom video in which students answered questions about content and demonstrated classroom talk and recall. District staff said the video and the assessment spreadsheet, which teachers use during data-log meetings, are being used to monitor instruction and refine interventions.
No policy change was taken at the meeting; the board heard the presentation and will continue monitoring rollout and assessment results at future meetings.
