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Board approves roughly $135,500 in instructional programs and digital resources
Summary
The board approved purchases and renewals for Newsela, BrainPOP, ALEKS, Explore Learning (Gizmos & Reflex) and Edgenuity totaling about $135,540 to expand literacy, math and online course options.
District staff requested and the board approved a package of instructional materials and digital resources aimed at supporting literacy and math instruction across grade levels. Todd (district curriculum staff) called the purchases an "investment in teachers' tool belts" and tied them to state assessment priorities. "ACT research tells us that the number 1 thing we can do for our students is teach them to read and comprehend complex text," Todd said when presenting the Newsela and BrainPOP requests.
Approved items and district amounts cited during the meeting: Newsela Science Integrated Literacy and Science for secondary students, $19,310.44; BrainPOP for elementary/middle-level use, $24,283.65; ALEKS (McGraw Hill) for secondary math diagnostic and instruction, $19,251; Explore Learning renewal (Gizmos & Reflex), $37,594.65; and Edgenuity online curriculum for high school, $35,100. The total from the items listed in the meeting is approximately $135,539.74.
Board members voiced support for the purchases as targeted investments intended to improve reading comprehension and math readiness. Several trustees described positive pilot results and experience with the products in district classrooms. Implementation tasks assigned in the meeting included procurement, license deployment and teacher training ahead of the new school year.
