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Board approves new English-learner curriculum to target newcomers and reinforce districtwide consistency
Summary
Trustees approved an updated English-learner curriculum package — including a Cornerstone update and National Geographic newcomer materials — to standardize EL instruction across grades and better serve newcomer students, funded primarily with federal Title dollars.
The Caldwell School District board voted June 16 to adopt a package of updated English-learner (EL) curricular materials and options aimed at creating consistent, age- and level-appropriate instruction for students learning English.
Miss Velasquez, the district EL director, outlined four “EL nonnegotiables”: all EL students must have access to tier 1 and tier 2 instruction; EL strategies should be used by all teachers; the district should use consistent tools across schools; and language proficiency — not grade or adult preference — should drive service delivery. “We strongly believe that being bilingual is a superpower,” Velasquez said as she introduced the department’s framework and preliminary ACCESS growth data.
Velasquez described challenges the program faces: a large newcomer population with varying needs, widely inconsistent curricula across campuses, and older materials that are not aligned to the 2020 WIDA standards used for ACCESS testing. She recommended adopting a Cornerstone update for students who already have some English and National Geographic–branded newcomer materials for kindergarten and early elementary newcomers, plus targeted workbooks and digital teacher licenses. The Cornerstone update was quoted at roughly $20,011.75 for one curriculum package, and administration estimated a total package in the neighborhood of $30,000 depending on options chosen.
Director Mead and Velasquez said the district would use federal Title funding — a mix of Title I-A, Title I-C and/or Title III funds depending on the specific purchases — to pay for the materials. Velasquez also played sample instructional videos and showed teacher-facing digital supports intended to reduce the planning burden on EL teachers and provide predictable, repeatable lesson structures.
After questions about pullout time versus in-class supports, committee membership for the curriculum adoption process and policy requirements, a trustee moved to approve the recommended EL program materials and the board approved the motion by voice vote.
Why it matters: Trustees adopted materials designed to standardize EL instruction across the district and to provide structured, level-appropriate resources for newcomers. Administration said investing in kindergarten and early elementary newcomer supports is especially important because early gains are most likely to yield long-term proficiency.
The board approved the purchase and directed staff to work with the Director of Federal Programs on exact fund coding; administration said more detailed procurement options and counts will follow.
