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District outlines curriculum adoption, IXL rollout and Lexia training grant
Summary
Curriculum staff briefed the board on textbook adoptions (health, art, music, personal finance), use of Title funds for professional development, early results and rollout plans for IXL, and a $70,000+ grant to train two staff as Lexia 'letters' facilitators.
Britta Layton, who identified herself as a federal programs and secondary curriculum leader, gave the board a multi-part update on textbook adoption, professional development funding and digital tools.
Layton said the district will present textbook-adoption recommendations for health, fine arts and the newly required personal-finance course later this spring and will bring formal approval requests to the board. She explained how multiple federal funding streams (Title I, II, III, IV and CTE) can be applied to professional development, and noted Title II is specifically designated for teacher training. “That money has to be used in the purpose of training teachers,” she said, describing allowable uses such as substitutes for training, stipends for out-of-contract work, supplies directly tied to PD and travel costs.
Layton reviewed IXL diagnostic and student reports, saying the district is in its first year of use. She emphasized the program’s continuous tracking between eighth grade and the eleventh-grade SAT and argued it can give teachers a clearer, ongoing picture of student skill levels that classroom snapshots do not provide. Layton recommended additional teacher training and described plans to use IXL data to target instruction, noting the district will better tailor messaging to secure student buy-in.
Staff also announced a grant exceeding $70,000 to train two district staff as Lexia letters facilitators to build local capacity for science-of-reading instruction. The grant would cover the majority of training costs, but board members were told to expect travel expenses and an ongoing maintenance fee for the program. A staff-led selection process for the Lexia training candidates and an itemized cost breakdown will be presented when the board is asked to approve travel or uncovered local costs.
Other items Layton previewed included requests for targeted PD travel (one small Pittsburgh training), planned summer conferences for new administrative teams, and an application process for staff to receive release time or stipends for training tied to federal program funds.
The board asked staff to provide itemized cost breaks showing grant funds versus any county or title-money obligations before final approval.
