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Cabell County Schools previews six‑year instructional materials adoption, including new personal finance mandate
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Summary
Instructional staff presented recommendations for a six‑year adoption cycle—Art of Education for K–8, Quaver and MakeMusic for music, Quaver/McGraw Hill for wellness, and McGraw Hill for a newly mandated personal finance course—ahead of a formal report to the state due by May 1.
Kelly Watts, the instructional presenter, told the Cabell County Board of Education that district committees recommended a set of curriculum adoptions the board will report to the state on May 1.
Watts said the district’s materials review is a standard textbook and instructional‑materials adoption process and that samples are available for board members to view in the hallway. "So it's, textbook adoption, instructional materials adoption, and we've actually put anything that we've received out in the hallway if you want to look at anything," she said.
The committee recommended Art of Education for grades K–8, noting step‑by‑step video tutorials, emphasis on creativity and student voice, and assessments that focus on process and skill development. High school art will retain the existing Davis Art resource for grades 9–12.
For music, Watts said elementary grades K–5 selected Quaver, a standards‑aligned, digital platform that supports custom lessons and student music‑making, while secondary music will use MakeMusic Cloud (formerly SmartMusic) to provide a large digital sheet‑music library and real‑time feedback for practice.
On the new West Virginia mandate for personal finance, Watts said the committee recommended McGraw Hill to meet state standards and to support the class of 2028, calling the platform a single place for content, assignments and auto‑graded practice. "It combines content, assignments and assessments in 1 platform for easy management and progress monitoring," she said.
Watts also presented wellness (health and PE) recommendations: Quaver for elementary and middle grades and McGraw Hill textbooks and digital resources for high school wellness electives.
The board reviewed committee membership and the district’s review process, which uses teacher committees to vet materials approved by the West Virginia Department of Education. Watts emphasized the board is being asked to adopt programs that will be reported to the state; purchasing decisions and pricing negotiations, including options for multi‑year or single‑year purchases, will be addressed later. "We just have to say what we're adopting right now," she said.
The board did not take a purchase vote tonight; administrators framed the presentation as a preview because the formal adoption/reporting item is scheduled on the board agenda the following day. Next steps include the board’s adoption report to the state and subsequent purchasing discussions if the board approves the adoption.
