Ross Local curriculum director outlines state-mandated standards revision and local adoption process

Emily Dbling, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, told the Ross Local School District board the state’s standards-adoption process and the district’s curriculum-adoption cycle.

Dbling walked the board through a timeline of standards since 2000 and explained how the district handles revisions. "These are state-mandated standards. We don't have an option. We don't get to choose what we teach anymore in Ohio," she said, urging board members to review linked materials posted with the agenda.

Dbling described the district’s crosswalk process — comparing prior and revised standards to identify gaps — and said teachers provide feedback during state revision windows. When the state adopts a revised standard, the district runs a local review, pilots one or more state-approved curricula and then brings recommended resources to the board for approval. She said the district typically pilots two to three programs and sometimes engages all teachers in a yearlong pilot, as it did for the recent English-language arts adoption.

Dbling noted the state is developing a K–12 math plan and that Ross Local anticipates a math adoption in the 2028–29 school year with a pilot the year before. She also said novel lists tied to state-approved ELA curricula will be reviewed so assigned novels align to adopted programs and to classroom expectations. The district uses multiple sources, including Common Sense Media, as part of its novel-approval review.

Dbling invited board members to meet individually if they wanted a deeper walk-through of materials and reiterated that the curriculum department will hold parent engagement opportunities before resources are recommended for board approval.

The presentation did not include a board vote; it served to inform trustees of the state timeline, the district’s crosswalk and piloting procedures, and the opportunities for staff and family input ahead of future resource approvals.