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Committee outlines timeline, pilot options for elementary ELA adoption
Summary
District staff described a multi-stage review of elementary English language arts materials, narrowed three finalists and proposed pilots starting in September 2025 with a possible board adoption in November 2025 for a 2026–27 rollout.
Upper Darby School District staff described progress in a multi-stage review of elementary English language arts materials and outlined steps toward a possible pilot and board recommendation.
Dr. Kelly and Kristen O'Neal told the Education and People Services Committee that the review began in December 2024 with input from the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and neighboring districts. An initial pool of about nine options was narrowed to five, then to three finalists following publisher presentations and rubric-based evaluation.
O'Neal said the three finalists are "Inter Reading version three," a combined set identified as Arts & Letters plus Really Great Reading, and Benchmark Advance. She said a larger review team—more than 40 stakeholders including classroom teachers, special education teachers and reading specialists—had evaluated sample materials and provided feedback.
"Based on that team's analysis, we narrowed those five resources to three to support our next phase of the review," O'Neal said. Staff described a plan to survey participating stakeholders, recruit pilot teachers and run limited pilots beginning in September 2025 across grade levels and buildings so that multiple grades are represented. The district aims to present a recommendation to the board by November 2025 and, if approved, target implementation for the 2026–27 school year.
Board members pressed staff on how the programs would support English learners and students with disabilities and whether supplemental interventions such as "foundations" would continue. Staff said the core program is meant to be inclusive and that tiered interventions would be adjusted to align with whichever curriculum is selected. They also noted scheduling constraints: typical elementary ELA blocks in the district range from 90 to 120 minutes, while some publisher programs propose longer instructional blocks.
O'Neal said specific pilot schools, grade-level counts and final program choices were still to be determined and that staff would return with detailed pilot designs when they are finalized.
