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William Penn SD recommends five-year HMH ELA adoption; price estimate totals about $2.5 million
Summary
District staff recommended adopting HMH Into Reading (K–5) and Into Literature (6–12) on a five-year contract, presented pilot findings and supplemental resources, and answered committee questions about cost, Chromebook delivery, and external efficacy data.
District staff recommended that the William Penn School District adopt HMH curricula for ELA instruction: Into Reading for kindergarten through fifth grade and Into Literature for grades six through 12, on a five-year contract intended to align systems and avoid overlapping with a math adoption year.
The presenter said the recommendation followed year-long piloting and feedback from teachers and school visits; elementary feedback (33 responses) showed a close split among programs but stressed the need for structured literacy components and strong professional development. "There is no perfect program," the presenter said, adding that teacher quality and professional development will determine program success.
Staff described supplemental resources piloted (Amira, Read 180, Writable) and noted Waggle (a K–8 intervention) was not piloted. The presenter said vendor quotes for a K–12 core curriculum plus additional resources, before negotiation, totaled nearly $2.5 million for a five-year contract and that professional development was built into the pricing. "That totaling almost $2.5 million," the presenter said, adding negotiations with the vendor would begin the following week.
Committee members pressed practical questions. Miss Hoff asked whether HMH is Chromebook based and whether students must take devices home; staff replied the platform supports both online and paper resources and that students would not need to take Chromebooks home. Regarding cost distribution, staff said multi-year payment options exist and that yearly payments could be negotiated.
Miss Taxon asked for efficacy data and a list of districts using HMH; staff said the vendor supplied district lists but cautioned that demographic differences limit direct comparisons. Committee members requested district budget information to assess affordability.
No formal vote was recorded at the committee meeting. Staff said they would continue vendor negotiations and return with negotiated pricing and budget impact information for board consideration.
