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Teachers recommend HMH 'Into Reading/Into Literature' for K–12 ELA after district pilot
Summary
Paramount Unified presented its K–12 English language arts adoption on Feb. 12 and teachers who piloted programs overwhelmingly recommended HMH's Into Reading and Into Literature for adoption, citing engagement, alignment with the science of reading and built‑in differentiation; the board will consider formal adoption at a later vote.
District staff and teachers presented a K–12 English language arts adoption process at the Feb. 12 Paramount Unified board meeting and recommended a single program family for K–12 instruction.
Dr. Nelson framed the adoption as teacher‑led and aligned to the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan goals. Committee work began in spring and continued through pilot phases; teachers used a rubric modeled on the Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool to compare State‑approved programs.
Teachers who piloted the finalists reported strong support for HMH’s Into Reading (elementary) and Into Literature (secondary). Amber Nakamoto, a second‑grade teacher at Hollydale, said her students were highly engaged and that teacher materials were "very teacher friendly." "My students are making connections about themselves," she said, describing a read‑aloud that led a child to share a story about her own family.
Georgina Morones and other pilot teachers highlighted the program’s cross‑curricular texts, differentiation and alignment to the science of reading and statewide expectations, and said the materials support AVID strategies and built‑in assessment opportunities.
District staff outlined next steps: pending board approval of the adoption items later in the full agenda, the district will schedule initial three‑hour training sessions for elementary and secondary teachers and follow‑up professional development before implementation in the 2025–26 school year.
The board heard the recommendation but did not finalize adoption at the Feb. 12 meeting; action items referencing the adoption appeared later on the agenda for consideration in subsequent votes.
If adopted, staff said the district would deploy professional development, leverage academic coaches for rollout and monitor implementation to ensure alignment to the learner profile articulated by the district.
