Board to consider adopting 'Arts and Letters' ELA curriculum for grades 4—2

Kim Wagner and Elizabeth Redsoft presented the committee's recommendation to adopt the "Arts and Letters" English language arts curriculum for grades 4 through 12 after a vendor review and classroom observations.

Wagner said the district selected Arts and Letters because it aligns vertically with the existing K— Wisdom curriculum, is consistent with the science of reading, and uses multi-week modules that allow students to build deep background knowledge and practice oral and written communication skills. She told the board the curriculum emphasizes rich texts, explicit instruction and frequent writing with exemplars and exemplified teacher modeling.

"We do care a lot about our students and we really want them to be college, career and life ready," Wagner said, summarizing the team's vision for adopting a common curriculum to support shared language and teaching practices across grades.

Presenters described the program's structure (six-to-eight-week units with supporting tech sets and texts) and explained that vertical alignment will allow the district to deepen students' knowledge over time rather than reteach disconnected skills. The recommendation was placed before the board as a motion for adoption (second reading) and staff said the formal adoption would be recorded in the meeting actions.

Board members thanked teachers for their work on the review and asked about implementation supports; presenters said professional development and next-year coordination with high school ELA reviews are planned. The board did not announce a final vote during the presentation; the item was presented as an adoption motion on the agenda.

Next step: staff will return the adoption item for a formal board action as part of the agenda's motion process.