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Committee weighs faster switch to Arts and Letters for K–5 literacy amid scheduling concerns
Summary
Staff recommended moving K–5 language‑comprehension lessons from Witten Wisdom (90‑minute lessons) to Arts and Letters (60‑minute lessons) beginning August 2026, citing teacher survey results (about 55–57% support) and additional minutes added by the recently chosen Reading Horizons phonics program; committee members asked for teacher‑growth breakdowns and preliminary retest data before finalizing whether to keep the item on the consent agenda.
Brunswick County Schools curriculum staff recommended on June 2 that the district transition its K–5 language‑comprehension curriculum from Witten Wisdom to Arts and Letters beginning August 2026, primarily to reduce the time burden on the district’s literacy block.
Presenter Miss Damon told the committee that Witten Wisdom lessons require about 90 minutes and that Arts and Letters offers a 60‑minute lesson developed by the same company with several teacher‑driven enhancements. She said the district surveyed grade‑level teachers and reported that a majority—about 55–57%—favored transitioning in August 2026 rather than delaying implementation.
Committee members linked the proposed change to the board’s earlier selection of the Reading Horizons phonics program, which adds roughly 10 minutes to the phonics block. "When Reading Horizons was chosen, that adds 10 minutes to that block in the literacy block, which made the comprehension curriculum switch that much more needed," a committee member said during discussion.
Members pressed staff for additional analysis before they vote. Questions centered on whether to: (1) proceed on the June consent agenda, (2) move the item to an action item at the next meeting, or (3) delay full adoption and compare Arts and Letters with other curricula in a year‑long adoption process. One member asked staff to extract responses specifically from teachers who exceeded expected growth (a "plus one" and "plus two" cohort) so the board could see whether higher‑growth teachers favored the switch.
Staff agreed to pull those subgroup results and to share preliminary reading retest data that will be available this week (preliminary results were described as embargoed and not yet certified). Committee members suggested that if the subgroup and preliminary data are available and persuasive, the item could remain on consent; otherwise it should be placed on the committee or board agenda for fuller discussion.
Next steps: staff will provide the requested breakdowns (plus‑one and plus‑two teacher cohorts) and any available preliminary retest readings to the committee before the June 2 board vote; committee members said they may pull the item from consent for fuller consideration if the data do not settle concerns.
