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Creswell SD 40 board adopts new social studies curriculum for middle and high school
Summary
After a multi‑teacher presentation citing strong state rubrics and built‑in digital tools, the Creswell SD 40 board voted to adopt the McGraw‑Hill social studies curriculum for Creswell Middle School (grades 6–8) and to align high‑school courses to the same materials; the board also approved several routine motions including travel and athletics agreements.
The Creswell SD 40 School Board voted to adopt the McGraw‑Hill social studies curriculum for Creswell Middle School (grades 6–8) and to align high‑school social studies materials to the same series after a presentation by district social studies teachers and site principals.
A CMS social studies teacher who presented the committee’s review said the package performed strongly on the district’s rubric and "is 100% aligned with Oregon standards," highlighting integrated digital tools, primary‑source activities, Lexile adjustments for differentiated instruction, and formative assessments that produce teacher‑ready data for reteach planning. The presenters said the vendor will provide training to support teachers during implementation.
The committee recommended McGraw‑Hill after comparing eight publisher options and noting that the selected series scored consistently high across state and district criteria, including standards alignment, engagement features and supports for students with IEPs. Presenters described classroom testing of a World War I photo‑analysis lesson and said students responded positively to the interactive materials and Lexile adjustments.
Board members asked about specific rubric categories where the vendor scored lower (teacher supports and student supports for some high‑school units). Presenters acknowledged a learning curve and pointed to scheduled professional development and vendor tech support as mitigation. The presenters also noted the curriculum’s inclusion of materials tied to recent state expectations, including content referenced under Senate Bill 13 about federally recognized Oregon tribes.
During discussion the superintendent reported that existing high‑school textbooks are 21 years old and said adopting updated materials would better support inquiry‑based instruction and college‑level skill development. After discussion, a board member made a motion to adopt the CHS/CMS social studies curriculum; the motion passed.
Votes at a glance - Adopt CHS/CMS social studies curriculum (McGraw‑Hill): motion carried; vote tally not specified. (Motion introduced and passed during the meeting.) - Approve elementary curriculum adoption postponement/extension: motion carried; board approved extra time to map gaps and review fiscal impacts. (Postponement requested by district staff to allow further evaluation.) - Approve CMS/CHS FBLA out‑of‑state travel (San Antonio, Texas): motion carried; staff said students and advisers will fundraise and an adviser must attend. (Individual fundraising accounts were described.) - Approve cooperative sponsorship with Cottage Grove for girls flag football: motion carried; athletics directors had reached an agreement and the cooperative sponsorship was approved to meet OSAA requirements.
What happens next District staff will post curriculum materials and implementation details, schedule vendor training for teachers, and work through pacing and alignment across middle and high school. The board also instructed staff to post budget committee materials in advance and to notify committee members of the upcoming budget meeting.
At the meeting’s close, trustees discussed scheduling next month’s meeting earlier to attend promotion and graduation events and confirmed staff would post budget documents and meeting reminders on the district website and in the Chronicle.
