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District endorses new instructional materials from kindergarten math to high‑school anatomy
Summary
The Instructional Program Advisory Council recommended Illustrative Mathematics for full‑day kindergarten, Mystery Science and LEGO kits for elementary science, SPIRE reading supports for grades 4–5 intervention, Newzella for grade 6 social studies, and Visible Body and anatomy resources for a new high‑school anatomy elective.
The district's Instructional Program Advisory Council (IPAC) presented a slate of recommended instructional materials for the 2026–27 school year and the board reviewed the recommendations during the study session.
IPAC recommended adopting Illustrative Mathematics for a play‑based full‑day kindergarten math model, saying the resource better supports conceptual numeracy and center‑based learning than the district's older textbook‑style materials. "We determined that illustrative mathematics better supports these instructional priorities," IPAC's presenter said.
For K–5 science, IPAC recommended Mystery Science kits (Discovery Education) and LEGO Education science kits as hands‑on, standards‑aligned options; pilots and professional development occurred during Superintendent Conference Day to prepare teachers for implementation.
Reading intervention resources proposed included SPIRE for grades four and five as a targeted Tier 2/3 supplemental program. For grade six social studies, the committee recommended Newzella (a digital platform) following two years of pilots; teachers reported it provides accessible informational text and built‑in differentiation supports.
IPAC also proposed Visible Body (a web‑based 3D anatomy visualization platform) and a companion anatomy workbook for a new anatomy and physiology elective for juniors and seniors, noting those resources are commonly used in college‑level courses and support lab‑based instruction.
The committee said many recommendations included plans for accessibility, embedded supports for diverse learners and aligned professional development. The board received the recommendations for consideration; the memo attached to the meeting agenda contains implementation details, antibias reviews and cost information.
Next steps: the board will consider formal adoption of these materials at a future business meeting and staff will continue planning professional development and procurement.
