Groton curriculum committee reviews Pillar 1 work, curriculum updates and next-year tracker

Anne Marie, curriculum committee member, reviewed Strategic Plan Pillar 1 — "Accelerate Academic Achievement" — and tied the district's year of curriculum work to that goal. She told committee members the group researched, piloted and selected Illustrative Mathematics for K-8, advanced an ELA selection for grades 6'8, and completed or revised curricular documents intended to create instructional coherence across the district.

"We researched, piloted, and selected a new curriculum resource for mathematics," Anne Marie said, noting teachers at the elementary level have expressed enthusiasm for the change. She said the district also updated or wrote curricula for 20 courses last summer and planned updates for an additional 24 courses to meet formatting and documentation expectations ahead of a combined NEA/IB reaccreditation visit in fall 2027.

The committee reviewed student performance data for AP, IB and dual-enrollment courses and examined quality-point allocations for honors/AP/IB classes; after comparing peer districts, members recommended no change to the district's quality-point policy. Anne Marie said the Groton School District updated its curriculum handbook (last updated 2019) and streamlined the curriculum writing and approval process, shortening what had previously been a long timeline for course approval.

On supports and instruction, Anne Marie described efforts to build a common understanding of high-quality, student-centered instruction: the district conducted two-to-three instructional walkthroughs in each school, provided written feedback to staff and principals, and ran professional learning sessions, citing "building thinking classrooms" as an example strategy. She emphasized the need for principal and teacher coaching to ensure implementation fidelity.

The committee also identified districtwide assessments in math, literacy and science, established an assessment calendar and scheduled student achievement meetings three times per year so schools could review fall, winter and spring data and plan interventions. Anne Marie said the district compiled an informational MTSS resource for families and reviewed elementary DIBELS and I-Ready data with specialists and principals to identify growth and gaps.

Members praised the committee's workload and progress. "It's a considerable job that you did," Dr. Ackerman said. The committee closed the discussion by confirming two ongoing tracker items for next year: continued review of reading and writing, and continued review of math implementation and outcomes; Anne Marie said she would develop a schedule for curriculum updates and bring that schedule back next year.

The committee concluded without voting on policy changes during this meeting; next steps are the implementation monitoring activities Anne Marie described and the planned presentations on reading, writing and CTE during the next school year.