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Oyster River board adopts Amplify CKLA for K–5 after yearlong pilot; first-year cost estimated at about $175,000
Summary
After a year of piloting Amplify CKLA and Benchmark Advance, the Oyster River Coop School District board voted 5–0 to adopt Amplify CKLA for grades K–5; the district plans summer and fall professional development, with first-year implementation—including training—estimated at roughly $175,000.
The Oyster River Coop School District school board voted unanimously on June 3 to adopt the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program for kindergarten through fifth grade after a two-program pilot and months of teacher feedback and classroom visits.
District literacy specialists and a cross-school pilot team told the board they evaluated Benchmark Advance and Amplify CKLA against a rubric anchored in what presenters called the "science of reading" and district priorities such as phonics, comprehension, writing and consistent instructional materials. Allison Neary, the Mast Way literacy specialist, said the work was driven by "House Bill 10 15," and by a desire to create equity and consistency across Oyster River schools.
Pilot teachers described classroom results and student engagement. "Students loved the readers," said Franchesca Kennedy, a kindergarten teacher, reporting that decodable readers and integrated digital components kept students engaged and helped build vocabulary. A summary slide presented by pilot teachers showed 75 percent of participants agreed CKLA aligned with the district's literacy vision and recommended it for implementation.
Board members asked about cost and long-term support. The assistant superintendent said the district would purchase the most up-to-date version and that the publisher updates annually. Officials estimated first-year implementation—including training, coaching visits and materials—for K–5 at about $175,000 and described plans for paid summer professional-development days and ongoing coaching during the school year.
Before the vote, the board confirmed a timeline for training and rollout: districtwide training on June 17 for K–2 and grades 3–5 spans, paid PD time for teachers to plan in the summer, and ongoing in-district coaching visits and vendor support in the fall. The motion to adopt the program passed on a voice vote recorded as "5 in favor, none opposed."
The board will stand up a reconstituted K–5 curriculum committee to support implementation, monitor alignment with science and social studies standards where CKLA includes content, and track areas needing adjustment in the first year. Presenters emphasized the adoption is intended to provide common resources while preserving teacher autonomy to adapt instruction to students' needs.
Implementation is scheduled to begin with summer training and classroom planning in advance of the 2026–27 school year; parents and staff will receive further details as planning is finalized.
