District instructional committee recommends new courses, textbooks and a revised math pathway

At the June 1 board meeting the Instructional Policy Committee (IPC) presented a large slate of curriculum actions for board consideration, ranging from textbook adoptions to new course pilots and a district‑wide change to the high‑school math pathway.

Kyle Kleener (director of instruction) framed the IPC work as equity‑driven and teacher‑led, with subject‑area coordinators and school teachers piloting materials and recommending changes. Dr. Abby Sorano (English coordinator) asked trustees to adopt English Three Essentials (aligned to AB 181 alternate diploma pathways) and new AP English textbooks; she also recommended adding culturally sustaining supplemental novels to the district reading list.

Mathematics coordinator Lawrence Ye described a multi‑year transition away from the prior integrated pathway to a traditional sequence beginning with geometry, then algebra I, then algebra II — a change the district piloted this year. To expand post‑secondary readiness, IPC recommended new third‑ and fourth‑year math options: Algebra II with financial applications (a course used in over 100 California high schools and estimated to attract roughly 700 students locally) and a 'transition to college‑level math' pilot developed with CSU Monterey Bay and San Jose State.

Science subject‑area staff recommended adopting new biology and chemistry textbooks after extensive teacher pilots; science leadership also asked for a permanent, non‑AP environmental science course adopted at small sites.

World language leaders presented substantial curriculum work, including permanent adoption of newly piloted Hindi level‑1 and a revised Vietnamese speakers curriculum restructured to meet a two‑year A‑G value; the Vietnamese teacher described the program as “East Side’s child” built from local teachers’ expertise and framed around cultural literature and proficiency standards.

Arts and career‑technical education recommendations included permanent adoption of advanced mariachi, a ceramics foundations adoption (expanding 3‑D arts offerings), a digital music program pilot moving into a second year, networking and IT fundamentals courses, and AP Business with Personal Finance.

Special education and transition programs received attention: the IPC advanced permanent adoption of Transition A/B life‑skills coursework and reported the district will graduate the first cohort under AB 181 (alternate diploma) at five sites this spring.

Trustees moved to approve the IPC slate as part of the consent calendar; Kleener and subject coordinators will return with implementation details and site scheduling. Several trustees and student leaders noted that communication and student outreach will be important as new offerings roll out.

Provenance: IPC overview and English proposals introduced at SEG 1958; math pathway details around SEG 2191; world languages and Vietnamese program through SEG 2910; arts/CTE/ESN/CCGI through SEG 3279.

Speakers (attributions used in this article): Kyle Kleener (Director of Instruction), Dr. Abby Sorano (English subject area coordinator), Lawrence Ye (Math subject coordinator), Vanessa Vub (Science subject area specialist), Melissa Le Manning and Fongwen (World Language leads), Autumn Juel (Visual Arts), Kyle Doorens (CTE), Mildred Janos Richards (Counseling coordinator).

Topics and scoring: - curriculum_adoption — justification: IPC recommended multiple permanent adoptions and pilots across subjects; relevance: 1.00, depth: 0.85, opinionatedness: 0.05, controversy: 0.15, civic_salience: 0.70, impactfulness: 0.80, geo_relevance: 1.00

Authorities cited: AB 181 (alternate diploma for students with extensive support needs) was referenced in the IPC English and special‑education discussions.