Madison board adopts revised K-12 ELA, math and social studies units

The Madison Board of Education on Tuesday approved a package of new curriculum units for English language arts, math and social studies after the curriculum and student development committee recommended the changes.

Board Chair Seth Klaskin opened the discussion, describing years of local curriculum work and saying teachers volunteered over the summer to integrate elements of off-the-shelf programs with Madison27s homegrown materials. A board member who served on the committee highlighted project-based assessments in the new Polson social studies sequence and said, "there's a lot of really interesting project-based assessments woven into there," noting sixth-graders will study world history topics earlier in the sequence.

Trustees and administrators emphasized that the revisions were not a wholesale adoption of a single vendor product. "We found a way to incorporate sensible pieces of some of the off-the-shelf curriculum programs into our curriculum," the chair said, explaining the intent was to enhance, not replace, Madison's existing materials.

After questions and brief discussion, a motion to adopt the recommended curriculum was moved and seconded. The board approved the package by voice vote.

The approval follows a year of committee review and teacher participation, the board said, and district leaders said they will communicate specific implementation plans to families and staff this summer. Board members pointed to improvements in assessment design, pairing of elementary grades for arts instruction and new project-based tasks as reasons for support.

The board did not record a roll-call vote for the adoption in the transcript; the chair announced the motion passed. The curriculum committee will follow up on rollout details and implementation timelines.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote.