Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Curriculum director outlines priorities: technical subjects focus, professional development and resource choices
Summary
Matt Jones, newly titled director of curriculum, told the board he is managing curriculum work as a one-person office, described this year's technical-subject focus (PE, world language, STEM), updates to math resources and plans for content-collaboration Wednesdays, and noted budget limits that delayed planned science resource purchases.
Matt Jones, who has stepped into the district's director-level curriculum role, briefed the board on curriculum cycles, professional development plans and instructional materials decisions. He said the district's curriculum office is currently small and he is managing curriculum work with substantial teacher collaboration via Content Wednesdays.
Jones described this year's focus on technical subjects (world language, physical education, STEM) and noted that elementary teachers will pilot units; math decisions included adopting the latest edition of Bridges for elementary grades and continuing Desmos (now run by Amplify) in middle school while high school courses remain on their existing materials. A planned mystery-science purchase was deferred because of budget constraints.
He highlighted strong implementation of Read 180 and Math 180 in middle schools and the district's emphasis on standards-based grading, proficiency scales and teacher-led professional development. Jones also described efforts to provide Spanish-language teacher guides for Bridges and noted the district's desire to fund a book-bus initiative if funds become available.
Board members praised teacher-led trainings and thanked Jones for assuming expanded responsibilities; there was no formal board action tied to this presentation.
