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Brush School District advances handwriting, music purchases and outlines assessment targets
Summary
District staff presented curriculum requests for handwriting and music, updates on ELA/secondary adoptions and assessment trends after switching to DIBELS-8; the board approved the purchase requests and asked staff to confirm vendor deadlines and amounts.
District staff asked the board to approve purchases and renewals for handwriting and elementary music resources and to fund preschool professional development tied to the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum; the board approved the request by roll-call vote.
In the curriculum presentation, staff described K'5 handwriting instruction organized around shape, size, spacing and slant; classroom tools include a worksheet maker and family-facing QR-code practice materials. Staff also recommended continuing and expanding music resources (Game Plan and Music Play Online) to support a coherent K-12 music sequence and hands-on instrument work.
Casey Gourary, the preschool instructional coach, told the board that the preschool has used Handwriting Without Tears for roughly a decade and needs PD and materials replenishment. She stated a total resource request in the presentation (transcript text garbled as "82,8 1979") and warned of a vendor price increase: staff said a purchase order must be received before March 15 to secure current pricing.
Assessment and data Staff reported baseline classroom data and set a target for March 13: 75% of Brush classrooms should achieve 90% student engagement (defined as students speaking, writing or performing at least once during the lesson). They explained that the district moved to DIBELS-8 for early literacy assessment, which affects year'over'year comparisons of significant reading deficiency (SRD) percentages. Staff offered to develop five-year longitudinal reporting for the board and said they are rebuilding some longitudinal capabilities following a vendor/data-warehouse change.
What the board approved and will follow up on - Curriculum purchases (music and handwriting) approved; staff instructed to secure purchase orders and confirm encumbrances before the vendor deadline. - Staff to return verified dollar amounts and procurement confirmations and to present longitudinal trend reports (requested by board member) at a future meeting.
The meeting closed with routine calendar, personnel and policy votes and the board scheduling its next meeting for March 17, 2025.
