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Elementary leaders recommend CKLA/Amplify to align K–8 reading instruction
Summary
District elementary leaders told the board that two separate reading curricula have created vertical gaps seen in CMAS data and recommended adopting CKLA (Amplify) for K–5 to align with middle-school materials; the proposed rollout begins with summer professional development and a fall launch, with formal adoption to be scheduled.
Elementary school leaders recommended that the board adopt Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA, by Amplify) for kindergarten through fifth grade to create a single, vertically aligned reading curriculum and reduce instructional fragmentation.
Kelly (elementary leadership) said the district’s use of two different reading programs across grades has produced alignment problems and stagnant CMAS results at third and fourth grades. "We have to do better for our kids," she said, describing staff surveys that left teachers split about current materials and a teacher-driven selection process that prioritized the science of reading, student engagement and coherent K–5 alignment.
Presenters explained why CKLA was selected: the program combines systematic phonics instruction with a language-comprehension knowledge strand, includes formative assessments and aligns with the Amplify language-arts sequence used at the middle school. Amber Turkham, who joined the presentation, said teachers who previewed CKLA reported it reduces the need for teacher-created materials and supports a guaranteed, viable curriculum across K–8.
Board members asked whether the new curriculum provides intervention materials and supports for multilingual learners. Presenters said CKLA includes assessment tools and that the district will retain its current targeted intervention program (Wilson-style phonics interventions) while aligning intervention strategies to the new curriculum. Leaders proposed a summer professional-development program, pilot work during late spring/early summer and a full launch in August with ongoing coaching and PLC (professional-learning-community) support.
Next steps: staff requested the board schedule a formal adoption vote at an upcoming meeting (staff suggested the May/June budget meeting window) and committed to return with implementation details, assessment alignment and midyear check-ins for special populations such as English-language learners.
