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RSU 22 reviews curriculum priorities: less K-1 screen time, Wabanaki Studies pilot and new PD threads
Summary
District curriculum director outlined plans to reduce K-1 online assessments, pilot Wabanaki Studies in early grades, expand professional development with a focus on observable impact, and develop AI usage guidelines for staff and students.
RSU 22Director of Curriculum Jennifer Nickelson presented a sweeping report on curriculum and instructional priorities for the coming year, emphasizing observable impact and alignment across grade spans. Nickelson said the district will focus again on the theme of "engaging for impact," extending work with consultant Kale Burke and moving to practices staff can both observe and measure.
Key changes Nickelson announced include moving away from the NWEA assessment for kindergarten and first grade to reduce screen time and shifting early dyslexia screening from an online screener to paper-and-pencil measures administered by teachers to make results more actionable. She described plans for professional development starting in August with a sustained, job-embedded thread led in part by Kelly Smith and emphasized literacy station work tied to the district's Being a Reader program.
The district will pilot Wabanaki Studies units in K-2, incorporating Maine Department of Education "Moose" modules and local curriculum contributions; Lindsay Davis will assist in piloting those units. For grades 3-5, the district will continue writing training with consultant Rebecca Denny and expand Keyboarding Without Tears and targeted math supports through the Maine Math & Science Alliance to address computational fluency. At the middle and high school levels, the district plans to strengthen math pathways, common assessments, and expand Advanced Placement course offerings (including AP World History and potential AP government, AP music theory and AP research).
Nickelson and district staff also outlined plans to create an emerging technologies working group to develop generative AI guidelines for acceptable staff and student use and to continue a technology audit and screen-time review. The board asked clarifying questions about —or example what constitutes "tier one" instruction, and staff described tier one as the universal instruction every student receives.
District leaders framed these changes as iterative priorities grounded in classroom observation, staff and family input, and assessment data. Next steps include PD rollout in August and piloting the K-2 Wabanaki units.
