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Board adopts Wonders ELA curriculum but disables student social‑emotional module
Summary
The board approved the Wonders English Language Arts adoption after raising concerns about student‑facing social‑emotional video modules and minor typographical errors; staff confirmed the district can disable specific student sections and the board adopted the curriculum with that student module turned off.
The Fountain Hills Unified School District board voted to adopt the Wonders ELA textbook program for comprehensive English language arts instruction, but it directed staff to disable a student social‑emotional learning (SEL) module in the student‑facing materials.
Board members raised two types of concerns during discussion: minor typographical errors in student multimedia and the student‑facing 'I am' social‑emotional videos in kindergarten and Grade 1. One board member said the student videos included wording and spelling problems and questioned whether the district could prevent students from accessing that portion. Staff responded that the district can close or disable specific lesson components in the Wonders platform and that teachers typically limit early learners’ Chromebook use and give direct instruction rather than assigning digital student modules.
“We do have the capability of closing out sections in the students on what they see,” a district representative explained, noting teachers can control which components are visible to students and can bypass the student module if they choose.
Board members emphasized the district’s existing commitments to the science of reading and to supplemental district interventions, noting Wonders was chosen to align with those efforts. After discussion, a motion passed to adopt Wonders with the student SEL section turned off.
What it means: the district will deploy the Wonders ELA program but will not assign the specific student SEL module flagged by board members; teachers and curriculum leaders will implement supplemental science‑of‑reading interventions and oversight of student digital assignments.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 2051, topfinish SEG 2217.
