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Sebago principal outlines outdoor classroom plan, curriculum pilots and testing changes
Summary
School leaders described a donor-funded timber-frame outdoor classroom planned behind the cafeteria, curriculum pilots for early grades and a proposal to drop NWEA testing in K–2 in favor of i‑Ready and benchmark assessments, with decisions to follow.
Principal presented a package of facility and instructional items: a donor-funded timber-frame outdoor classroom (16x16) planned behind the cafeteria with an accessible path and a separate hardscape contractor to prepare the site; the principal said the district expects to remain within the donor grant and aims to break ground in spring, coordinating roofing and site work.
On instruction, the principal described piloting Common Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) for kindergarten and grade 1 and said the literacy coach will provide professional learning on i‑Ready, the district’s diagnostic tool. The principal told the committee the district is considering eliminating NWEA (NWEA MAP) testing for grades K–2 because it is not state‑required and the district already uses i‑Ready and benchmark assessments; a final decision is expected before Christmas after conversations with K–2 teachers.
The principal also outlined upcoming events and logistics: a walking school bus, teacher workshop at Camp Watka, fourth-grade trips to the Sebago Historical Society, a Fall Festival focused on outdoor learning (Oct. 24), a Portland Ovations trip funded by SPICE (Oct. 27) and parent‑teacher conferences in early November.
The principal said instructional and testing decisions will be coordinated with teachers and reported back to the committee. Specific implementation dates and assessment decisions were not finalized at the meeting.
