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Granby committee adopts new English and eighth-grade civics materials
Summary
The Granby School Committee approved adoption of a year-long eighth-grade civics curriculum (supported by an external grant and the Democratic Knowledge Project) and new ELA materials — Guidebooks (grades 6–8) and Odell High School Literacy (grades 9–12) — during its May 26 meeting.
The Granby School Committee voted May 26 to adopt a new eighth-grade civics curriculum and districtwide English-language arts materials to align with state graduation requirements and DESE guidance.
The superintendent presented materials developed with a grant from the 18 Foundation and described an eighth-grade civics sequence from the Democratic Knowledge Project that culminates in a student project. The superintendent said the grant provided print materials, teacher training and instructional support and that the civic curriculum is aligned with the state history and social studies framework and the Educating for American Democracy roadmap.
For grades 6–8, teachers and the director of curriculum (Mr. Frenier) recommended Guidebooks; for grades 9–12 the district will adopt Odell High School Literacy. The district presentation noted both programs are vertically aligned, standards-based, and intended to preserve teacher autonomy: “It is not a scripted text,” the superintendent said, adding teachers choose appropriate selections from unit resources.
Committee members asked about cost and professional learning. The superintendent said curricular materials are free through the state-vetting/curation tool (Curate) but that professional learning/training will carry some cost; the district intends to use a train-the-trainer model for implementation. The superintendent said the English and civics materials had been reviewed by English and social-studies faculty and were recommended for adoption.
A motion to accept the superintendent’s recommendation for the civics and ELA adoptions (Guidebooks for grades 6–8 and Odell for grades 9–12) was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Implementation steps noted included distribution of teacher training, alignment meetings with the director of curriculum, and continued monitoring of classroom rollout and professional learning costs.
The committee did not identify a separate line-item appropriation at the time of the vote; members said training costs would be monitored and funded through available professional learning resources.
