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Augusta County board adopts Savvas ELA materials for grades 6–12 in $981,236 contract
Summary
After an eight‑month review, the board approved a seven‑year contract (approximately $981,236.18) to adopt Savvas as the division’s 6–12 English language arts instructional materials. Staff cited writing supports, flexibility and in‑person vendor meetings as decisive factors.
The Augusta County School Board voted unanimously to adopt Savvas as the county’s high‑quality instructional materials provider for grades 6–12 English language arts, approving a recommended seven‑year contract of roughly $981,236.18.
The adoption followed an eight‑month review process led by the secondary ELA selection committee and the instructional supervisor. Staff (speaker 24) told the board the committee narrowed publishers through classroom and public review before inviting McGraw Hill and Savvas for in‑person presentations; teachers’ feedback, writing supports and vendor flexibility were the deciding factors.
A Savvas representative (speaker 43) described the company’s assessment platform and said the vendor provides both passage‑linked items and cold‑read assessments to check student mastery. “It’s a combination of assessing what students have read in there, but also giving students cold reads on new passages,” the representative said, adding that assessments can be aligned to integrated reading‑and‑writing standards.
Board members pressed staff on assessment use and teacher autonomy; staff emphasized the materials are a backbone resource, not an exclusive curriculum, and said teachers would retain flexibility to use novels and other successful units.
Why it matters: The contract aims to provide a consistent instructional backbone across middle and high schools and to support alignment with the Virginia Standards of Learning. Staff noted the materials include teacher resources, digital access for students and optional consumable grammar workbooks.
Vote and next steps: The motion to adopt Savvas was moved, seconded and passed 7–0. Staff will finalize contract details and phase in materials and professional development as outlined in the plan.
Contract figure note: The $981,236.18 number was presented by staff as the expected cost for the seven‑year agreement; state allocations and local budgeting remain part of the procurement process.
