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Sunnyvale trustees review plan to pilot comprehensive ELA/ELD curricula, staff stress teacher input
Summary
District staff presented options to pilot a combined ELA/ELD curriculum and identified three candidate programs; trustees and public commenters pressed for stronger teacher input, clearer evidence the programs close achievement gaps, and screening for reading difficulties.
District staff updated the Sunnyvale Board of Trustees on plans to pilot a comprehensive English language arts and English-language-development (ELA/ELD) curriculum and described two possible timelines: an expedited preview-and-implement plan or a year-long pilot before adoption. Staff identified three publishers they previewed with principals: McGraw-Hill Wonders, Benchmark (Benchmark Express), and Amplify CKLA, and said results from a designated-ELD pilot conducted since December will inform a combined pilot.
"In December, our teachers were piloting a designated ELD curriculum," a district presenter told trustees during the briefing, and staff said teacher and principal feedback would determine whether to recommend an expedited or more traditional year-long approach. The presentation stressed the district would gather site leadership and teacher feedback before selecting two curricula to pilot. Parents and teachers in the public-comment period asked the board to make available the names and performance evidence for the three curricula under consideration so classrooms and families can review materials ahead of school-site pilots.
Trustees repeatedly emphasized the district’s administrative regulation and board policy language that requires substantial teacher involvement in curriculum selection processes. At public comment, Wendy Smith, president of the Sunnyvale Educators Association, urged the board to follow that policy closely: "Teachers must be included in curriculum adoption process from selection to implementation," she said. Several trustees proposed smaller "2-by-2" working groups and follow-up study sessions so more classroom teachers can engage with the materials and timelines before any adoption vote is taken.
The district staff said the designated-ELD pilot would continue for the rest of the school year and that feedback from those pilots would be integrated into any broader ELA/ELD recommendation. The board did not take a formal vote on curriculum selection at the meeting; it instructed staff to continue collecting teacher and principal feedback and to return with more detailed recommendations and timelines.
