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Board adopts Benchmark Advance Adelante package for K—5 ELA and ELD
Summary
After a year-long pilot across multiple sites, the Novato Unified board approved adopting Benchmark Advance Adelante for English and Spanish language arts and integrated ELD, citing science-of-reading alignment and multilingual supports.
The Novato Unified School District board voted to adopt Benchmark Advance Adelante as the district's K—5 English and Spanish language arts and English language development curriculum.
District instructional leaders said the recommendation followed a year-long pilot of three programs and a rubric that emphasized science-of-reading alignment, multilingual supports and teacher professional learning. "We landed on a recommendation for Benchmark Adelante for our adoption," the district's ELA lead said during the presentation.
Staff told trustees that the 2026 edition of Benchmark Advance is more closely aligned to structured-literacy principles than earlier editions and includes an integrated ELD strand (Benchmark Express). The pilot team cited classroom observations, student and family input, and consultations with similar districts in Marin and neighboring counties as part of the evaluation.
Trustees asked about Spanish-language materials, professional development and how the curriculum would be supported in classrooms. Staff said publisher-led coaching and model lessons are included in the adoption package and that Bench-mark would provide on-site support: "They would come in person...they would do model lessons for our teachers in our teachers' classrooms," a district presenter said.
The board approved the adoption and associated professional development contract by voice vote. According to the meeting record, the motion passed "7 and 1 student advisory vote."
