District rolls out new ELA curricula
ANDOVER — The school district will roll out new English Language Arts curricula for kindergarten through eighth grade in the fall.
The School Committee voted, 5 to 0, at its Thursday meeting to approve the curriculum Great Minds' Arts and Letters at the elementary level and Amplify ELA at the middle school level in order to begin implementation at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
During the past year, a working group of administrators and a team of elementary and middle school teachers tested and evaluated different programs for English Language Arts (ELA). The school district partnered with Achievement Network (ANet) for a literacy audit and to develop the working group in order to review and assess literacy curriculum.
A working group was guided by the Implement Massachusetts framework from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Pilot programs were then launched across Andover schools and observed how both students and teachers engaged with the new materials. Both Amplify and Arts and Letters were part of the pilot project. From January to May, a pilot group of 45 elementary and 27 middle school teachers piloted the curriculum in a month-long test.
In May, the teachers who piloted the programs in their classrooms, along with administrators, selected their preferred curriculum. While both programs were piloted at the elementary and middle school levels, educators and administrators collectively chose ones for each level.
'The goal was to really make sure that this fit the expectation and the need that the grade-level teachers thought it would,' Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Julie Riley said. 'It was really important that each group had the ability to make that decision independently.'
For elementary students and teachers, Arts and Letters will see instructional time divided into four modules that integrate ELA with social studies, science and fine arts in 60 minute lesson structures. The modules will incorporate literacy, nonfiction, fine art and multimedia texts. Writing is included in all instructions such as narrative, expository, persuasive and responsive interwoven in each module.
Amplify ELA for middle schools is a comprehensive curriculum centered on complex texts for the students to build meaning and express their own ideas through writing. It blends print and digital platforms. The curriculum focuses on writing in response to reading.
The middle school curriculum is structured, but has flexibility.
School Committee member Lauren Diffenbach said she felt good about the curricula. She said it was helpful to see the teachers' feedback.
During the rollout next school year, there will be comprehensive professional development and embedded coaching from both curriculum vendors. The school district is additionally planning parent informational sessions.
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