Reading resource committee excited about curriculum study

Taking their study of reading resources seriously, Holyoke School District committee members enthusiastically shared the curriculum that they would like to be considered for the 2017-18 school year.
    Detailing the proposed curriculum at the April 19 school board meeting were Elementary Principal Kyle Stumpf, first-grade teacher Kari Sandquist, JR/SR high language arts teacher Heather Bieber and JR/SR high English as a Second Language teacher Allie Balog.
    What started last September with teacher feedback pertaining to the current and future reading programs evolved into creation of a short list of top five reading programs and ordering of sample materials.
    At a Jan. 3 inservice, the 12-member committee then reviewed samples, listened to three webinars, completed a rubric on the top two programs, requested quotes from those programs and asked staff for feedback.
    Looking at a total cost of close to $115,000, the school board acknowledged that it’s expensive. However, they also pointed out the value of reading in absolutely every class venue.
    Further discussion on the reading resources purchases will return to the May 2 board meeting.
    First-year proposed costs are $113,035.80. This includes $78,000 for Wonders K-6 program, $20,000 for OverDrive (50 digital titles) grades 6-12 program, $4,000 for No Red Ink 7-12 program, $8,267.80 for Cenage ESL material for grades 5-12 and $2,768 for Edmark for a K-12 reading program to replace the current 23-year-old material.
    The Wonders program ranked as the top K-6 recommendation, and Sandquist explained that this comprehensive literacy program also has a lot for advanced learners. There is an intervention companion program called Wonderworks and an additional Wonders for English Learners program for language development.
    Sandquist cited assessment examples available in the Wonders program, saying that they’re amazing. There are weekly, unit and benchmark assessments available for teachers.
    Wonders can be taught in a print, digital or blended format, and a data dashboard tracks each student’s progress in every skill and strategy using 8-10 weekly data points. Tests are automatically graded and the data routed to the dashboard.
  

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