Next school year, all third, fourth and fifth-grade students in the district will use a new reading curriculum called “Schoolwide Reading Fundamentals,” which the School Board approved at their July 24 meeting. A few teachers at each elementary building are implementing the curriculum this year as early adopters, to help pave the way for a smooth transition for all teachers and students next year.
“We’re very excited,” said Shelley Huylar, who is the K-5 literacy specialist for the district.”We think this curriculum will be wonderful for fostering a love for reading and preparing our students for the best future possible as readers and thinkers.”
A committee researched what other districts were using, evaluated potential new curriculum choices, narrowed the list and finally recommended that the board select Schoolwide. Tahoma Elementary Principal Jerry Gaston and Huylar co-chaired the committee; it also included one teacher per building in grades 3-5 (18 teachers total), three reading specialists and an instructional coach.
Gaston said the research the group completed was extensive, and was designed to determine what could be done to best meet the needs of students in their literacy growth and achievement, as well as maintain the district’s long-standing reputation for being leaders in early literacy.
“There are two things, in the end, that really feel good,” Gaston said. “One of them is that we have an adopted curriculum that will help to build on our successes and create even greater consistency across all campuses in the experiences each student will have. Another is that it became the choice based on the thoughtful and diligent work of a team of teachers. It was such a spectacularly collaborative effort filled with deep questioning, and careful evaluating of each possibility — the best adoption work I have ever been involved with to date.”
The other two curriculum choices that were evaluated but not selected were Mondo Bookshop and Lucy Calkins Reading Units of Study. Lucy Calkins came in as a close second choice; Mondo was the most expensive of those that were in the running. Each program was evaluated in areas including content and organization, text format, Tahoma reading area criteria, teacher’s guide and more.
Schoolwide has two components that many of the committee members were excited about: equal emphasis on nonfiction and fiction; and, an assessment component that is provided within each lesson. The new curriculum is organized around a genre, rather than a theme, and allows students to self-select books from a much broader range of choices.
The estimated cost approved was $3,500 per teacher; the total for 85 teachers with tax and shipping was estimated at $357,000. The new program is replacing materials that are more than 15 years old. That curriculum, “Reader’s Workshop,” was created by then-director of Teaching and Learning Nancy Skerritt and former Glacier Park principal Emilie Hard, who is now Issaquah School District’s assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning.
As part of the curriculum, Schoolwide also offers comprehensive online resources called Fundamentals Unlimited, including strategies for differentiation (teaching to students of varying skill level within the same class or group), and follow-up activities.
“Personally, I’m excited for the digital resources,” third-grade TES teacher Tenaya Williams said during the board’s first reading of the proposed curriculum approval on June 26. “There is quite a bit of great video for professional support.”
Lisa Long, who teaches fifth grade at Lake Wilderness Elementary, told the board that Schoolwide aligns well with Tahoma’s belief in deep learning. “The Future Ready Skills weave into this very well.”
The new program is based on eight core lessons, each of which are followed up by modules that reinforce those skills and strategies.
Cedar River Elementary third-grade teacher Amy Thompson emphasized that Schoolwide is focused on teaching the reader, not just reading.
“I love that in every lesson is says that ‘it is essential that your students have time to read books of their choice on a daily basis.’ Students have dedicated time to read each day and practice the skills and strategies taught. This gives me, the teacher, time to meet with students and small groups,” Thompson said. “A focus of this launch unit is that reading is thinking and we record this great thinking so that we can share our ideas with others. Everyone loves to talk about a great book! Our discussions are creating deep connections and reflections rich with evidence from the text.”
