This is the fourth segment in a multi-part series taking a deeper dive into the 2024-25 district strategic priorities. The Strategic Plan identifies Every Student College & Career Ready as the academic focus of the district with the premise that preparing students for life and work in the 21st Century is inherently non-negotiable.
Last winter, I wrote a series about the Science of Reading and the importance of both phonics and comprehension as part of the process of reading. This was in response to recent research that strongly indicates balancing classroom literacy practices after decades of "whole language" approaches in schools across the United States. A literacy audit conducted as part of our Strategic Plan in 2018-19 found gaps in foundational literacy skills that led to examination of our instructional methodology. Over the last couple of years, elementary teachers and staff have learned more about approaches that align with the Science of Reading, such as the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, commonly known as LETRS. This course instructed teachers on the essential literacy skills that should be taught in alignment with evidence-based research, why these skills should be taught, and how to teach them.
The next step has been launching a comprehensive literacy pilot at the elementary level that will inform school and district decision-making for purchasing a new literacy program that better aligns to the Science of Reading approach and Maine Learning Results. The Maine Learning Results outline the standards all students in Maine should be learning in each content area. To further identify the most important standards that a student should grasp by the end of each grade level, MSAD #51 teachers developed what is known as Essential Standards for easier reference.
At Mabel I . Wilson School, a group of teachers is piloting Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) while another group is piloting Fish Tank Learning and a third group is supplementing the existing Lucy Calkins Units of Study that have guided the school's literacy approach for many years, along with the more recently added LETRS. Though all three approaches offer a comprehensive experience for students, CKLA and Fish Tank specifically design their materials to include interactive read alouds, grade level text materials, and individual decodable reading books. CKLA and Fish Tank use multi-sensory phonics, sequenced texts that are rigorous and relevant, content knowledge in other subject areas like science and social studies, and writing development. At Greely Middle School 4-5, all literacy teachers are piloting American Reading Company (ARC Core), which provides similar offerings as the MIW pilot programs, but emphasizes intermediate grade level learning like research, word study (word roots), genre narratives, and constructing argumentative responses to content knowledge study in science and social studies.
The pilots are expected to continue until each school, in conjunction with the Academic Services Office, is satisfied that there is enough information to make informed recommendations moving forward. These recommendations will be based on the outcome of regular pilot evaluation tools and meetings that participating teachers are involved with. Recommendations would then go to the Curriculum Committee for review along with inclusion in the district budget as a strategic priority. One of the critical factors in this recommendation will be the continuity between MIW and GMS 4-5 so that student learning is seamless across all existing grade spans (PK-3 & 4-5), as well as the reconfigured levels that will be in place starting in 2027-28 (PK-1, 2-4, 5-8).
In addition to district priorities, each school and district department also has their own priorities that are linked to the Strategic Plan, known as Site Improvement Plans (SIP). To hear each school principal describe their SIP, click HERE for a video presentation.
Regards,
Jeff Porter