Redmond schools’ new English language curriculum available for community preview
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Redmond School District is recommending the Savvas Learning myPerspectives Language Arts Curriculum for grades 9-12 for adoption after a lengthy vetting process. Members of the public are invited to preview the curriculum and provide feedback for the adoption committee and school board.
The public school curriculum adoption process is based on a seven-year cycle per subject in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Education creates an approved vendor list and scores the curriculum on an extensive rubric that each district uses to start their own adoption process.
“In the 2021-2022 school year, we gathered a team of our own teachers to work through the adoption process,” said Stacy Stockseth, RSD school improvement specialist. “We started by revisiting and drilling down on our standards and then doing a needs assessment to address what our district was needing: differentiated strategies, Spanish resources, writing instruction being on the top of their list.”
The Redmond team narrowed the curriculum choices down to three selections. The first two choices were piloted for a month each, but students and teachers felt neither of the curriculum were a good fit. To avoid a hasty decision, the process was put on hold until the next year.
“At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, we regrouped and added a few more members to the team,” said Stockseth. “We again revisited our standards and district needs, and then we looked through all of the curriculum again.”
The team decided to pilot a fourth option from the previous year.
“After a month of piloting, with student feedback involved, the teachers unanimously agreed that Savvas myPerspectives is the product that they would like to move forward with,” said Stockseth.
There are several highlights to the Savvas curriculum; including a combination of traditional and contemporary offerings, a large selection of novels for teachers and students to choose from, built-in grammar instruction, and an easy integration into our current learning management system. Most importantly, the students who were involved in the pilot process were distinctly drawn to this curriculum with the variety of options, ease of use, and relevant topics.
If this curriculum is approved by the school board, it will go into effect at the start of the 2023-2024 school year with a seven year license.
Anyone who is interested in previewing this curriculum can stop by the District Office or view it online at SavvasRealize.com with username: RedmondELA and password: Welcome1! To provide feedback or ask questions about the curriculum, community members can call Stacy Stockseth at 541-923-8240.
“When we receive feedback from parents, it is considered by the team and their suggestions can help RSD make decisions that represent our community’s vision for the district. We want to work with families to make this the best experience for all stakeholders,” said Stockseth.
