Public review of proposed English resources available for Burrell parents

Burrell School District is opening the book for interested parents and taxpayers who want to review proposed English resources for elementary and middle school students.

Until Nov. 28, taxpayers in the district can review three sets of proposed English resources — two of which are for kindergarten through fifth grades and the other for middle school grade levels. The materials can be viewed in person at the district’s offices or online at burrell.k12.pa.us by clicking on “Curriculum” under the Academics tab.

Materials for review in the K-5 grade level include Amplify CKLA or McGraw-Hill Wonders. Amplify ELA is the resource name for sixth through eighth grades.

“The new resources will match what we’re learning in professional development and better serve our kids,” said Autumn Turk, Burrell’s director of curriculum and development.

Over the summer and into the fall, Burrell’s English Language Arts instructional materials review committee examined six curricula and narrowed it down to the three for public inspection. That team, which consists of teachers and administrators, forwarded the recommendations Oct. 23 to the Parent Advisory Board and Curriculum and Instruction Committee for their review.

The ELA instructional materials review committee recommended those materials because they best aligned with the science of reading research and professional development in the district, Turk said.

The committee reviewed each reading series through a school district evaluation sheet and their alignment with the science of reading. Those reports also are available for public review.

The district asks those who review the materials to complete a survey, which can be found on the district’s website.

Any time the district considers a new textbook, curriculum series or policy, it undergoes a public review, Turk said. Burrell last approved its K-5 ELA curriculum in 2014. English Language Arts teachers in sixth through eighth grades individually pick which books they want their classes to read.

In a statement, Meghan Nese, a Burrell teacher and ELA chair, and Alicia Rupert, a personalized learning coach at Bon Air Elementary, said part of the review process was visiting other schools to observe the implementation of the proposed curricular materials and talking about their success with the materials.

“The book review process has also allowed us to determine how best to align the elementary and middle schools so that students build upon skills from year to year in ever-increasing difficulty,” the statement read. “Now, as a review committee, we are excited to have narrowed down our options to two resources that have been very well-rated with EdReports.

“These resources will give us an opportunity to improve upon and expand our practice, while providing our students with materials that align to the standards in an enriching and rigorous manner.”

In December, the committee will meet to review final input and make a final resource recommendation. The school board likely will take action on a proposal in January, Turk said.

The new resources would be implemented next school year.