Mount Vernon will be replacing its 11 year old literary curriculum for Kindergarten through fifth grade this year.
Michelle Boyden, district teacher leadership instructional specialist, said the district has been reviewing the English and language arts standards over the past few years and narrowing down choices for new teaching curriculum. The process began in 2022, and when teachers were looking at curriculum last year, they paused to address changes from the state and its focus on the science of reading.
The committee is recommending purchasing CKLA and 95 Phonics Core Programs for the K-5 literary curriculum.
Areas that educators had found have priorities were foundational skills, writing instruction, comprehension strategies, Decodable Readers and vocabulary, and areas that were missing from the current curriculum were writing instruction, morphology, foundational skills, decodable readers and critical thinking skills.
The study team looking at curriculum found areas that students needed improvement in by looking at Iowa Skills and Student Proficiency tests, FAST data and other tests. Those areas included letter sounds, vocabulary acquisition and usage, conventions of standard English and spelling. Those were other areas the district wants to align with any new curriculum purchase.
The district’s new curriculum will align to the Iowa Core standards, align to the Science of Reading, help build strength in foundational skills and be knowledge building curriculum.
More than 13 teachers were part of the K-6 curriculum study over the past four years. Those teachers were Mallory Beatty, Lisa Kramer, Kacey Schmit, Kim Siggins, Heather Bauer, Jess Thede, Allison Schnoor, Jess Bartelt, Krista Whitham, Rachel Glaza, Leigh Ann Jordan, Cara Dix and Lesly Bruner.
The team identified four different companies originally they were looking at for new curriculum. One company was reduced when the district focused on the Science of Reading initiatives. CKLA Knowledge and 95 Phonics Core Programs combined were the winner of the most support for teachers.
Boyden said she is working on a purchase information for the district, with the board approving the purchase agreement at a special meeting in April or May’s next school board meeting, and implementation for the new curriculum to happen this fall. Boyden is also looking at potential grants available from the state to purchase some additional decodables for the district for the program.
MV moves up lease with Apple
Mount Vernon Schools is renewing its lease for Apple computers slightly earlier this year to avoid the impact of tariffs on computer equipment.
Technology director Sean Flockhart said that the district has the renewal of the lease on the books for Physical Plant and Equipment Levy or SAVE funds to support the lease, this was a prudent move to make sure the lease for this new equipment was in place in case tariffs moved forward between now and when the district usually reviews the contract.
The contract replaces the iPads and Macintosh computers used by teachers and staff in the district as well as computer labs, and comes at a $273,333.50 bid for all the equipment being replaced, which is spread over four years.
The district leases computer equipment on a four year rotation. The district also has a 1:1 initiative for computers for students, which are Chromebooks, and that lease is not up for renewal at this time.
Flockhart recommended moving forward with the lease at this point to lock in the zero percent interest from ApplePay and get equipment ordered before new tariffs are to go into place.