TECUMSEH — Tecumseh Public Schools is adopting a new English language arts curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade students for the 2022-23 school year.
Kindergarten through fifth grade teachers will be adopting Curriculum Associates’ "Magnetic Reading" curriculum, according to a news release from the district's communications office.
This curriculum is meant to work seamlessly with i-Ready Assessment, which provides data-driven insights about each student’s skill level.
Sixth through eighth grade teachers will adopt McGraw-Hill’s "StudySync" curriculum. this curriculum includes reading, writing, grammar and speaking components in one book. It also has embedded, data driven assessments.
Both resources are aligned to the Michigan Common Core State Standards and have been well-vetted by the English departments in the district, the release said.
The teacher-led process involved conducting a needs assessment to determine strengths and gaps within the district’s current ELA curriculum.
"As a district, it was important for us to ensure that the process of curriculum adoption was teacher led,” curriculum, instruction and assessment director Meghan Way said in the release. “The committees were thorough in their selection which led the District administration and Board of Education to be highly confident in their choices."
The committees researched what other districts were using, used data to determine needs, and participated in exploratory sessions with top curriculum companies to determine which would be the best fit for the district's students and teachers.
“Success in every subject is connected to strong literacy skills. This coordinated programming helps us give students the tools they need to be successful,” Superintendent Rick Hilderley said in the release. “Our Board is committed to academic growth and achievement and this adoption is further proof.”
Tecumseh High School developed a comprehensive list of concepts and ideas, mapping out the high school standards throughout the year and will use techniques such as novel studies to help students meet and exceed the state standards, the release said.
The district will also be extending its current assessment system to include the high school in both the math and English language arts departments for a more comprehensive review of data and monitoring of student progress. During the 2022-23 school year, the same curriculum review process will occur in the areas of science and social studies.
