New Curriculum Materials Approved

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

 

RANDOLPH, Utah. May 15, 2013.  RHS Principal Rick Larsen reported that the adoption of a new language arts program is needed.  It will be costly to the District but has been postponed for about three years while waiting for publishing companies to come up with materials that address all the various core topics required by the State.  The school would very much like to get a program that would go from K through 12^th grade level. 

A committee of  faculty members have been working on this project and recommended a program for the coming year that would take reading from kindergarten through 5^th grade and writing from kindergarten to 8^th grade levels. They recommended waiting another year and adding the 6^th - 12^th grade reading and 9^th through 12^th in writing.  

The company being recommended is Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt Company.  It contains explicit instruction which is the method preferred by most of the teachers.  It will cost about $48,000 for the first year materials.  

The core tests that are given each year show that the students in Rich County are low in language arts.  The lowest areas are vocabulary and comprehension.  There is a pacing guide and when this curriculum is implemented, three hours each day will be spent in the language arts area.  Social studies and the sciences are integrated into this program. 

In order to make this program work, all the teachers will have to agree to work with these materials and give it a good try.  The cost is a one time cost except for the consumables.  The workbooks and on-line activities must be paid for each year.   

Because this program needs to be put in place quickly to be ready for fall, the request was made that the board approve this new program so that the materials can be ordered and teachers can be trained in these materials.  Approval was given. 

Principal Kip Motta then presented another curriculum request for the middle school which is an integrated math curriculum that covers the common core.  It is called Digits.  Apparently this program has been accepted by Cache County and Logan Schools.  It is on line and requires students to work through materials that are first presented on the computer, then problems are presented to the students for their practice.  If they are unable to handle the problem, the demonstration is repeated and different problems are displayed.  The computer program is such that students are challenged because if they are able to solve the problems quickly, they are moved on to more difficult material.  If they have difficulty, easier problems and more assistance are provided.  There is a work sheet that students complete to show how they have solved the problems. 

The only difficulty will be that some families do not have access to the internet.  Hopefully, most students will have access.  If not, they can stay after school to complete their assignments.  This program has been very successful in other schools and should really help students who have been struggling with math in the past. 

The Board agreed to the purchase of this math curriculum.