Savannah public schools are asking parents to help select textbooks. How to participate
Literacy Week is underway in the Hostess City, which makes an ideal time for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System's (SCCPSS) community meetings to assess the district's new English Language Arts curriculum options. The first meeting occurs Thursday.
The following dates and times for review will occur at Shuman Elementary School, 415 Goebel Ave. Anyone who attends should park and enter by the community pool located on the grounds.
4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 16
4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1
8 a.m. – noon, Saturday, Dec. 2
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Science of Reading guides choices
At a press conference earlier this month, SCCPSS Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Bernadette Ball-Oliver spoke on the ELA textbook adoption process. “We’re looking at a K-5 series, a 6-8 series, and a 9-12 series. The rubric that our teachers, the community and parents will be using to rate the textbooks have components that align to the science of reading.”
That alignment is a Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) requirement. The options available for review are on an approved list provided by GADOE. Director of Curriculum Programming Andrea Burkiett said the district plans to take its final curriculum recommendation to the school board by January. “That will be dependent on when the second round of the state list comes out. They've said by January.”
Should there be a delay at the state level, then the recommendation would go before the board in February.
To arrive at a recommendation, the SCCPSS Literacy Task Force conducted a year-plus vetting process. After initial Request for Proposals (RFP), 14 submissions came in from publishers. Burkiett said the district narrowed those choices based on a rubric of criteria and review by a panel that included teachers. The criteria included resources for English speakers of other languages (ESOL) students as well as digital resources to accommodate e-learning needs within the district.
She said some teachers have even piloted some of the curricula throughout the first marking period. The district’s final decision will be based on further educator feedback as well as the parent and community feedback.
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What to expect during the community review process
Upon entering Shuman Elementary, members of the public will sign in, if they so choose, and then peruse the publisher options under final consideration by the district.
The main options are:
Burkiett said there were earlier opportunities for parents and community members to look at the curricula, but they were not well-attended. The district has obtained feedback so far from only about 30 members of the public. At the review events coming up, the district has about 25 iPads that will be available for community members to use when filling out surveys. Attendees can also use their own tablets or smartphones so long as they have QR code reading capabilities. The process will likely take 30 to 45 minutes. “If you're a parent and you have an elementary and a high school student, then it might take a little bit longer,” she said.
Burkiett advised that attendees of the review events should pull out the materials and look through the pages. She suggested that families look at what is going to be in students’ hands. “First, I would say take a deep breath,” she said. “We're looking at putting great materials in the hands of our kids that bring some cohesiveness across the district as well as across grade spans.” She also stressed that members of SCCPSS academic affairs team will be present to address questions.
As far as expected turnout goes, she said, “I won't turn down any quantity of parents. But I'd like to see representation from more schools than more parents from just a few schools.”
As for her personal preference regarding publishers, Burkiett said she has her thoughts but is going to stay mum about it at the community reviews. She said she does not want to sway anyone from making their own informed choice.
After all is given the go-ahead, the district wants to purchase teacher materials in the spring so training can begin in time to implement the new curriculum by the start of the school year in August 2024.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at jschwartzburt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah school district seeks parent, community input on textbooks
