The Eastern Lancaster County School Board met Monday to consider swapping its current reading textbooks for kindergarten through sixth grade beginning next school year.
Linda Hitchcock, assistant to the superintendent for learning, recommended the Elanco board approve the use of "Reading Street" and "Reading Sidewalks," published in 2011 by Pearson Education Inc.
During Elanco's committee of the whole meeting, Hitchcock said the shift would cost about $340,000 and update textbooks that align to 2002 standards.
The topic will be revisited as an action item at the Feb. 27 board meeting.
"The reading books have been in use for over nine years and quite frankly they no longer match nor will they support the instruction that is required under the common core," Hitchcock said.
Pennsylvania Common Core Standards are a uniform set of language and math academic standards aimed at unifying a national curriculum, cutting huge gaps in student performance and promoting greater expectations for college and career readiness.
The state Department of Education set the beginning transition to the common core during the 2010-11 school year, with full implementation required by July 1, 2013.
Teams of teachers by grade level have met since October to study the common core and compare Elanco's current reading materials, Hitchcock said. The groups chose "Reading Streets" for the core materials and "My Sidewalks" as an intervention resource, Hitchcock said.
"Reading Streets" textbooks are structured around instruction with daily small group plans. It varies the time that teachers meet groups based on reading levels.
The online "My Sidewalks" is a four-part early reading intervention program that requires 30 minutes a day to improve reading achievement.
The program seeks to identify at-risk children in kindergarten with placement test and checklists to monitor progress.
Hitchcock responded to questions from board members Glenn Hartz, Rodney Jones and Glenn Yoder.
"What is nice about this material is that it is not only reading instruction but writing instruction, speaking and listening for phonics and spelling," Hitchcock said.
In other news, business manager Keith Ramsey suggested the board approve a contract with Registration Gateway to digitize and convert the district's copy enrollment and beginning-of-the-year forms, such as emergency contact information.
The board was considering another firm, but Ramsey said he preferred Registration Gateway, which will charge a one-time startup fee of $4,910 and an annual rate of $3 per student.
"We expect to see on average a return on investment of around $2 to $3 on every dollar spent," Ramsey said.
Ramsey also recommended Crabtree, Rohrbaugh, & Associates to perform architectural services for the Brecknock Elementary School renovation project. The proposed deal would pay the company a 6.5 percent fee on a five-phase project.
