SFUSD Adopts New PK-8 Language Arts Core Curriculum for 2024-25 School Year

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San Francisco (March 28, 2024) - The San Francisco Board of Education voted to adopt new Language Arts core curricula for Grades PK-8 at its special workshop meeting on Tuesday, March 26. The new curricula will debut in the 2024-25 school year. It has been at least 10 years since the last adoption of a Language Arts core curriculum in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

SFUSD began the process of selecting and implementing new curricula in 2021. A nonprofit organization, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) conducted an audit of K-5 literacy curricula and instruction in the 2021-22 school year. Based on the audit, SFUSD selected seven different Language Arts programs to review. After narrowing the programs down to four, SFUSD educators, leaders, parents, and community members reviewed and selected two Language Arts core curricula for classroom teachers to pilot during Spring 2023 and Fall 2023. 

Based on the pilot results, SFUSD’s Curriculum and Instruction division recommended the following:

SFUSD found that classrooms piloting the new curricula were significantly more likely to have grade-appropriate assignments and stronger instruction. Focal populations of students also demonstrated significant gains in performance or significant academic growth. Learn more about the pilot results.

“Having a research-based literacy curriculum is crucial to achieving SFUSD’s ambitious goal to raise third-grade students’ reading level proficiency to 70% by October 2027,” said SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne. “We are committed to engaging with educators, coaches, administrators, families, and the community to ensure the implementation of the new curricula is successful.”

Professional development for staff will take place in Summer 2024. SFUSD will also prioritize communicating and engaging with families at this time. Learn more about the implementation timeline.

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