Dear Teachers, 

We hope your school year is off to a strong start! We appreciate you taking the time to understand how the pilot and adoption process will impact your classroom. We are midway through our Language Arts Core Curriculum pilot process and wanted to give you an update. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at LevinL@sfusd.edu / EllerK@sfusd.edu

Why are we piloting new PK-5 Language Arts Curriculum? 

• It has been over 10 years since SFUSD has adopted new Language Arts curriculum 
• In the 2021-2022 school year, SFUSD underwent an external audit of our written and taught curriculum.  This audit recommended the adoption of new Language Arts curriculum to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards. 
• In order to support our district’s goals around third grade literacy proficiency and equity, SFUSD seeks to create greater coherence and consistency across classrooms and schools citywide through the use of shared curriculum. 

What’s the Pilot Timeline:  

• Benchmark Advanced was piloted in PK-2 over 8 weeks in April – May of school year 2022-2023
• Into Reading is being piloted in PK-5 classrooms from August 18th - October 12th  2023 
• Benchmark will be piloted in 3-5 classrooms from November 27th 2023– February 2nd 2024
• School Board Recommendation meeting Spring 2024

What are we learning across two pilots?

• No matter the materials, there is a steep learning curve for teachers to successfully implement instructional components with integrity. We’ve seen teachers in both the Benchmark and Into Reading pilots get more comfortable with the design of the materials over time and as a result, lesson pacing as well as overall student engagement improve. 
• Structures for collaboration embedded within the pilot such as Office Hours, Planning Meetings, and Middle/End of Pilot meetings have supported teachers to address pressure points with the materials and created a community of learning amongst piloting educators.

How are using these lessons learned to plan for strong implementation of adopted materials? 

• We know that quality instructional materials are just one component of supporting student literacy growth we will need to support teachers in instructional practices that engage all students in the core curriculum 
• We are using pilot observation data and pilot teacher feedback to inform a professional development and implementation plan
• We are committed to ongoing, regular communication with everyone, and you can expect that there will be more information, training, and resources forthcoming as we develop the implementation plan for the curriculum.

Are there any key events or dates I should be aware of? Below are some key dates for the quarter:

• October 12th End of Into Reading Pilot
• November 27th – February 2nd Benchmark Advanced 3rd-5th grade Pilot
• Spring 2024 – School Board Recommendation meeting