Million$ more for Madison’s reading programs: Middle school edition

Scott Girard:

Option A would use a curriculum developed by Savvas for both English language arts and Spanish and dual literacy programs at a cost of $1.17 million. Option B would use Open Up for English and Savvas for Spanish and dual literacy programs for $2.1 million.

Whichever is selected, the district will use one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds for the purchase. Implementation will begin ahead of the 2023-24 school year.

Option B would be more similar to what the board chose a year ago, with Open Up as the vendor for English language arts at elementary schools and a different vendor as the choice for multi-language programs. The consistency with Open Up from elementary to middle school was one favorable point for administrators in Option B, as it would make the fifth to sixth grade transition easier for students.

Jackson explained that in Option A, Savvas’ curriculum prioritizes consistency within school buildings, while Option B’s Open Up choice would move toward coherence across the district.

Either way, she stressed the differences between English programs and dual-language programs and that even if they choose to use a single vendor for both, the way those programs function will be unique to each other.

“Well, it’s kind of too bad that we’ve got the smartest people at our universities, and yet we have to create a law to tell them how to teach.”

The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”

My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results

2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results 

Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators

Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results

Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.

No When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?