Instructional Materials Adoption Recommendation - View 5/21/26-6/5/26

To all Buckeye Union,

RE: Instructional Materials Adoption Recommendation

Background

Approximately every seven years, BUSD reviews adopted curriculum in order to determine if a program update or new curriculum adoption is necessary. Our current middle school English language arts curriculum, adopted in 2016, needed an update to better align with standards and support student learning outcomes. During the 23/24 school year, the middle school ELA teachers piloted three programs. However, at that time a more well aligned program was not found.

Process

A primary interest of this review was to provide our teachers and students with a well aligned and integrated ELA program. For this reason, we chose to pilot two programs, myPerspectives and CommonLit 360. Prior to launching the pilot program, ELA teachers at all BUSD middle schools were selected to participate. Before program implementation, teachers participated in dedicated professional development sessions for the curriculum programs. Ongoing support from the publisher ensured teachers felt confident and equipped throughout the pilot. At the conclusion of the pilot, teachers were asked for their recommendation based on text quality and rigor, standards alignment, instructional strategies, teacher and student usability, building knowledge, and assessment support. A recommendation was made based on the established criteria. 

Public Engagement

To foster transparency and collaboration, the BUSD School Board established an Instructional Materials Adoption Committee (IMAC) on September 20th, 2023. This committee, composed of teachers, parents, and community members who provided input during our initial ELA pilot in the 23/24 school year agreed to reconvene as a part of the continued ELA adoption process. Two meetings were held between December 2025 and April 2026. During these meetings, the pilot program rubric was reviewed, teacher representatives shared their experiences and insights, and answered questions from committee members.

Recommendation

After reviewing the input of pilot program teachers and the Instructional Materials Adoption Committee (IMAC), the recommendation to the Board of Trustees is the adoption of CommonLit 360 for our two International Baccalaureate sites, and the adoption of myPerspectives for Rolling Hills Middle School. 

Next Steps

The recommended materials will be available for public review and comment at the District Office starting May 21, 2026. Viewing hours are from 8:30am to 3:30pm. The public comment period will conclude at 4:00pm on June 5, 2026. The District will present the recommendation for official adoption during the Board Meeting on June 10, 2026.