The Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new English language arts and mathematics curriculum for students in kindergarten through eighth grade during Tuesday night’s meeting.
Assistant Superintendent and Special Services Director Alan Demaret presented the proposal, beginning with an overview of the district’s current curriculum for newly appointed board members.
“Many of you are new to the board, and it’s a large ticket item with a large price tag,” Demaret said. “We’re going to spend some time explaining and invite you to ask any questions you may have.”
Demaret outlined three key components in curriculum selection: the Wyoming Priority Standards, which define state educational requirements; Proficiency Scales, which help teachers and parents determine when students have mastered these standards; and a road map that aligns state standards with proficiency scales and the WY-TOPP assessment blueprint.
“This ensures students are being taught the material they need to meet state standards and to understand the content they’ll be assessed on,” Demaret said. “When we talk about a guaranteed and viable curriculum, it’s about combining these three components. Tonight, we’re selecting the resource teachers will use to achieve those goals.”
The district last adopted a K-8 English language arts curriculum in the 2014-15 school year, selecting a Houghton Mifflin program with a supplemental tool added in 2019-20 from F&P Curriculum Resources. For mathematics, the last adoption occurred in 2015-16, with Envision Common Core chosen for grades K-5 and GO Math for grades 6-8.
“In that 10-year span, there have been developments in technology, the science of reading, and many other areas,” Demaret said. “We need to ensure we’re giving our teachers the tools they need to reach all of our students.”
The curriculum adoption process began in December, with multiple vendors meeting with ELA and math committee members on Dec. 2, 2024. Committee members received surveys by Dec. 10, and on Jan. 20, the committees met to select district-wide curriculum tools for K-8 English language arts and math.
The committees ultimately selected Houghton Mifflin Harcourt products for both subjects. The package includes teacher editions, five years of online curriculum access for both students and teachers, five years of student consumables delivered each spring, and two years of professional development in-person and online.
The district requested a total of $1.5 million in one-time reserve funds to cover the cost of the curriculum, along with an additional $25,000 for a Zane Bloser handwriting component.
The board approved the motion unanimously.
