Last week, the Buckeye Valley Board of Education approved a new K-8 reading curriculum that district officials said will increase student knowledge and vocabulary.

BV Chief of Academic Affairs Brian Orrenmaa said the new curriculum, called Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), will incorporate phonics and more phonemic awareness as well as new strategies for instruction from kindergarten to eighth grade.

“Our current reading curriculum did not fully align with what research states is best practice in teaching reading,” Orrenmaa said last week. “Our teachers have done a fabulous job of supplementing our current curriculum to meet the needs of the students in front of them. However, our new program will provide all of the parts and pieces science has shown are necessary to help all students reach reading proficiency. Amplify CKLA will provide systematic, explicit instruction in foundational skills such as phonics and word recognition, while building content knowledge that is imperative for reading comprehension and success.”

Orrenmaa said once the plan is implemented next school year, it will to give each student “the skills and knowledge needed to become a strong reader.”

“Students will learn how to read while being exposed to rigorous texts and instructional materials,” Orrenmaa said. “Students will also learn foundational skills and apply those skills in connected text. Students will not be placed in leveled readers as was past practice. Students’ understanding of basic reading skills will be evident. Students will continue to be engaged and excited about reading and writing. They will engage with texts exposing them to a wide variety of topics to build knowledge, especially in the areas of history, science, literature and the arts.”

Orrenmaa contrasted the current curriculum with the new curriculum and said that currently, students receive instruction on books that are “on their level,” which means teachers work in small groups during reading. Orrenmaa said the new model will see all students receiving instruction with grade-level texts and “will be given strategies and supports to be able to understand what they are reading.”

“It’s the whole idea that if a student is reading below level, instead of keeping them at that level, at those text and (where) they’re missing out on their grade level and content, (we will) keep them at grade level content and vocabulary and just help support them and that will help close that gap for readers and struggling readers,” Orrenmaa said.

Barb Gall, a curriculum, instruction, and assessment specialist at Buckeye Valley West Elementary said last month the new curriculum will benefit all readers, not just struggling readers.

“We’ve always had teachers that have done what’s right for kids, they’ve done their best with what they had,” Gall said. “The biggest impact we’re looking to see is understanding the science of reading and understanding this shift in how kids learn to read is really going to deepen our teachers’ understanding of literacy instruction, and it’s going to have a positive impact on our student outcomes. … It’s going to be hugely impactful.”

Amy Urban, a foundational literacy specialist at the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, said last month the new curriculum will give students a strong reading foundation.

“The shift is going more towards structured literacy,” Urban said. “It’s explicit, it’s systematic, cumulative and diagnostic. All of the material that BV has looked at, curriculum-wise, have all the components that you are looking for to make sure the kids are gaining explicit instruction and direct instruction from the teacher. If you build a strong foundation, the whole purpose of reading is to comprehend, but it’s hard to comprehend if you can’t read the words. Their knowledge-base curriculum is going to be great to help build background knowledge and vocabulary development. Because if you can read the words but if you don’t have the background knowledge and you don’t understand the content, you’re not going to be able to comprehend the text.”

Urban added it was “really exciting” to see what Orrenmaa and his team had put together for BV students.

The board voted on April 19 to approve the plan. Orrenmaa said the staff will be instructed on the new curriculum this summer, and it will be fully implemented K-8 next school year.

“Our teachers are excited to begin this journey to continue their mission of making sure every child succeeds!” Orrenmaa said.

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.