Pierce Middle School team urges board to adopt Amplify ELA after multi-month pilot

Pierce Middle School educators asked the South Redford School District Board of Education to adopt the Amplify ELA curriculum for grades 6–8 after a multi-month review and pilot.

Pierce’s new principal opened the presentation and turned the floor over to the ELA team, who described a multi-step vetting process that used professional ratings, the IMET adoption rubric and a site visit to a Dearborn school that has used Amplify for several years. "We investigated and highlighted all four programs in every ELA classroom across all three grade levels," said Winona Krasinski, an eighth-grade ELA teacher. Teachers said the pilot ran during January, February and part of March and that classroom visits and student responses informed their unanimous recommendation.

Teachers emphasized that Amplify provides a consistent, coherent scope-and-sequence, built-in differentiation and supports for emergent readers and English-language learners. "They offer materials that support a fully print, digital, or hybrid approach," said Jennifer Bachman, a sixth-grade teacher. Presenters recommended a hybrid delivery—digital lessons complemented by classroom anthologies—so students get both screen-based practice and frequent paper-based annotation.

Presenters outlined a three-year full implementation timeline but said the district would use "leading indicators" to track progress more quickly. "We're going to be bringing back quarterlies, internal assessments…we're no less than quarterly," the Pierce principal said, adding that the district would also track pre/post NWEA scores and monthly PLCs to adjust instruction.

Teachers and students offered classroom evidence. "Amplify helped me visualize and become a better reader," a student said during the presentation. Teacher Melissa Bauer said programs that provide four consistent instructional elements—grade-level texts, explicit instruction, materials that build knowledge and vocabulary, and opportunities for evidence-based discussion—are linked with stronger achievement for students who begin the year behind.

Board members pressed the team on technology capacity and costs. Presenters said Amplify can function offline after content is downloaded to Chromebooks and that professional learning was included in the vendor's proposal. A board member cited a "proposed cost" figure of almost $6,000 mentioned in the meeting's discussion and presenters noted that some recurring costs—particularly printed anthologies for a hybrid model—would be comparable to existing copy or workbook costs and likely recur annually.

Presenters said teachers used a rigorous rubric and spent extensive time comparing four finalists, and that early classroom observations showed increased student engagement, more frequent return to text and stronger evidence-based writing. The team provided the board with links to their documentation and said they would share the presentation slides and implementation plan for board review.

The board did not take a formal vote on adoption at the meeting. Next steps recorded in the discussion included distributing the full adoption packet and scheduling a board decision at a future meeting once members have reviewed the materials.