Board hears recommendation to adopt CKLA literacy series for K–5

The Keyport Board of Education on May 15 heard a presentation from Central School staff recommending adoption of CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts), published by Amplify, as the district's K–5 core literacy program.

The adoption team, introduced by the superintendent, told the board the district's 2022–23 assessment data showed roughly a 45 percent passing rate against a 50 percent target and argued a comprehensive, standards‑aligned program could help close the gap. "We chose four green‑rated resources and investigated them over six months," the presenter said, describing reviews using EdReports and locally developed rubrics informed by the science of reading.

Presenter (Central School adoption team) said the committee's process included site visits to districts using the programs, consultations with curriculum specialists in neighboring districts, classroom visits, teacher and parent surveys and input from Wilson practitioners and special‑education staff. The team recommended CKLA because it combines systematic phonics and decodable texts with nonfiction units designed to build background knowledge across grades.

On implementation, the presenter said the district would develop a timeline after board approval, provide roughly 15 hours of professional development for staff in year one, coordinate supplementary materials with the curriculum office and monitor progress with regular assessments and teacher feedback. "We're going to have workshops and opportunities to train our teachers so that they feel comfortable," a staff member supporting the presentation said.

Board members pressed on differences from the district's existing materials and on parent involvement. A board member asked for a brief primer on the "science of reading," and the presenter summarized its components—phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension—saying CKLA emphasizes those elements in a structured literacy model. The presenter said CKLA has been on the market about six years and noted large scale implementations elsewhere, including a district that implemented it with several hundred teachers.

Presenters confirmed the district will retain Wilson instruction for Tier‑3 intervention and that parent participation in the committee's surveys was limited (the team reported roughly 11 parent respondents to the survey, with additional families engaged through outreach and future shared presentations).

No formal board vote to adopt CKLA was recorded during the May 15 meeting; the item was presented for the board's consideration and questions. The presentation packet, committee membership and the team’s rubrics were provided to board members as part of the meeting materials.