Forest Hills board opens 30-day review of Amplify CKLA literacy curriculum for K'5
March 10, 2026 | Forest Hills Public Schools, School Boards, Michigan
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Forest Hills Public Schools staff on March 9 recommended the district place Amplify CKLA, a knowledge- and project-based kindergarten-through-fifth-grade literacy curriculum, on a 30-day public review ahead of a planned vote in April.
The curriculum presenter, identified in the meeting as Ms. Drian, told the board the adoption team chose Amplify CKLA because it builds grade-to-grade background knowledge, weaves social studies and science into literacy units and includes scaffolded lessons and consumable materials. "This curriculum does a really, really good job of building background knowledge for our students, starting in kindergarten," Ms. Drian said during the presentation.
Ms. Drian said the curriculum aligns with the district's recent literacy training in the science-of-reading approach and noted Amplify is listed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as an approved literacy curriculum. She also told the board the program contains an assessment suite and an adaptive practice component, and that the district plans to pilot two associated online tools (Amplify Boost Reading and Amplify Class DIBELS) with a one-year contract for those components before moving forward at full scale.
The presenter said a grant described in the meeting as a "35 m grant" would cover a large portion of the proposed six-year contract; the meeting transcript does not specify units or confirm whether the meeting meant $3.5 million, $35 million, or another figure. The board packet materials referenced during the meeting include program guides and demo accounts for members to review during the 30-day period.
Board members asked whether Amplify would replace existing units; Ms. Drian said it would replace the district's current units of study and include cursive instruction. The presenter described literacy instruction time expectations in the program: about 120 minutes per day for early grades and 90 to 120 minutes for grades 3'5, plus at least 30 minutes of independent reading.
Why it matters: The district is moving curriculum decisions through a 30-day public review process, with potential broad impacts on elementary instruction, staff planning and purchases tied to a multi-year contract. The board will consider final approval after the review period in April.
What happens next: The board placed Amplify CKLA on a 30-day review; board members and the public can inspect the program guides and demo accounts while the review is open. The presenter said district staff will return with any recommended contract language and detailed cost breakdowns when the item returns to the board.
The curriculum presenter, identified in the meeting as Ms. Drian, told the board the adoption team chose Amplify CKLA because it builds grade-to-grade background knowledge, weaves social studies and science into literacy units and includes scaffolded lessons and consumable materials. "This curriculum does a really, really good job of building background knowledge for our students, starting in kindergarten," Ms. Drian said during the presentation.
Ms. Drian said the curriculum aligns with the district's recent literacy training in the science-of-reading approach and noted Amplify is listed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as an approved literacy curriculum. She also told the board the program contains an assessment suite and an adaptive practice component, and that the district plans to pilot two associated online tools (Amplify Boost Reading and Amplify Class DIBELS) with a one-year contract for those components before moving forward at full scale.
The presenter said a grant described in the meeting as a "35 m grant" would cover a large portion of the proposed six-year contract; the meeting transcript does not specify units or confirm whether the meeting meant $3.5 million, $35 million, or another figure. The board packet materials referenced during the meeting include program guides and demo accounts for members to review during the 30-day period.
Board members asked whether Amplify would replace existing units; Ms. Drian said it would replace the district's current units of study and include cursive instruction. The presenter described literacy instruction time expectations in the program: about 120 minutes per day for early grades and 90 to 120 minutes for grades 3'5, plus at least 30 minutes of independent reading.
Why it matters: The district is moving curriculum decisions through a 30-day public review process, with potential broad impacts on elementary instruction, staff planning and purchases tied to a multi-year contract. The board will consider final approval after the review period in April.
What happens next: The board placed Amplify CKLA on a 30-day review; board members and the public can inspect the program guides and demo accounts while the review is open. The presenter said district staff will return with any recommended contract language and detailed cost breakdowns when the item returns to the board.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
