Robla board unanimously approves Amplify as districtwide assessment system, first-year costs outlined
April 24, 2026 | Robla Elementary, School Districts, California
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The Robla School District board voted unanimously to adopt Amplify as the district’s comprehensive K–6 assessment and benchmark platform for the 2026–27 school year.
District director of curriculum and assessment Mario Penman told trustees the selection follows an eight-member committee review of vendor platforms and cited Amplify’s immediate reporting, teacher resources and family-facing features. “This data system allows teachers to see reports immediately,” Penman said, explaining that Amplify automatically groups students by skill and supplies activities teachers can use for targeted small-group instruction.
Penman described a built-in intervention component called Boost and said student reports and suggested home activities make the system usable for families: “The student report comes right out of the system for the teachers to send home,” he said. Staff told the board the platform includes translation options for top languages used in the district and is accessible to students at home.
Board members asked about cost and coherence across sites. Penman presented a budget package that showed a 2026–27 purchase price near $130,000, with roughly $40,000 planned for professional development in year one and an estimated recurring cost of about $80,000 in 2027–28 after offsetting savings. Staff said continuing costs would be partly offset by ending some existing services (Renaissance and out-of-district TCI workshops) and by potential state funds for early-literacy professional development.
Trustees stressed the importance of parent outreach to explain reports and confirm supports in multiple languages; Penman said the district had used the Amplify K–2 screener previously and would follow similar family-communication steps for grades 3–6.
The board’s unanimous roll-call vote approved the recommendation to purchase Amplify and to begin training at the district’s August professional-learning day.
What’s next: staff will finalize vendor contracts and schedule districtwide training ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
District director of curriculum and assessment Mario Penman told trustees the selection follows an eight-member committee review of vendor platforms and cited Amplify’s immediate reporting, teacher resources and family-facing features. “This data system allows teachers to see reports immediately,” Penman said, explaining that Amplify automatically groups students by skill and supplies activities teachers can use for targeted small-group instruction.
Penman described a built-in intervention component called Boost and said student reports and suggested home activities make the system usable for families: “The student report comes right out of the system for the teachers to send home,” he said. Staff told the board the platform includes translation options for top languages used in the district and is accessible to students at home.
Board members asked about cost and coherence across sites. Penman presented a budget package that showed a 2026–27 purchase price near $130,000, with roughly $40,000 planned for professional development in year one and an estimated recurring cost of about $80,000 in 2027–28 after offsetting savings. Staff said continuing costs would be partly offset by ending some existing services (Renaissance and out-of-district TCI workshops) and by potential state funds for early-literacy professional development.
Trustees stressed the importance of parent outreach to explain reports and confirm supports in multiple languages; Penman said the district had used the Amplify K–2 screener previously and would follow similar family-communication steps for grades 3–6.
The board’s unanimous roll-call vote approved the recommendation to purchase Amplify and to begin training at the district’s August professional-learning day.
What’s next: staff will finalize vendor contracts and schedule districtwide training ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
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