2025-26 Elementary Curriculum Resources

The following programs are used in our elementary schools this year.

MATH IN FOCUS

Students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will be using Math in Focus, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Math in Focus provides a rigorous standards-aligned math program for students through an emphasis on problem solving skill development. Instruction focuses on developing student understanding of the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind mathematical concepts. The program introduces new concepts with manipulatives, extends understanding through pictorial representations, and culminates student mastery in abstract mathematical concepts. To learn more about the program, visit the Math in Focus website.

Math in Focus scaffolds instruction to meet the needs of individual learners with hands-on learning and visual models that support and optimize learning. Visual models, hands on activities and Ed, the HMH learning platform, provide an interactive resource to ensure growth for every student.

Math in Focus supports families too! It provides resources you may need to support students’ learning. There is a Family Room in the digital Ed platform. Each chapter has a School-to-Home Connection to help keep parents informed of what their child is learning.

Logging into Ed: Your child will be able to access the digital platform, Ed, though Clever.
Navigating Ed: Detailed Ed help is available at Navigating Ed. You can access the Family Room from the main Ed page, under your student’s name in the upper right corner.

ST MATH

ST Math® program is a proven way for your child to enjoy mastering difficult math concepts and multi-step problem solving.  It utilizes a new visual approach to understanding math based on over 30 years of research at the University of California.

What does it look like in my child’s class?
• Students get to experience the unique spatial-temporal math games for 90 minutes per week on a tablet or computer
• Visual concepts learned in the software are connected by the teacher to regular classroom math instruction

How does ST Math work?
• Difficult math concepts, like fractions, are taught on computers using motivating visual games that require thinking
multiple steps ahead to visualize and solve problems
• Engaging game play and animated instructive feedback ensure that each concept is mastered

What is special about this program?
• Unique visual approach benefits students at all levels of math and English proficiency
• Children enjoy conquering tough challenges, and gain self-confidence in their ability to learn math

What will my child get from participation?
• Powerful visual understanding of key math concepts
• Rigorous training in multi-step visual problem solving
• Fun at school learning math!

Why is ST Math important?
• Math proficiency and confidence opens the door to future academic and career opportunities for your child
• Multi-step visual problem-solving skills help build success in all subject areas mindresearch.org

For more information on MIND Research Institute and ST Math, watch “Transforming Math Education” by visiting http://bit.ly/12vNVSz.

 

ACADIENCE READING UNIVERSAL SCREENER

Parkland uses the Universal Screener, Acadience Reading, to help us examine how your child is doing in learning important reading skills.
Acadience Reading measures the acquisition of literacy skills and is composed of six brief measures. These measures provide useful information on essential skills that every child must master to become a proficient reader. These measures will be used to monitor the development of literacy skills in order to provide timely instructional support.

Acadience Reading is a diagnostic assessment of literacy skills. Acadience Reading is comprised of six measures:

1. First Sound Fluency (FSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the first sound for each word.
2. Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): The student is presented with a sheet of letters and asked to name the letters.
3. Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the individual sounds in each word.
4. Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): The student is presented with a list of VC and CVC nonsense words (e.g., sig, rav, ov) and asked to read the words.
5. Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): The student is presented with a reading passage and asked to read aloud. The student is then asked to retell what he/she just read.
6. Maze: The student is presented with a reading passage in which some words are replaced by a multiple choice box that includes the original word and two distractors. The student reads the passage silently and selects the word in each box that best fits the meaning of the sentence.

These measures were designed to be efficient indicators of a student’s essential early literacy skills. All K-5 students will be assessed a minimum of three times per year using Acadience Reading as a benchmark. Benchmark assessment refers to testing all students within a school or grade. The information gained from the assessment is used for the purpose of identifying students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. The benchmark assessment is always conducted using grade-level material. These assessments are not used to grade your child.

ARTS AND LETTERS

This year, all students in Grades K-2 and some 3-5 classrooms will utilize an English language arts program called Arts & Letters™. Great Minds® created Arts & Letters with the belief that every child is capable of greatness. Arts & Letters students build knowledge of the world and develop reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. Each day your student will be engaged and challenged to learn. Your student will read and study award-winning literary and informational books, famous works of art, poetry, articles, videos, and photographs. These texts will awaken their curiosity and expand their knowledge about important topics. Students will learn to understand and analyze these complex texts and to speak and write clearly, logically, and effectively.

We know you want to support students’ learning outside of school. Here are some ideas:

• Read together. Read with your student. With a younger student, read aloud and talk about the book’s ideas, text, and pictures. With older students, read together for pleasure, share interesting articles or books you read, and ask questions about what your student is reading in school.
• Talk together. Ask questions about what your student is learning in school. Show excitement and curiosity when they share new and interesting facts or knowledge.
• Foster a love of words. Invite your student to tell you about what they are reading and to share interesting words or descriptions from the text. Challenge each other to use new vocabulary words your student is learning.
• Follow ideas from the Tips for Families. Your student will complete four modules, or units, in Arts & Letters. Your student’s teacher has Tips for Families for each module. These tips describe what your student is studying and give ideas to continue learning after school.

Arts & Letters makes the English language arts block a time of wonder and curiosity. To learn more, talk to your student’s teacher and go to https://greatminds.org/english/artsletters.

WONDERS

As we work to implement Arts and Letters in grades K-2, our 3rd - 5th graders will work with WONDERS for the 2025-26 school year (except those classes who piloted Arts and Letters last year - they will continue with Arts and Letters this year). You can help your child practice reading skills taught at school by accessing Wonders resources through our Clever Portal. By working together, you and your child can become partners in learning.

Access McGraw-Hill Reading Wonders through the Clever Portal.

1. Go to clever.parklandsd.org
2. Click on Log in with Active Directory.
3. Click on the red McGraw Hill app icon
4. Under “Books and Content” you’ll see your Wonders content listed. Click on the book cover.

Access the following tools to stay connected to your student’s classroom & reading progress:
Top Navigation: Home screen 
y Binder – area for students to save work
Collaborate – teacher moderated area for discussion and inquiry projects
Resources – a complete listing of student resources
School to Home – parent letters, activities and suggestions for home practice
ABC – Complete grade level, visual vocabulary library

 

MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT

The Parkland School District believes in providing the highest quality of education for every student. To meet this goal, we implement an approach to learning known as Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). The essential elements of an MTSS approach include providing scientific, research-based instruction and interventions in general education, monitoring and measuring student progress in response to the instruction and interventions, and using measures of student progress to shape instruction and make educational decisions. The MTSS process places students into one of three tiers which can change throughout the year depending upon student progress. This three-tiered approach is used to differentiate instruction for all students while identifying and providing early intervention to struggling students.

Below is a brief description of each tier:
Tier 1: Students participate in the Core Curriculum with opportunities for additional instruction and/or enrichment in the core program.
Tier 2: Students participate in the Core Curriculum with an evidence-based intervention due to an identified area of weakness.
Tier 3: Students participate in the Core Curriculum with more intensive and frequent interventions than Tier 2 due to continued identified areas of weakness.

Staff determines in which tier to place students based upon multiple assessment measures including classroom-based assessments and universal screening results. The Parkland School District has selected Acadience as our universal screener to monitor kindergarten through fifth grade student progress throughout the year. Acadience screenings are administered three times a year (Fall, Winter, and Spring). In addition, for students in third through fifth grade, the District uses the Pennsylvania Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) as the universal screener to monitor student progress throughout the year. CDT universal screeners are administered two times a year (Fall and Winter).

Throughout the year, you also will receive information on how your child performed on classroom-based assessments as tests are given and sent home. Data from these tools and a variety of other sources will help staff to not only make informed decisions regarding tier placement
but also the frequency, time, intensity, and type of intervention provided. This extra instruction and intervention typically takes place during a 40 minute period each day. If a child is at a Tier 3 level, more time is allotted for interventions.

The Parkland School District recognizes that all students learn differently, and we are committed to helping all students succeed. You are encouraged to participate in this process and will be made aware of any changes in your child’s progress or tier placement.

BUILDING BLOCKS OF SCIENCE

Parkland School District uses Building Blocks of Science 3D, Carolina Biological, across the district in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The Building Blocks of Science approach prepares K–5 learners by providing a foundation of hands-on investigation supported with powerful digital and print-based learning. This program is designed to engage and excite all students. They work like scientists and engineers as they navigate the world of science. Lessons are centered on phenomenon-based investigations. Throughout each unit, students use evidence and reasoning to support claims, engage in the engineering process to design solutions, and work collaboratively to solve problems.

Your child can access Building Blocks of Science 3D at home through the Clever Portal
1. Go to clever.parklandsd.org
2. Click on "Log in with Active Directory"
3. Click on the Carolina Science Online icon