By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Though a little more than two weeks remain in the current school year, Union City Director of Schools Wes Kennedy and UCSS Director of Teaching and Learning Rene Flood are already planning for 2019-20.
The UC School System recently purchased new curriculum for grades K-4 with an eye toward improving early literacy skills for all students.
Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a comprehensive elementary school program for teaching reading, writing, listening and speaking while also building students’ vocabulary and knowledge across essential domains in literature, world and American history, and the sciences.
Amplify Education has partnered with the Core Knowledge Foundation for nationwide distribution of professionally printed and packaged CKLA classroom materials for the new ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum.
Those materials were delivered to UC Elementary School recently, with staff unloading a semi-trailer full of books that are currently being processed and currently housed in the school’s multi-purpose room.
“We already have high test scores, but want to have even higher ones. And we think our students deserve the very best,” Flood said. “Mr. Kennedy felt it was very important to put the proper tools for instruction in the teachers’ hands and we’ll be doing so with this program.
“Our teachers are so excited about the possibilities for increased academic achievement that this curriculum promises to bring.”
Flood and a team of teachers visited schools from other systems to see first-hand the curriculum they used before the group made the decision to purchase CKLA.
Teacher leaders at each UCES level received training in Nashville recently and will help with the implementation of the new curriculum along with Flood and elementary school principal David Byars.
Training for the new curriculum will take place at the end of this month and continue throughout the summer as UC Elementary School administration, Amplify and representatives from Sullivan County Schools supply UCES teachers with the necessary skills to properly incorporate the new curriculum.
Photo by Mike Hutchens.
Menu
