The Anoka-Hennepin School Board took action to approve new curriculum and materials for the 2025-26 school year and maintain the existing curriculum for social emotional learning at meetings in April and May.

The School Board approved a $ 4.5 million investment in elementary literacy instruction following a multi-year review process that included significant public and teacher participation and feedback. The action is aligned with Minnesota’ s READ Act( Reading to Ensure Academic Development) which aims to have every student reading at or above grade level and meets the needs of multilingual and special education students.

The literacy plan is based on evidence-based“ science of reading” platforms. The approved plan involves three-different curriculum programs, CKLA( Core Knowledge Language Arts for all grades, Bridge2Read for Kindergarten to Grade 3 and Functional Morphology for Grades 4 and 5.

The curriculum upgrades were selected based on data and perspectives from 400 Anoka-Hennepin teachers including Special Education, multilingual and literacy specialists along with student perspectives.

Other decisions made by the School Board regarding curriculum materials for next school year include:

• Social studies materials that include the purchase of new textbooks and materials for U. S. Studies Grade 7, World History Grade 11 and Advanced Placement Psychology. Additional review of curriculum is anticipated by the School Board prior to implementation in the fall.

ANOKA-HENNEPIN CURRICULUM ADOPTION PROCESS

PHASE

Analyze existing course and materials.

PHASE

Review and select instructional materials.

Anoka-Hennepin’ s curriculum implementation and review process follows a structured 37-step process that includes significant opportunity for public input. The four-phase system begins with an evaluation of current curriculum and alignment with evidence-based practices and state standards prior to selecting materials to pilot in district schools for possible recommendation for implementation. Materials are then implemented and monitored, evaluated and adjusted based on feedback from teachers and student data. n

PHASE

• Caring teachers- make meaningful connections and support students.

• Schools of choice- award-winning specialty and magnet options focus on arts, science, math, engineering.

Students at all 25 elementary schools will benefit from new literacy materials starting his fall.

PHASE

Implementation. Monitor, evaluate, and adjust.

• Rigorous academic options- opportunities to explore college and career pathways.

• Activities and programs help students feel connected and inspired. ahschools. us / enroll

SUMMER 2025

By Superintendent Cory McIntyre

At the end of the school year, I catch myself thinking about how quickly the school year seems to go by for our students. As our schools aim to prepare students for life, it’ s a good reminder that the daily effort, what happens each day in school, matters for their future.

With this sense of urgency, the School District took an important step forward this spring to deliver on our most basic and fundamental priority for our elementary students: learning to read. Over the past two years, Anoka-Hennepin has served as a leader in Minnesota when it comes to reading instruction using evidence-based“ science of reading” strategies. Results from pilot projects in our schools provided evidence that that fueled new legislation called the READ Act( Reading to Ensure Academic Development). Originally approved for all Minnesota schools in 2023, action in the classrooms begins in earnest next fall.

The Anoka-Hennepin School Board adopted a new series of

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