Published July 24. 2020 02:45PM
The Pleasant Valley School Board approved the purchase last week of four curriculum programs.
Ready Classroom/iReady Math Program for grades 1-5 will replace the district’s existing GoMath program. The full cost of the program is $378,315 and will be paid for completely with funds from the CARES grant.
“Our teachers are very excited to get started,” said Superintendent Lee Lesisko. “However, in the future, Pleasant Valley will focus efforts on developing our own curriculum. This will take a lot of time and planning, but may be a big cost savings.”
Lesisko said the materials are on order, but he isn’t sure when they will arrive due to order processing and delivery times. In the meantime, the teachers have access to a demonstration account, so they can look through it and begin planning. Once the printed materials arrive, the teachers will be notified and will be given an opportunity to pick them up.
If it is needed for online instruction, the program can be modified to be used as an online instructional tool, along with online learning management systems SeeSaw and Schoology.
Lesisko explained that a learning management system allows “teachers to develop online materials and content without additional third-party software.” Schoology also integrate grading and assessment into the mix.
Schoology-Virtual Learning Program for grades 4-12 was approved by the board with a cost of $28,600. It is funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant.
Portions of the program will be up and running for the start of the school year, Lesisko said. And teachers will be given some training on it. As the school year progresses, additional features will be added.
The school board also approved payment for the programs Edpuzzle and Screencastify.
Both programs are online learning tools for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Edpuzzle allows “teachers to stop a video lesson and insert a question into the video to determine student understanding of the lesson,” Lesisko said.
Teachers can also create video lessons with questions already included. This helps teachers to monitor student participation, engagement in the material, and completion of the work. By being able to check the students’ understanding, the teachers can address any misconceptions.
The program cost $6,360 and will be funded through a Title IV grant.
Screencastify is also being funded through a Title IV grant and costs $3,000.
Screencastify allows teachers to record a video of their lesson while explaining the lesson to the students. Teachers can also use the program to create instructional videos and tutorials that model key skills and content.
“Both of these tools were used extensible during the March COVID closure,” Lesisko said. “Teachers received professional development in these tools and specifically asked for their renewal. Both of these tools integrate with SeeSaw and Schoology.”
Also renewed was the annual contract for PowerSchool. It costs $143,316.69.
Other purchases
And the board approved the purchase of band uniforms at a cost of $58,239. Six drum major uniforms cost $3,609, and 100 band uniforms for $546.30 each cost a total of $54,630.
The purchase was made possible through a one-time sponsorship of $50,000 for band uniforms as part of the contract with St. Luke’s University Health Network. The uniforms were ordered from the Band Shoppe.
