Dalton Public Schools to introduce new phonics resource for elementary students

Published 6:00 am Friday, April 1, 2022

Dalton Public Schools’ elementary students will have a new phonics resource for the 2022-23 school year after the Dalton Board of Education voted 5-0 March 18 to approve spending $621,336 on McGraw Hill’s Open Court.

“This resource will be used daily with” students from kindergarten through grade three, as well as with small, targeted groups of students in grades four and five, as “part of our balanced literacy program,” said Wiley Dailey, deputy superintendent for school improvement and data analysis. Open Court will benefit students who need literacy interventions, among others, and “we need a consistent phonics program for our district.”

In October, Dalton Public Schools reached out to seven phonics vendors, and administrators, school site coaches, district level coaches, leadership teams and curriculum teams narrowed the list to a pair of finalists, Open Court and Amplify, Dailey said. Phonics teachers then weighed in, with a strong majority favoring Open Court, which will provide digital and print resources, teacher kits, teacher and student online licenses, and all necessary professional development.

“I love the process you all used to get feedback” from staff on their favored phonics, said Matt Evans, chairman of the school board.

“We’ll meet with Open Court to design our (ideal) professional learning” for Dalton Public Schools, Dailey said. Teachers can begin training as soon as this spring, as well as during the summer, with the aim of rolling out Open Court to students when the 2022-23 school year begins.

By “negotiating, we saved over $82,000 on shipping and handling,” Dailey said. Shipping and handling for materials during the next couple of years will likely cost the school system $62,000-$65,000.

Funding for Open Court “will come from multiple sources,” including at least $300,000 from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds, said Theresa Perry, chief financial officer. “We’re doing as much as possible from CARES.”

Most of the funding for Open Court for grades one and two will be from CARES, while the general fund will cover grade two, Perry said April 1. Grades three-five will be covered by Title IV funds, federal grants meant to improve academic achievement by increasing the ability to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education and improve school conditions for student learning.  

“Every school has a phonics program, but we want to all be on the same page,” said Laura Orr, chief academic officer. “This is not a whole reading program but (rather) a phonics piece that will slip into our balanced literacy framework.”