Educators and students in the Rowan County School District will soon experience a change in curriculum. The Board of Education has adopted the Expeditionary Learning curriculum for English and language arts.
Rowan County Superintendent Michael Rowe said the decision to shift to a new curriculum will have long-lasting benefits. The EL curriculum focuses on students interacting with their environment, class work, and peers. Officials said instruction and assessment challenges engage and empower learners.
“We were able to do this through ESSER funds that were left over from COVID. We used that money wisely, while some districts used that money on salaries,” said Rowe. “This district did not, knowing that money would not be there for continual use. So, this money was put into a curriculum that was extremely needed for our kids.”
Rowan County’s educators have undergone special professional development to learn the new system. Rowe said the opportunity to invest in the new method presented itself for the 2024-25 school year.
“We’ve invested over $500,000 into getting a curriculum that’s science proven. Basically, that’ll revamp how we do reading for K-8 and also how we do it in our high school setting,” said Rowe.
Officials said the EL curriculum connects classroom learning with real-life experiences and interactions. Three other schools in the commonwealth have also partnered with EL Education to bring the methods to their students and teachers.