MARYSVILLE – In an effort to teach students what they need to know to do well on state assessment exams, kindergarteners through fifth-graders in the Marysville School District are starting new curriculum in language arts and math.

The curriculum cost almost $1 million, MSD curriculum director Melissa VanZanten said.

The changes were made because the new curriculums more closely aligns with the Washington State Learning Standards, also called Common Core.

“The statewide learning goals are the guiding light. They are an emphasis at each grade level,” VanZanten said. “A committee matched them as best they could.”

She said some teachers piloted the curriculums the past year, they reported back the negatives and positives, and the community weighed in as well.

For English, the program chosen for first- through fifth-graders is called “Ready Gen.” For kindergarteners, the district liked “Nat Geo” better.

In math, while many teachers liked the previous New York model, the district is changing to Glencoe.

VanZanten said most teachers seem to like the curriculum changes.

“Like any new curriculum it takes awhile to get used to,” she said.

VanZanten said in her experience with new curriculum state test scores actually dip the first year, but improve after that.

Teachers on special assignment Darla Humphreys and Nancy Smith are helping with the rollout and training. Curriculum instruction specialists are in every school to coach teachers.

In a memo to Superintendent Becky Berg and the school board, VanZanten says teachers appreciate the online help for the Glencoe math. They also like that parents and students have access to Glencoe at home, so they can work on math problems as well as strategies on how to complete their work. In February there will be trainings in differentiated instruction for Glencoe.

Trainings will continue in the summer and next year, the memo says.