Was the new language arts curriculum piloted somewhere before being implemented across the district?
Yes, the curriculum was implemented successfully in the state of California at the time it was selected by RISD. The district selected the Houghton Mifflin program after reviewing a substantial amount of research and examining a number of options. The RISD committee making the recommendation felt the Houghton Mifflin program was the only program that contained all the elements, backed by research, that were required from the National Reading Panel Recommendations and No Child Left Behind.
