Curriculum & Instruction

The FSD follows the Tennessee Academic Standards for all courses in all schools. The Tennessee Academic Standards provide a common set of expectations for what students will know and be able to do at the end of a grade for each subject area. Our state’s standards are rooted in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in their postsecondary studies and/or careers.

The State Board of Education is charged with adopting the Tennessee Academic Standards. At a minimum, standards are reviewed every six years. While academic standards establish desired learning outcomes, the curriculum provides instructional programming designed to help students reach these outcomes. Districts locally establish curricular programs that support student mastery of the Tennessee Academic Standards while reflecting unique community values. Instructional practices provide each student with the best opportunity to meet these standards by supporting the learning needs of each student. 

• Guide to Franklin Special (an overview of courses, programs, and extracurricular opportunities)

Here are some key facts about the Tennessee State Standards:

• The Tennessee State Standards are expectations for student outcomes in the core subjects of mathematics, reading/language arts, social studies, and science.
• They are clear, consistent, understandable, and rigorous.

• The Tennessee State Standards are not curriculum. Curriculum decisions, like which textbooks to purchase and which books students should read, will continue to be made locally.
• The standards focus on the real-world skills and critical thinking that will prepare students for college and careers.
• The effort to create the standards was a state-led initiative, and Tennessee has been involved from the beginning.

Why are these standards important?

• They are internationally competitive and based on research about what it takes to be prepared for college courses and entry-level jobs that lead to careers.
• The standards are clear and demanding. This change allows teachers time to teach and explore fewer but more focused topics in more depth than they have been able to in the past.
• The skills students are learning and the abilities they are gaining are those needed for success in today’s workforce. Whether in manufacturing or research, job applicants need critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills to succeed.
• The new standards are more rigorous, and students are learning important concepts in earlier grades.
• Now, students learn important concepts in earlier grades and build on those each year.
• Ultimately, the Tennessee State Standards should help better prepare students for success in postsecondary and the workforce.

The Tennessee State Standards require a deeper engagement with a smaller number of standards. The goals of the Tennessee State Standards are: student achievement at high levels of proficiency on national assessments and state assessments, aligned assessments at the school level, and professional learning activities that support both with the ultimate goal of graduating every child college- and career-ready. The FSD provides its teaching staff with many professional learning opportunities and its students with remediation alternatives when gaps are discovered through local assessment. “We embrace the challenge as we strive to meet the state’s proficiency goals and to prepare our students for the best high school and college opportunities in the nation,” said Director of Schools, Dr. David Snowden.

Overview of Testing in Tennessee: Learn more about the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) for students in grades 3-8, as well as other required assessments in the state.

Resources

• TCAP Family Portal: On-demand access to your student’s previous TCAP scores.
• Prohibited Concepts Complaint Form

The FSD Accelerated Learning program supports accelerated learners within the general education curriculum.

The Franklin Special District recognizes the unique needs of both accelerated learners and students who meet the Tennessee state eligibility standards for intellectually gifted, a disability serviced through special education. FSD has an Accelerated Learning Specialist (ALS) in each school. These specialists work with students and/or consult with teachers to differentiate instruction for advanced learners. Delivery of instruction by the Accelerated Learning Specialist is based on individual student need.

Evaluation for the Intellectually Gifted:
According to the State of Tennessee, “Intellectually Gifted” describes a child whose intellectual abilities and potential for achievement are so outstanding that the child’s educational performance is adversely affected. “Adverse affect” means the general curriculum alone is inadequate to appropriately meet the student’s educational needs.

If a parent or teacher makes a formal request for gifted eligibility testing, the general education teacher, Accelerated Learning Specialist, building administrator, and others, as appropriate, will schedule a review meeting.  All gifted eligibility testing decisions are based on data.

Honors Program and Accelerated Learners:
FSD offers a general education honors curriculum beginning in 5th grade. Meeting the state eligibility standards for intellectually gifted does not automatically qualify a student for the Honors Program. In addition, students who are served by the Accelerated Learning Specialist in elementary school are also not automatically placed into the Honors Program in 5th grade. The FSD Honors Program has specific eligibility criteria for placement.

 

Student Performance Department
Pax Wiemers, Ed.D., Supervisor
Faith Maxwell, Administrative Clerk

Special Populations Department
Stacey Robertson, Supervisor
Christine Saavedra, Administrative Clerk
Crystal Bowman, Administrative Clerk

205 Eddy Lane
Franklin, TN  37064

615-794-6624

As part of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act, each school district must submit a Foundational Literacy Skills Plan once every three years unless the district demonstrates strong growth, in which case it may receive authorization to submit less frequently.  All portions of the FSD Foundational Literacy Skills Plan were approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and the plan meets the requirements of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act.  You may also view the plan on the Tennessee Department of Education's website. To view the supplemental artifacts, please contact the district directly. 

 Franklin Special District Foundational Literacy Skills Plan 

Daily Foundational Literacy Skills Instruction in Grades K-2

Foundational literacy instructional time in the FSD exceeds the state minimum. Our instructional blocks in K-2 include 75+ minutes of working on foundational skills during tier one instruction. Our instruction is aligned with the TN state academic standards and is considered critical content for students in grades K-2. All three grade levels provide an additional 30-45 minutes of foundational skills instruction for students receiving tier 2 or tier 3 intervention. The FSD supports the findings of the National Reading Panel, Best for All practices, and follows the science of reading. This can be seen in our commitment to providing systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Since fall of 2021, Kindergarten, first, and second grades have used 95% Phonics Core Program (a supplemental program) to teach foundational literacy skills. Teachers in grades K-2 provide explicit instruction in foundational skills following the lesson framework provided in those materials. For example, the framework for 2nd grade includes phonological awareness warm-up, phonics pattern, sound-spelling mapping, fluency, sentence dictation, morphology, passages, and comprehension. Our literacy coaches support this work through planning with teachers and participating in PLCs where the focus is sharing student data on a path to mastery for all students while adults learn from each other. The Wonders materials provide the basis for our comprehension and vocabulary instruction. These materials support students in building content knowledge with each unit focusing on essential questions. Teachers participated, and continue to do so, in Reading 360 training to gain the necessary teacher content knowledge.

Daily Foundational Literacy Skills Instruction in Grades 3-5

Foundational skills instruction for grades 3-5 are aligned with the TN state standards and include morphology, grammar, spelling, writing, and fluency. Instruction in these areas in grades 3-4 occurs during whole group and small group instruction, using Wonders. District adopted materials provide excellent guidance for this purpose. Instruction for foundational standards occurs during grammar, spelling, fluency, and vocabulary instruction for the most part. For students with deficits in foundational skills, additional instruction occurs during an intervention. Foundational skills materials for grade 5 students in our district are provided in our adopted materials, Open Up OUR EL Education. During the ALL Block portion of Open Up, instruction, reinforcement, and practice are provided for essential components of reading (phonics, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing). Among these components are Word Study and Vocabulary, Reading and Speaking Fluency, Writing Practice, and Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics. Students work with these components in grades 3-5 for a minimum of 30 minutes daily. During the intervention, students with deficits in foundational skills receive instruction to fill these gaps using district-approved intervention materials/programs. Students receive daily, small-group intervention beyond core instruction (30-45 minutes), targeting the specifically identified reading deficit. During intervention, students receive explicit, targeted instruction utilizing vetted resources as prescribed to address the specific gap in skills. Teachers in grades 3-5 have access to 95% Phonics Lesson Libraries to help fill gaps students may have that are not addressed in the grade level foundational skills portions of the adopted curriculum (FSD has compiled a list of research-based options for reading intervention available to students who have been identified with a significant reading deficiency.)

Additional Information

The FSD had some Level 1 and 2 results that we are addressing. Last year we hired an outside entity, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), to support two of our schools. They visited regularly and consulted with us often for direction and feedback. Central Office members connected to Teaching and Learning meet every couple of months for "Data Dives" to study district and school data, share steps we've taken since last meeting, and plan next steps to support schools in any deficit area.

Approved Instructional Materials for Grades K-2

McGraw Hill Wonders (K-2)

Approved Instructional Materials for Grades 3-5

McGraw Hill Wonders (3-4)
Open Up OUR Expeditionary Learning (5)

Supplemental Instructional Materials

95% Phonics Core Program

95% Phonics Lesson Library Phonics for Reading

For grades K-2, our district supplements the foundational skills portion of Wonders with 95% Phonics Core. These materials provide materials complete with the level of explicit instruction needed for students. These materials support the TN Academic Standards and have no mention of cueing systems.

Grades 3-5 supplement with 95% Phonics Lesson Libraries. Teachers are able to fill foundational gaps with these explicit lessons. In addition, Phonics for Reading can be used as supplement.

Universal Reading Screener for Grades K-5

Tennessee Universal Reading Screener (aimswebPlus) (PreK-1st Grade)

i-Ready Suite (2nd-5th)

Tennessee Universal Reading Screener (aimswebPlus) (3rd grade spring benchmark)

Intervention Structure and Supports

Tier 2 is in addition to the instruction provided in Tier 1. Students who score below the designated cut score on the universal screener will receive more intense intervention in Tier 2. These cut scores are based on national norms, at a minimum, and identify students who are at risk. Tier 2 interventions are systematic, research-based interventions that target the student’s identified area of deficit (basic reading skill(s), reading fluency, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, mathematics problem solving, or written expression). Interventions will be developed based on the unique needs of students. There will be evidence that interventions are more intense than Tier 1.
Students below the 40th percentile are considered "at-risk" and will be immediately placed in Tier 2 or Tier 3 Intervention. In K-8, the interventions should be provided daily. Progress monitoring is used to assess a student’s academic performance, quantify a student’s rate of improvement or responsiveness to instruction, and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Intervention providers use diagnostic and placement assessments to tailor plans to meet the needs of RTI students, and closely monitor progress on a biweekly (Tier II) or weekly (Tier III) basis. Building data teams meet every 4 -6 weeks to determine if the intervention is effective or if a change is needed. Decisions made during data team meetings bring into consideration additional sources of data (attendance, engagement) before making changes, such as pacing of the program, increased number of minutes, and change in program or provider. In the fall, students are given our universal reading screening measures. In making instructional decisions for students, we consider performance on universal screeners, survey level and classroom assessments, as well. Students who fall below the designated cut scores (FSDs as well as the state cuts for ILP-Ds) are given additional survey level assessments to screen for dyslexia. Following fall screening and school-level data team meetings, letters are sent to all parents of students who have characteristics of dyslexia. This letter outlines the process for screening, the plan for intervention, specific area(s) of deficit the intervention will focus on, and access to resources for parents via the state of Tennessee's "Say Dyslexia" bill. Parents of students who meet the state requirements for ILP-Ds receive communication specific to the ILP-D.

A dyslexia screening is helpful in determining a student’s deficit areas. This is used to determine appropriate instruction and materials as well as to establish realistic goals for a student. Parent communication is an essential component of RTI2, communication with parents is expected every 4.5 weeks. The FSD has two main documents to guide teachers and coaches in selecting the appropriate intervention for students. One of our documents is the FSD Suggested Intervention Materials. This document includes district-approved resources by tier and grade.

The second tool we use is the Dyslexia Specific Interventions list. This tool provides interventions and intervention suggestions for the areas assessed in the FSD Dyslexia Screener: sound-symbol recognition, phonological and phonemic awareness, decoding skills, encoding skills, and alphabetic knowledge. In grades K-4, our tier 3 interventions are SPIRE, 95% group, and Sound Sensible. In grades 5-8, we have added a few more options for intervention - Just Words, Wilson Reading, and Rewards. The primary intervention for students in grades K-4 for students with significant reading deficits is SPIRE; the primary intervention for tier 3 grades 5-8 is Wilson Reading. Following each screening window (fall, winter, and spring) and school-level data team meetings, letters are sent to all FSSD parents of K-5 students who have been identified as a student who should receive reading intervention to address a specific area of deficit (identified by scoring below the 40th percentile).

This letter sent to parents identifies the screening process, a specific plan for reading intervention (including the provider and times/schedule), the area(s) of deficit the intervention will focus on, and access to resources to support parents. The letter is accompanied by a report detailing the child’s scores and outlines the specific gaps in the student’s reading skills. For students who participate in reading intervention, parents receive a data report that details student literacy progress every 4-6 weeks, typically at progress and end-of-the-quarter reporting times. Classroom newsletters, family tip sheets, and school-wide family reading nights are used to provide information on the importance of reading proficiency by third grade as well as engage and encourage family participation in their child’s journey toward reading proficiency.

Parent Notification Plan/Home Literacy Reports

Parent contact is an essential component of RTI2 and reinforces the culture of collaboration. A variety of means to reach parents may be used, including phone calls electronic mail, US Mail, student-delivered communications, ABST correspondence, and progress reports/report cards. District-wide parent contact will be made at the beginning of the school year to communicate details regarding the FSD RTI2 process.

Step 1: District-wide parent contact letter is sent home with every FSD student.

Step 2: Intervention groups are determined for reading, math, written expression, and/or behavior.

Step 3: Parent contact will be made by either a phone call or an email to notify parents of academic intervention status. In addition, parents will be informed that progress information will be sent home every 4.5 weeks. For behavior, refer to your school’s RTI2-B Implementation Manual for specific procedures regarding parent contact.

Step 4: District RTI2 progress letter will be sent home every 4.5 weeks.

*FOLLOW STEPS THREE AND FOUR FOR ANY STUDENT ENTERING INTERVENTION AFTER INITIAL PLACEMENT.

At a minimum, contact with parents should be made for each of the following reasons:

• Before initiating tiered interventions
• When discontinuing tiered interventions
• To communicate progress data every 4.5 weeks for students receiving tiered interventions (Home Literacy Report).

In the FSD, we notify all parents of our process for monitoring data and providing intervention based on universal screening results. Parents are notified of the student's progress every 4 weeks. If a student meets our district requirement to receive the FSD Dyslexia Screener, we complete the screener and notify parents of those results as well. Some students require dyslexia-specific interventions based on our dyslexia screener and some do not.

In addition to these notifications, we also provide a notice to parents of students in grade 3 about the proficiency requirement. We notify parents several times per year and offer tutoring for third- grade non-proficient students. Communication used with parents includes:

• Video series created by the district to explain the particulars of the third-grade retention law;
• Information about promotional pathways;
• Letter that explains dyslexia screening with areas highlighted that the student is deficient in;
• Dyslexia Overview for parents explaining the law, what receiving the letter means, FSD commitments based on student needs, and information about the continuum of support that the student will receive;
• Dyslexia myths and truths;
• Area of reading difficulties described; and
• Summary of screening results. 

Home Support for Parents

The FSD provides a few options at no cost for families to support learning at home. A few of the things we provide are:

• Ready 4K – State initiative - Ready4K delivers three texts with fun facts and tips to provide your families with simple, engaging tips to help their students continue to learn while at home. The messages match each child’s age, even if families have more than one child. Each pre-K through third-grade family (the family contact entered into the Ready4K dashboard) will receive a text message letting them know the Ready4K program is launching, and they will begin receiving weekly text messages. The state shared a toolkit, including a 1-pager, FAQ, draft emails, and robo texts for your schools and parents. These resources are also accessible in your district’s Ready4K dashboard.
• Ready 4K - Summer Book Delivery – State initiative
• Story Bus – Our district has a bus set up as a mobile library that visits locations around our district during the summer. Students ages 4-12 are welcome to be signed in for 45 minutes to read with an FSD employee. As students leave the bus, they receive a free book.
• Family Literacy Nights – each school sponsors literacy nights throughout the school year. Parents are invited to visit and learn more about how they can support students at home. Typically, there are free games and food provided.

Professional Development Plan

In the Summer of 2021, 50 of our teachers attended the Reading 360 training provided by the state. We hosted the session in our district. Following that summer, we have continued to provide the Early Reading Course and Secondary Literacy course to all teachers with an endorsement to teach K- 5 reading, as required by the Tennessee Literacy Success Act. Most teachers have completed this course and we monitor that regularly and provide the information to enroll in the courses. The feedback about this professional learning from teachers and administrators has been positive.

We will continue to provide the state courses (Early Reading and Secondary Literacy) to our teachers. In addition, we continue to provide trainings in supplemental, adopted, and intervention materials. That training includes foundational reading skills components too.

Reading and RtI Department
Gina Looney, Ed.D., Coordinator
Crystal Bowman, Administrative Clerk

The FSD uses a Standards-Based Grading System for grades K-4 and a letter-based system for grades 5-8.

• Grading System Board Policy

Standards-Based Report Card (K-4)
The Franklin Special District uses a district-wide standards-based report card format that gives parents a clear picture of how their child is progressing toward the Tennessee Academic Standards.

Using a standard rating key and consistent assessments across the district, teachers provide parents with specific feedback on a child’s mastery of state standards and their quarterly progress toward end-of-year expectations. The standards on the report card reflect end-of-year learning goals. Earning a three on a standard indicates the student has achieved end-of-year expectations. Earning a two on a standard indicates the student has achieved success for the expectation of that quarter.

Teachers tailor (differentiate) instruction to meet your child’s individual learning needs. The FSD report card alerts parents when a child is having difficulty with a concept. This allows parents and teachers an opportunity to work together to provide interventions and/or supports so the child can successfully meet the learning target. 

Letter-Based Report Card (5-8)
At Franklin Special School District, we believe in clear, consistent grading to help families understand how students are progressing. Students receive letter grades for each subject, based on the following scale:

• A = 93–100 (Excellent)

• B = 86–92 (Good)

• C = 76–85 (Satisfactory)

• D = 70–75 (Needs Improvement)

• F = 0–69 (Failing)

Some middle school students take high school-level classes, such as Algebra I, Geometry, or foreign languages. These courses follow a slightly different grading scale used by Williamson County Schools:

• A = 90–100

• B = 80–89

• C = 70–79

• D = 60–69

• F = 0–59

• I = Incomplete (must be completed in the next grading period)

The FSD strives to maximize the potential of students in grades 5-8 who demonstrate outstanding intellectual achievement, performance, and ability by emphasizing in-depth analytical thinking and creative problem-solving. Students are empowered to acquire the academic skills necessary for success in advanced placement courses. Click below to learn more about the Honors Program.

Honors Program
GRADES 5-8  

Student Performance Office

Pax Wiemers, Ed.D., Supervisor
Faith Maxwell, Secretary

205 Eddy Lane
Franklin, TN 37064
615-794-6624

In accordance with state law, FSD library materials are reviewed periodically. A process is in place to receive complaints, using the form below, from employees, students, or parents/guardians. A list of each school's library materials may be found online through its Destiny Catalog, a database located on the library/media center page of each school website.

– FSD Board Policy 4.403

 

Digital Libraries

The digital library platforms (listed below) to which some FSD students have access include books that either mention or address sensitive topics, including gender identity and sexual orientation. 

• Tennessee Electronic Library: The Tennessee Electronic Library is made possible through funding provided by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. TEL is administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

• Epic Digital Library: An award-winning subscription service, providing access to thousands of books, videos, and quizzes from leading publishers.

FSD educators assign and discuss books and stories that are aligned with the Tennessee Academic Standards. Tennessee schools, by law (HB 0529), may not teach a sexual orientation curriculum or gender identity curriculum. However, books are available to students through the school library and on these online sites as part of students’ right to the voluntary exploration of age-appropriate material outside of the curriculum (HB 2154). 

 

• Request for Reconsideration of Library Collection Materials (library/media center and classroom collections)
• Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials

The Franklin Special District uses the Tennessee Department of Education’s Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2-B) Model to provide academic and behavior support in the general education classroom with the goal of early intervention and prevention before a gap in achievement becomes too great.  RTI2-B is a school-wide, multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement.  It is a tiered approach to service delivery that provides a systematic and data-based framework through implementation of research-based instructional practices correlated to the individual learner’s needs.

We believe that a consistent, informed intervention program for all students will result in more achievement opportunities.  FSD fully implements a unified RTI2-B approach in all grade levels.  RTI2-B  interventions are provided in all schools in both mathematics and reading.

Literacy and Intervention Department

Gina Looney, Ed.D., District RTI and Reading Coordinator
Crystal Bowman, Administrative Clerk
205 Eddy Lane
Franklin, TN  37064
615-472-3114

In accordance with TN Code § 49-6-1005, the FSD is making publicly available a syllabus for grades 6 through 8 in social studies, science, math, and English language arts courses. 

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

 

Textbook Adoption Information

The Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission is responsible for recommending an official list of textbooks and instructional materials to the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) for approval. Once the SBE has approved a list of textbooks and instructional materials, it is the responsibility of local boards of education to decide which textbooks and instructional materials to use in their districts.

The state textbook adoption process is administered in accordance with the statutory requirements as outlined in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 22, and the Rules and Policies of the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Once the local districts are provided with the list of state-approved vendors, local school systems must adopt books on the official list or submit a waiver request to the department to use textbooks or instructional materials not on the approved list.

According to the Tennessee Department of Education:
• The School Board may also choose to appoint experts in the grade level or subject matter field for which textbooks and instructional materials are to be reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors who serve on the committee must be teaching or supervising the respective grade or subject at the time of appointment and must be licensed to teach in the state with endorsements in the subject matter or grade level for which textbooks or instructional materials are being reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors must have three or more years of experience as teachers or supervisors in public schools. The Director of Schools in the district adopting textbooks or instructional materials serves as an ex officio member of all committees.

After the textbook committee makes its recommendation to the School Board, the Director of Schools records the list of all textbooks or instructional materials adopted by the Board, forwards a copy of the recorded adoption to the Commissioner of Education, and posts the list on the district’s website.

Curriculum-Related Resources

• Tennessee Department of Education Academic Standards
• FSD Adopted Textbooks
• FSD Online Resources
• Open Up Resources for English Language Arts K-5
• Tennessee Book Company Textbook Depository

Office of Curriculum & Instruction and Professional Learning

Summer Carlton, Ed.D., Supervisor
Crystal Bowman, Administrative Clerk
205 Eddy Lane
Franklin, TN  37064
615-472-3113