Ridgefield Schools Review K-12 Writing Instruction, Launch Technology And AI Oversight Plan

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield Public Schools is undertaking a districtwide review of writing instruction while establishing two committees to evaluate classroom technology, artificial intelligence, data privacy and digital citizenship.

The initiatives were outlined during the Board of Education's Teaching and Learning Committee meeting Oct. 2, when administrators and teachers presented an overview of writing instruction from kindergarten through 12th grade and discussed the district's technology priorities for the 2026-27 school year.

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Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Cory Gillette said the district is returning to a comprehensive study of writing instruction after an earlier review led to expanded curriculum materials and teaching resources.

The new study will examine instructional practices, resources and how writing skills develop across grade levels.

No formal votes were recorded during the meeting.

District Reviews Writing Instruction Across Grade Levels

Gillette said Ridgefield uses a common instructional approach known as process writing, which teaches students to plan, draft, revise, edit and publish their work.

The approach is not a separate curriculum or commercial program. Instead, teachers provide explicit instruction in sentence construction, grammar, organization, word choice, evidence and revision throughout the writing process.

Linda Johnson, the district's director of elementary education, said writing instruction follows Common Core State Standards and emphasizes three areas: organization and structure, idea development, and conventions and language.

Students practice narrative, informational and opinion writing, with opinion writing developing into more formal argument writing at the secondary level.

Kelly Rivera, literacy specialist at Veterans Park Elementary School, said elementary instruction emphasizes frequent writing practice and shorter assignments.

Kindergarten through second-grade students may begin with drawings, labels and individual sentences before progressing to multipage booklets. Students in grades three through five develop longer pieces containing multiple paragraphs, introductions and conclusions.

Rivera said students receive feedback through teacher conferences, peer reviews and checklists. Their completed work is collected in portfolios to document progress.

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At the middle school level, East Ridge Middle School English teacher Kathryn Scheer said instruction increasingly emphasizes independent decision-making, research, argument writing and adapting work for different audiences.

Students also maintain digital writing portfolios that can document their progress across grade levels.

At Ridgefield High School, English department chair Patti Boutilier said students work on extended arguments, research papers, narratives and college application essays.

High school students participate in individual writing conferences, complete quarterly in-class essays and receive feedback throughout longer assignments.

Boutilier said the district is introducing freshman writing portfolios this school year to support continuity between middle and high school.

Board Members Question Grammar Instruction And Support For Struggling Writers

Committee member Christine Moore asked administrators to identify the instructional resources used in elementary classrooms.

Gillette said the district continues to use selected lessons from Units of Study while supplementing them with materials from Fundations, Bookworms and other resources.

Johnson said elementary students receive explicit instruction in spelling, sentence construction and grammar, with opportunities to practice those skills during reading, mathematics and other subjects.

Gillette said handwriting instruction begins in kindergarten through Fundations, while cursive writing is introduced in third grade.

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The district is also developing a more consistent sequence for teaching keyboarding skills.

Gillette said students generally begin transitioning toward typed writing around third grade, but the district is continuing to examine when and how much typing should be expected at each grade level.

Committee member Rachel Marino questioned how the district supports students who struggle with spelling, grammar and writing conventions.

Gillette said spelling difficulties are addressed through the district's multitiered system of supports, or MTSS, while teachers use targeted small-group instruction to address grammar and other writing challenges.

She acknowledged that determining how much repetition students need to master particular skills remains an area of study.

Gillette said the district is examining when writing conventions are introduced, when students are expected to master them and whether additional lessons are needed.

Marino also asked whether grammar instruction is explicitly taught or simply incorporated into other assignments.

Gillette said it is taught explicitly, although the amount and frequency vary by grade level and instructional unit.

Artificial Intelligence Changes Classroom Writing Practices

Committee Chair Angela Rice asked how teachers are responding to artificial intelligence tools that can automatically correct grammar or generate written material.

Gillette said the availability of AI has prompted teachers to reconsider how much writing students complete by hand and how much work should be done in classrooms rather than outside school.

Annie Tucci, the district's secondary humanities supervisor, said the high school English department has established a research group focused specifically on AI's impact on English language arts instruction.

Tucci said teachers are emphasizing student voice, classroom writing and individual conferences to distinguish students' own work from material produced with automated tools.

Teachers also use Google Docs revision history and GoGuardian to help review students' writing processes.

Tucci said the district is examining whether its grading rubrics should place greater emphasis on students' individual voices.

She said teachers are working to ensure students learn to use AI appropriately without allowing it to replace the thinking and writing required for assignments.

Technology Plan Will Focus On Three Areas

Gillette and Taylor Wrye, who joined the district in July, presented a technology planning process involving two committees.

The first is a stakeholder advisory committee that includes parents, district employees and Board of Education member Scott Siegel.

Its recommendations will be reviewed by a separate kindergarten-through-12th-grade technology working committee, which will help determine appropriate district actions.

Wrye identified three priorities for the committees:

• Teaching and learning: Evaluating whether educational technology supports classroom instruction and curriculum goals.
• Data privacy and security: Reviewing protections for student and employee information, including software agreements, security systems and approved applications.
• Digital citizenship: Teaching students about online information, responsible technology use and the appropriate use of artificial intelligence.

Wrye said the district plans to implement the LearnPlatform system to provide families and community members with information about software used in schools and how applications are reviewed.

He also said the district is examining how students learn about large language models and other AI technologies.

District Plans Public Website To Track Technology Work

Gillette said the new technology planning process responds partly to findings from a review conducted by the Tri-State Consortium, a group of school districts that collaborate on educational evaluations.

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According to Gillette, the review found that Ridgefield had established a technology vision but needed to communicate that vision more consistently to teachers, families and other stakeholders.

The district is developing a public website that will explain the advisory committees' responsibilities, identify their areas of study and document their work.

Gillette said the site will include videos prepared for advisory committee members, allowing residents to review the same background information presented to the committee.

The district also expects to conduct focus groups and classroom observations related to technology use.

Wrye plans to attend school PTA meetings to discuss the initiative and answer questions.

Committee members More, Marino and Rice expressed support for the planning process and its emphasis on public communication.

Committee Begins School Year Under New Name

Rice said the Oct. 2 meeting was the committee's first of the 2026-27 school year under its new name.

Previously known as the Curriculum Committee, the group was renamed the Teaching and Learning Committee following a Board of Education vote.

Rice said the revised name better reflects its responsibilities, which include curriculum, special education, personnel services, MTSS and social-emotional learning.

The meeting began at approximately 12:09 p.m. and adjourned at 1:20 p.m.