Chronology for Board Agenda Item

                            Chronology for Board Agenda Item
                    Waterford – Supplemental Instructional Resource
                                DCSD’s - Pre-K (3&4) Scholars
Scope
Given the increased number of Pre-K (3&4) scholars and parents/guardians within the DeKalb
County School District who are projected to utilize the Waterford - supplemental instructional
resource within the classroom and home settings, the district anticipates that the expenditure
for services that will be paid out of the Bright From the Start grant for our Pre-K4 scholars will
exceed $100,000 for the vendor during the 2025-2026 school year.
To fulfill the legal obligations associated with Board Policy DJE, Board approval is being
requested for the Waterford – supplemental instructional resource and professional learning
services. The request covers the following vendor listed below, with the individual contract
exceeding $100,000 for site licenses that will be used by young scholars and professional
learning experiences that will be offered to staff members during the 2025-2026 school year.

   •    Waterford
This approval will expand the overall scope, implementation, and impact of the Waterford –
supplemental instructional resource within the classroom and home settings of all Pre-K (3&4)
scholars throughout the district. Once approved, students will have access to the online
Waterford platform which is aligned to goal areas listed below for total transparency.

Goal Area 1
   •    1.4 – Ensure all students have equitable access to and support for academic programs
        and career pathways.
   •    1.6 – Enhance student proficiency in digital literacy skills using innovative technology.

Contract/Terms
The contract term that is highlighted in Section C: Term, will be effective from Monday, August
18th, 2025, through Monday, August 17th, 2026. The contract period will commence upon
Board approval and execution of the contract. Please note that the Independent Contract
Agreements (ICAs) that are provided within the packet highlights the contractual amount under
Section D: Service Fees.
Background
The Division of Student Services is seeking annual Board approval to expand the overall scope,
implementation, and impact of the Waterford – supplemental instructional resource within the
classroom and home settings of all Pre-K (3&4) scholars throughout the district. As a recipient
of the Bright From the Start grant, funds have been earmarked to be utilized to fully fund the
deployment of the Waterford platform for all Pre-K (3&4) scholars.
The Waterford supplemental instructional platform is a diagnostic adaptive program for Pre-K
scholars that has a strategic focus on the development of early literacy and early numeracy
skills while being aligned to the Georgia Early Learning Developmental Standards, (GELDS). The
programs’ systematic and explicit approach to learning that supports the gradual release model
with target support for remediation and/or acceleration is aligned to each student’s learning
pathway that’s highlighted by research based instructional practices. The skills that are
developed in partnership with the instructional experience within the classroom setting with
the utilization of the Waterford platform helps to enhance the development of early literacy,
early numeracy, and foundation of school skills within our Pre-K (3&4) scholars. The
recommended usage of the Waterford platform for Pre-K (3&4) scholars is (15) minutes per day
and (300) minutes per month.
During the 2024-2025 school year, the Waterford platform was piloted across all our Pre-K3
expansion sites and Pre-K4 classes that are designated at the same schools. There was a total
of 550 students utilizing the platform within the various Pre-K (3&4) expansion and piloted
classrooms. Effective communication with our families is essential with ensuring that the
Waterford platform is accessible and utilized at home during the school year to support our
students’ instructional journey. The utilization of the platform within their classroom settings is
an added value to the instructional offering that they receive form their teachers and
paraprofessionals. In accordance with Board Policy DJE, Board approval is being requested for
the Waterford – supplemental instructional resource to be deployed across the district within
all Pre-K (3&4) classrooms.

Financial Chronology
The increased tentative funds allocated via the Bright From the Start Grant to be spent for the
2025-2026 school year is highlighted below as a point of reference.
Pre-K (3&4) Expansion & Piloted Classrooms – Sites
The schools highlighted in the chart represent a sample size of the whole who utilized the
Waterford platform within the Pre-K3 expansion sites and the Pre-K4 piloted classrooms.
The maximum class size for Pre-K3 is (15) students and for Pre-K4 is (20) students.




Waterford Platform – Pre-K3 Achievement Data
The scores listed below represent the achievement data for the content areas of literacy and
numeracy Pre-K3 scholars during the 2024-2025 SY.




Waterford Platform – Pre-K4 Achievement Data
The scores listed below represent the achievement data for the content areas of literacy and
numeracy Pre-K4 scholars during the 2024-2025 SY.
Waterford Platform – Pre-K3 Usage Data




Waterford Platform – Pre-K4 Usage Data
Waterford – Teacher Survey Data
Waterford – Parent Survey Data