PCSD adopting new, aligned curriculum for 2026-27; watch video here

The Poughkeepsie City School District will have a new curriculum system for the 2026-27 school year.
During a special meeting Monday evening, the Board of Education approved an agreement to implement Houghton Mifflin Harcourt curriculum, or HMH, which will be aligned through all instructional areas, K-8. The program replaces the district’s previous curriculum, which was pieced together from several providers. It features personalized academic intervention tools, while offering broad access for students and parents to directly interact with progress to take more ownership over performance.
“Before, we definitely had different components of different pieces in our curriculum. Now we’re getting one set curriculum, one set company, one stop shop, where parents can access all the information for our students,” Deputy Superintendent of Schools Da’Ron Wilson said.
The district plans to adopt the curriculum in over the next two academic years, with the high school presumably adopting the system in 2027-28. In addition to the curriculum itself, HMH will be providing administrators and teachers roughly 100 days of professional development this school year to assist in its implementation and maximize use of the system.
Board President Jamar Cummings Monday expressed excitement at how aligning curriculum through HMH will aid students.
“We know that we are a transient community. Sometimes you can live on the north side and end up living on a different area on the south side and end up at different schools,” he said. “We want to make sure that no matter what school you’re attending … you’ll be receiving the same curriculum and the same courses throughout the district.”
We’ll be sharing much more about how the HMH curriculum will support student achievement as that training gets underway and the school year begins. For now, watch Wilson discuss the program here, following an introductory session between district administrators and HMH representatives Monday.