Lehighton Area School District is preparing for a yearlong initiative to develop and implement comprehensive curricular frameworks across all grade levels and subjects, Superintendent Jason Moser announced Monday night.

“This is not something that is done quickly, and it’s not something that should be done quickly, because it requires a lot of work,” Moser said.

The framework development, he added, is already in its early stages at the elementary level, particularly around literacy. Over time, it will expand to encompass all instructional areas.

Moser emphasized that curricular frameworks serve as structured guides aligning instruction with state standards and identifying core resources — not to be confused with textbooks.

“There are some textbooks on the agenda for approval this evening,” he said. “With those discussions, I think it’s really important for us to have the conversation around what a curricular framework actually is.”

Moser reiterated that textbooks are merely tools to support instruction and not the curriculum itself.

“When you purchase a textbook, the textbook is not the curriculum,” he said. “The textbook is a resource that supports the implementation of a curricular framework.”

Curricular frameworks will include several core elements: what is taught; the core and supplemental materials used; the assessment methods applied; and the expectations for both students and teachers.

The frameworks, Moser added, will also detail assessment practices to ensure accountability for student learning. These are intended to serve as tools not only for instruction but also for evaluating educational outcomes and planning backward from assessment goals.

“We will not wait until one meeting and say, this is all our curriculum,” Moser said. “They will roll out in stages, because they should be digested in a manner where people have the ability to review them carefully.”

The district aims to have all curricular frameworks completed, reviewed by the board, and made publicly accessible by the end of the calendar year.

“Anybody anywhere will be able to go onto our website and access these,” Moser said. “It’s powerful. … It’s actually valuable when people are out there and thinking about, ‘Where do we want to move?’ ‘Where do we want to send our children to school?’ ”