Board hears math curriculum pilots, expanded dual‑enrollment offerings at Bethel Park

Bethel Park School District staff told the board on Tuesday they have launched math curriculum pilots in both middle and elementary grades and are expanding concurrent‑credit and dual‑enrollment options for high‑school students.

The district is piloting Eureka Math Squared for grades 6–8 in the first half of the year and plans to pilot Envisions in the spring. For grades K–5, the district began a fall pilot of HMH Into Math with teacher training held Sept. 9; materials and manipulatives are being used in classrooms this month.

"We have already kicked off our first one with Eureka Math Squared," said the staff presenter, noting leadership onboarding and teacher training occurred over the summer and early September. The presenter said the middle‑school pilot is for core sixth‑ through eighth‑grade math (not algebra or geometry courses) and that teachers will supply feedback for a spring recommendation to the curriculum council.

Nut graf: The pilots are part of a planned, districtwide curriculum review intended to improve math instruction and align with broader MTSS interventions described elsewhere in the meeting.

Secondary curriculum updates also included growth in college‑level offerings at Bethel Park High School. Staff said 31 concurrent‑credit courses are now offered during the school day: 19 through Carlow University, two through Robert Morris University and 10 through the University of Pittsburgh; other dual‑enrollment and CCBC options also remain available. Staff said they met with Penn West (Cal U, Clarion and other campuses) and expect to present a memorandum of understanding for additional partnership opportunities.

Staff described teacher training and materials distribution as already underway: "Materials came in... it's really exciting when you get boxes and boxes and boxes of materials," the presenter said, and added that teachers received full‑day training and have begun implementing lessons and formative assessments.

Board members complimented the focus on math and emphasized the challenge of improving math outcomes statewide. One board member referenced national reporting and encouraged continued attention to curriculum work.

Ending: District staff said pilot feedback will be collected and returned to the spring curriculum council with a goal of recommending a single adopted curriculum for grades 6–8 next year; staff will continue to update the board on pilot results and dual‑enrollment partnerships.