Colonial pilots show gains; board told K–5 Amplify Desmos math to roll out after positive results

Crystal Langkor, the district's leadership-and-learning presenter, told the Colonial School Board on April 8 that results from a year‑0 pilot of Amplify Desmos math showed measurable gains in several grades and that the district plans a full K–5 implementation next school year.

"We're seeing some really great growth," Langkor said, summarizing student progress she showed from classrooms that participated in the pilot. She said all eight elementary schools participated in at least part of the pilot and that pilots varied by grade and by Professional Learning Community participation.

The district presented specific examples from pilot schools: kindergarten and first grade cohorts outperformed their end‑of‑year results from the prior year at midyear checks; one elementary school (Newcastle) showed overall gains reported at about 31% in one comparison the presenter showed; grade‑3 pilot schools averaged roughly a 16% increase on tracked third‑grade standards, with two schools showing greater than 20% increases.

Langkor walked the board through a model third‑grade lesson called "Array of Flavors," showing the lesson's hands‑on introduction, partner work in digital arrays, opportunities for conjecture and error analysis, and an independent reflection the program requires students to write. She said teachers can view student work in real time, capture snapshots of student responses for class discussion, and use built‑in supports to differentiate instruction.

A substantial portion of the presentation described the program's digital fluency practice, built in partnership with Math for Love. The district played the vendor's demonstration video that explains the platform's spaced‑repetition flashcards and the recommendation that students spend about five to 10 minutes per day on fluency practice. Langkor said the fluency tool is available for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and that it uses visuals and spaced repetition to support long‑term retention.

Board members asked about teacher training, device access and how the program handles memorization versus conceptual understanding. Langkor said this year is "year‑0" (pilot), that next year will be year 1 when all K–5 classrooms will use the materials, and that teacher professional development was built into district PD days plus optional monthly sessions supported by instructional coaches. She said teachers have coaching support for unit unpacking, assessment review and the platform's differentiation tools. Langkor also said the digital lessons are used selectively; many lessons remain paper‑and‑pencil or hands‑on to preserve manipulatives and kinesthetic learning.

Board members and the presenter discussed how the program aligns with the district's mastery‑based grading approach and state testing expectations; Langkor said the curriculum includes formative checks, mini‑lessons for intervention, and extension activities for students who exceed grade‑level expectations.

The board packet contains links to caregiver resources and a Spanish caregiver hub Langkor said families can use to preview units, practice problems and family‑facing explanations of the math. Langkor closed by saying she will continue coaching and support as the district moves from pilot to full implementation next year.