Humble ISD board approves Bluebonnet math for K–5; supplemental materials chosen for secondary

The Humble Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 6-0 on Tuesday to adopt Bluebonnet Learning math for kindergarten through fifth grade and to approve supplemental math materials for secondary grades for the 2025–26 school year.

The action, moved by Trustee Scarfo and seconded by Trustee Martina Lamond Dixon, follows a multiweek adoption process the district said included committee reviews, public showcases and a dozen pilot campuses. "The scope of our review included full subject materials and supplemental materials," said Catherine Eubanks, a district instructional staff member, in a presentation to the board.

The board’s approval covers Bluebonnet math edition 1 for grades K–5 (with a district transition plan), STEMScopes Math Texas edition as a one‑year supplemental for grades 6–8 and Algebra I, and Agile Mind Texas edition as a one‑year supplemental for Algebra II and Geometry. Bluebonnet will be piloted in grades 6–7 next year and a Cengage entrepreneurship text was approved for a new CTE course. District staff said materials will be ordered in May and June for implementation in 2025–26.

Why it matters: Math scores were a stated district priority during the adoption. Staff described the selection process as research‑based and aligned to state standards. "The rubric was created and it combined our district's vision on what we wanted for students with what we know are best practices based on research," Eubanks told the board.

Supporters on campus described how Bluebonnet structures a daily lesson sequence and includes fluency practice, application problems, concept development and exit tickets. "Once teachers learn the routines and establish them with their classrooms, they became more comfortable making the lessons their own," said Robbie Morrow, math instructional coach at Foster Elementary. Brooke Smart, math instructional coach at Oak Forest Elementary, said the curriculum "takes the guesswork out of vertical alignment and finding or identifying learning targets."

Teachers who piloted Bluebonnet also highlighted built‑in formative checks. "Targeted exit tickets are one of the most valuable pieces for teachers and students because it allows teachers to monitor in real time and provides immediate feedback," said fourth‑grade teacher Kristen Amador of Maple Brook Elementary.

Board and staff officials described implementation and measurement plans. Eubanks and other administrators said they will track fidelity through walkthroughs, teacher surveys and module and benchmark assessments, and monitor student growth via NWEA MAP and STAAR to gauge early impact.

Public commenters pressed the board to reconsider. Melissa Perry, a math teacher who volunteers in the district, listed specific concerns about Bluebonnet’s first‑grade materials and said she found incorrect symbols and confusing wording. "Teaching incorrect symbols in first grade could have a lasting effect," Perry said. She also criticized the volume of printed materials the adoption would require and urged the board to consider alternative, state‑approved curricula.

Larissa Powell, another citizen speaker, said the curriculum is "overwhelmingly unpopular with teachers and parents" and questioned the timing and optics of adopting Bluebonnet while the district faces separate state review. Fallon Chataway asked the district to release the MRA/focus group results used in vetting the materials.

Staff responded that the media attention that many speakers referenced has focused largely on Bluebonnet reading/language arts materials, not the Bluebonnet math adoption before the board. Eubanks said curriculum staff checked for religious references and found none and that the Bluebonnet math pilot involved 12 campuses using TEA‑provided digital materials this spring.

Action details: Trustee Scarfo moved the adoption motion, seconded by Trustee Martina Lamond Dixon. The board vote was recorded as 6‑0 in favor; the board directed staff to order materials and proceed with the planned rollout and fidelity monitoring. The district said full implementation materials include teacher manuals, student workbooks, digital assessments and manipulatives.

What’s next: District staff promised quarterly implementation updates and assessment data to the board. Materials are to be purchased through the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment and ordered in May–June for classroom use in 2025–26.

The vote did not end a parallel public debate: several speakers requested the release of the adoption committees’ full reports and pilot data, and at least one public commenter said the curriculum choice should be postponed until those documents are made public.