Oak Park board adopts new K–5 math curriculum after district pilot
Summary
The Oak Park Board of Education voted to adopt Sadlier Progress in Mathematics as the district’s K–5 core math curriculum and authorized up to $157,000 for materials and training following a winter–spring pilot and teacher recommendation.
The Oak Park Board of Education voted to adopt Sadlier Progress in Mathematics as the district’s K–5 core math curriculum and authorized spending of up to $157,000 to purchase materials and provide initial teacher training. The adoption follows a districtwide pilot from January through May that involved teachers and students at all three elementary schools.
District Director of Curriculum Shana Murphy outlined the pilot, saying teachers had chosen three candidate programs after a survey and that roughly 64% of K–5 teachers recommended Sadlier following classroom trials, presentations and in-school reviews. Murphy said the district has used Math Expressions since 2015 and that the new program was selected because teachers reported stronger alignment to algebraic foundations, deeper math vocabulary development, and built-in formative assessments and differentiation tools.
Murphy presented data from classrooms that piloted Sadlier showing larger winter-to-spring i-Ready growth in the pilot classrooms compared with school- and grade-level averages, and she said students and parents reported higher engagement and confidence. Second-grade teacher Stephanie Sumler described classroom examples — fraction bars, early multiplication arrays and independent practice structures — and said the program allowed her to pull small groups while other students worked independently. Murphy also noted that Sadlier includes textbooks for students in grades 3–5 to support note-taking practices for middle school readiness.
Cost and implementation were central to board discussion. Murphy presented an itemized estimate of $143,185 for K–5 materials across the three elementary schools plus roughly $10,000 for initial professional development; she said some ongoing annual costs would decline because the district currently spends about $55,000 every few years to replenish Math Expressions workbooks. The board amended the presented motion language to authorize an expenditure of up to $157,000 from the general fund to cover the adoption and training.
Trustees questioned scalability, assessment alignment and whether students would be disadvantaged when they move to other grades or buildings that use different materials. Murphy said Sadlier’s structure is aligned with district interim assessments (i-Ready) and that the middle-school program has a “similar setup” intended to reduce student adjustment impacts. Trustee questions also covered whether the district would continue refreshers and lower-cost follow-up professional development after the first-year rollout; Murphy replied that the major training is a one-time initial investment with lower-cost refreshers thereafter.
The board recorded a motion to adopt the Sadlier Progress in Mathematics curriculum, with Trustee Clark moving and Trustee Corcoran seconding. After an amendment to the motion to set the authorized expenditure ceiling at $157,000, the motion passed. Board materials show the district plans to implement the program in August and provide job-embedded professional development across the first year to support fidelity of use.
The board’s action directs staff to proceed with procurement and to return with implementation progress and student outcome reports as the program is used in classrooms.
The Oak Park School District will supply teacher training in August and continue job-embedded supports throughout the 2025–26 school year, with the goal of improving third- through fifth-grade performance on the M-STEP state assessment over time.
