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Portsmouth board adopts Savvas series for K–12 math, approves Mathspace for select electives
Summary
After review and a public comment period, the Portsmouth School Board unanimously approved a K–12 mathematics textbook adoption recommending Savvas for most grades and Mathspace for several elective and adaptive secondary courses.
The Portsmouth City School Board unanimously approved a K–12 mathematics textbook adoption June 5, endorsing the Savvas series for elementary and most secondary courses and recommending Mathspace for some elective and adaptive secondary offerings.
India Hatcher, secondary mathematics coordinator, and Dr. Wanda Calhoun, elementary mathematics coordinator, told the board that a committee of teachers, coaches and specialists followed the Virginia Department of Education’s HQMI evaluation process and opened books for a 30‑day public review. Hatcher said the adoption committee received one public comment and one teacher comment, both positive, and that the final vote was to approve the adoption pending any additional public comments during the remaining week of the comment period.
For elementary grades the committee compared Savvas, Eureka and Kiddom; the recommendation favored Savvas for a more student‑friendly and thorough print and digital layout. Hatcher said Savvas’s digital tools allow teachers to assign playlists and access materials across grade bands where topics are distributed differently.
For secondary courses, the committee piloted Mathspace at the middle school level and reviewed Savvas and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). Committee reviewers found stronger alignment and fewer weaknesses overall in Savvas for core secondary courses. For elective high school courses — algebra, functions and data analysis (AFDA) and math analysis/trigonometry — Mathspace scored highest because of adaptive tasks, an AI tutor, and built‑in Spanish translation.
“Once they approved in March, we had committees. They started meeting in person and virtually and making recommendations,” Hatcher said, describing the evaluation timeline and materials posted for public review.
The board moved to approve the recommendation with a motion to adopt pending the close of the public comment window. The roll call vote was unanimous.
What happens next: staff will finalize procurement quotes and move forward with instructional rollout and professional development for the selected materials, subject to any comments received during the remaining public comment period.
