Curriculum committee approves new textbook adoptions, including Amplify materials

The Waunakee Community School District curriculum committee voted to approve a set of textbook purchases and adoptions during its April meeting, including Amplify ELA and mathematics materials and a new AP Government and Politics text.

District staff said the most notable changes are adoption of Amplify ELA for the intermediate school, Amplify mathematics for intermediate and middle school grades, and a new AP Government and Politics text requested by teacher Karina Rogers. The committee approved the purchases by voice vote after a staff presentation and brief questions from board members.

Committee members and staff described the district’s approach as a seven-year adoption cycle for curricular resources, with purchasing staged differently for budget reasons. Staff said they will purchase a one-year subscription for Amplify mathematics next year as a trial to determine whether to continue with a hybrid (digital plus consumable workbooks) or move to a primarily digital configuration for later years. Staff emphasized that some Amplify materials for lower grades do not offer an all-digital option and therefore require hybrid purchases.

Amy (staff member) and Mark (staff member) told the committee that the intermediate ELA purchase could approach $50,000, and that the math purchases listed as about $73,000 reflect buying material for two schools and the inclusion of additional grades. They said the district plans to return next year with a six-year budget request to cover the remaining years of the seven-year adoption if the district chooses to continue with the selected configuration.

Board member Joan Ensign asked whether a move to digital would replace reading from physical books; staff said digital packages include PDFs teachers can print but that printed workbooks generally provide more space for student work. Staff also noted that some high-school materials (for example, a new edition of an AP biology text used by Stephanie Kircher) remain available as hardcover textbooks, while middle-level materials are often consumables.

The motion to approve the textbook adoptions carried with an oral “Aye” vote from committee members.

The committee also noted that high school Algebra 1 teachers have agreed to pilot the Amplify high-school algebra materials next year before making a permanent decision.