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District recommends Amplify Desmos Math after three‑year review; staff to collect feedback before adoption
Summary
The district’s elementary math curriculum review team reported Feb. 11 that Amplify Desmos Math rose to the top after three years of listening, professional learning and field testing. Staff will gather family and teacher feedback before returning with a final recommendation for adoption and a professional‑learning plan.
Bend‑La Pine Schools officials on Feb. 11 told the board their three‑year math curriculum review has concluded field testing and identified Amplify Desmos Math as the recommended K–8 program.
Julie Richards, director of elementary curriculum and instruction, and Carrie Morton, the district’s lead math coach, outlined the multi‑year process: listening sessions with students, teachers and community members; a year of intensive professional learning for a curriculum review team; and annual field testing of three candidate programs. “We field tested 3 different curriculums and 1 of those rose to the top. That curriculum is Amplify Desmos Math,” Richards said.
Nut graf: The district’s recommendation highlights curriculum strengths that educators and field testers reported: built‑in collaborative routines, daily identity‑building prompts, differentiated reinforcement tasks (support/strengthen/stretch) and structures for math language that support English learners. Richards and Morton said the program integrates digital activities through Desmos, but elementary lessons rely primarily on teacher‑directed instruction and paper‑based options.
Classroom perspectives: Three classroom teachers who field‑tested materials described positive effects on student engagement and math identity. First‑grade teacher Michelle Zager said the program’s interactive prompts and open‑ended tasks “really engage the students and spark some fantastic collaborative conversations.” Christine Ebner, a third‑/fourth‑grade teacher, said the curriculum helped build teacher confidence and enabled classroom routines that broaden student participation. First‑grade teacher Stephanie Johnson emphasized that daily routines position students as “doers of math,” a habit she said supports long‑term math confidence.
Digital use and differentiation: Presenters explained that because the elementary program is built on Desmos, the amount of iPad/digital activity is limited in lower grades (often a single 10‑minute digital activity per lesson in K–1; modestly more in grades 3–5). Teachers may choose paper‑based alternatives. Each lesson includes differentiated reinforcement tasks so teachers can support students who need intervention and provide extension for students ready to stretch.
Next steps: The district will collect family and staff feedback via digital forms and in‑school displays with QR codes; staff said feedback will be shared with the board. The first professional learning for teachers is planned for April 24, with summer and August sessions to follow ahead of a districtwide launch next school year. The board requested more details about acceleration and supports for high‑ability students; staff said teachers will have access to all grade‑level materials so they can accelerate by unit where necessary, and the district will provide additional guidance to classroom teachers on managing varying student rates of progress.
Ending: The district will solicit community feedback in the coming weeks and return to the board with a final adoption recommendation and a detailed professional‑learning plan.
