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District committee requests higher budget for K–5 math pilot; board asks for scaled cost and impact metrics
Summary
Oak Park ESD 97 math leaders asked the board to approve an increased allocation for an elementary math curriculum pilot (Amplify/Desmos) after learning teachers and special-education staff need two volumes and classroom kits. Board members asked for projected districtwide costs and student-impact metrics before adoption.
District instructional leaders presented an updated budget request for the K–5 math pilot and asked the board to approve a revised total for the Amplify (Desmos) pilot.
Assistant superintendent Wanda Lawrence and curriculum staff said the pilot costs rose because the Amplify math resource requires two volumes to cover the district’s standards and additional classroom kits are necessary not only for classroom teachers but also for some special-education staff. The revised total requested for the Amplify pilot is $34,141; the earlier estimate had been $22,310.
Lawrence said Holmes and Longfellow will pilot the Amplify resource and that teachers from all eight elementary schools are participating in committee work and reviews. She added that digital platform access would be provided and that purchased resources for the pilot would be usable if the district later adopted the program districtwide.
Board members pressed officials on the likely full cost if the district adopted the program across all schools, noting the Amplify quote for full adoption could be substantially higher than the pilot. One board member requested a formal quote for districtwide adoption and asked administrators to identify opportunities to reduce costs before a final adoption decision.
Board members also asked for clear measures of pilot success — pre- and post-assessments and comparisons between pilot and non-pilot schools — so the board can evaluate student learning outcomes before recommending districtwide adoption.
Administrators said the pilot will include a pre-assessment and post-assessment and that they would work with district assessment staff to compare pilot and non-pilot school results and present those outcomes to the board.
