Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Math Curriculum Adoption topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears divided views on K-6 math adoption; committee recommends Illustrative Math (Kiddom)
Summary
District curriculum committee recommended Illustrative Math (Kiddom) after multi-day review; teachers at an open session preferred i-Ready for its visual workbooks and software supports. Board members discussed training needs and implementation trade-offs.
The Washington County School District held an extended discussion on K-6 math curriculum adoption during the March 31 working session. A multi-day review committee scored vendors using a rubric aligned to state guidance; that committee's top-rated curriculum was Illustrative Math (Kiddom).
Staff described a multi-stage process: a committee with one representative per school evaluated curricula using a rubric approved per district policy; the top score by total rubric points went to Illustrative Math by Kiddom, with I-Ready close behind. Staff then opened sessions for teachers to review both leading curricula; 81 teachers participated in later review events. The teacher feedback survey asked whether a teacher could implement each program with minimal training, with training and ongoing support, or not at all. Staff reported that roughly 42% of teacher respondents felt confident implementing either program with minimal training; a larger share said they could implement either program but that one (typically Illustrative Math) would require more extensive training and support.
Board members and district staff recounted qualitative impressions from the teacher review. Several teachers and at least one board member who teaches college-level math said I-Ready appeared visually more engaging at the student workbook level and that its software package is a strong intervention tool; those preferences shaped some teacher comments in the open sessions. Committee members, however, assigned higher rubric scores to Illustrative Math (Kiddom) across criteria the district used. Board members debated whether to adopt the committee's recommendation, allow both choices for schools, or delay adoption for another year.
District staff and board members emphasized that either choice would require substantial training and support. Staff said large-district adopters (Granite and Jordan) had selected Illustrative Math, and staff noted availability of publisher-linked formative supports and software options could alter the total cost. The board asked staff to plan for extensive training regardless of the choice.
(Separately, the board later approved the committee recommendation in a formal vote during the same session; that formal action and the recorded motion and second appear in the meeting's Votes at a Glance summary.)
