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Cromwell district narrows K-5 math curriculum options, plans pilots and phased rollout
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Summary
District administrators and a K-5 committee said they are reviewing three math programs, will pilot lessons this spring and seek to adopt a new K-5 program by the end of the school year with a phased implementation beginning in grades 3-5.
Cromwell Public Schools officials told the Board of Education they have narrowed options for a new K-5 math curriculum to three programs and plan classroom pilots before selecting a single curriculum by May.
Julie Shepherd (curriculum review lead, as identified in the meeting) and Dr. MacLean outlined a three-year implementation plan: teachers across kindergarten through fifth grade will participate in evaluation and pilots this year; the district expects to roll the chosen program into grades 3-5 in the first implementation year and expand to K-2 in a following year. "Our goal is to really, by the end of the year, adopt a new program, that supports our rigorous math instruction and that's fully aligned to our, curriculum standards," Shepherd said.
The committee has evaluated three programs: Open Up Resources, Amplify Desmos, and Illustrative Math (Kendall Hunt's I'360). Officials said all three follow a problem-based approach and align to the state model curriculum; the Amplify Desmos option includes interactive, differentiated online components, while Open Up Resources is available as a free publisher resource though full implementation carries costs for printed materials and teacher resources.
Administrators and teachers cited gaps in the district's current Bridges program, especially in problem solving and fractions instruction. The district said it has been supplementing Bridges with materials from Open Up and other sources in grades 3-5 to address those gaps. The curriculum committee is using an evaluation rubric that examines alignment to standards, differentiation, assessment supports, equity and access, and technology components as it pilots lessons and consults other districts using the programs.
The district said teacher professional development will be required for the instructional shift toward problem-based learning; the district will pilot units and gather teacher feedback before recommending the final program to the board.
Ending: The board will receive updates as pilots are completed and the committee prepares a recommendation in May; any final adoption and full rollout will include a plan for teacher training and staged implementation across elementary grades.
