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West Bend team recommends Illustrative Math for grades 6-12 with two platform options for different levels
Summary
Curriculum staff recommended Illustrative Math as the district's math resource for grades 6-12, proposing Imagine Learning's platform for middle school and Kendall Hunt's platform for high school; staff plan a public viewing and then a final recommendation to the full board.
Kelly Downs, curriculum coordinator for the West Bend School District, told the Curriculum Committee on March 11 that, after a multi-stage review that included EdReports screening, vendor demonstrations, classroom visits and teacher surveys, the district team recommends Illustrative Math for grades 6 through 12.
Nut graf: The district's review process narrowed options using EdReports rubrics and district-created criteria, site visits to neighboring districts, vendor demonstrations on February 17, and staff surveys. The team recommended a single set of problems and instructional materials (Illustrative Math) delivered on two different vendor platforms: Imagine Learning for middle schools and Kendall Hunt for high schools, to match teacher needs and platform capabilities.
Downs summarized the selection process and rationale: "What the teams have come up with is Illustrative Math across the board," she said, noting the program emphasized strong conceptual development, alignment with the standards, embedded routines that build vocabulary, spiral review for homework, and supports for differentiated instruction. Downs said the team visited Beaver Dam Middle School, Richfield Middle School, Pewaukee High School and Hartford Union to see implementations in classrooms and debriefed with teachers and specialists after those visits.
Staff also recommended using two vendor platforms because middle-school teachers favored Imagine Learningfor formative assessments, targeted practice and data tools, while high-school teachers preferred Kendall Hunt for higher-level equation editing and advanced functionality. On cost, Downs said the district would pay for Imagine Learning's platform while Kendall Hunt's platform carries no separate platform fee: "IL, we have to pay for that platform. Kendall Hunt is free," she said.
Next steps: Downs asked the committee to allow the recommended materials to proceed to a public-viewing period (staff targeted March 31) and then return to the committee and full board for final decisions. Committee members spoke in favor of the site visits that informed the recommendation and raised a question about overall cost; Downs provided the platform-cost clarification during the meeting.
No formal vote was taken at the committee meeting. The district will post materials for public review at the district and library locations and solicit staff and community feedback before final board consideration.
