Sheila Rinaldi, the district elementary math coach, and colleagues told the Walpole School Committee on Dec. 11 that younger students are entering classrooms with stronger foundational skills, even as certain domains show dips when cognitive demand increases in later elementary grades. "From our K students, you can see that 85% of our K students are meeting expectation in all domains," Rinaldi said during the presentation.

Rinaldi and Jen Terrigian highlighted supplemental digital tools and curriculum alignment as central strategies. Generation Genius (science-video content) and ST Math are being used to extend instruction and provide engaging practice; teachers align Generation Genius videos with the Bridges scope and sequence. Rinaldi said the district has reduced the number of students scoring in the lowest bands over the three years since adopting Bridges and that coaches are using data to move students toward mastery.

Terrigian described Math FactLab, an adaptive program now districtwide for grades 1–5, noting the program’s family reports and strategy‑based approach. "Math FactLab...is built on an explicit, strategy based approach grounded in strong, well established research," she said, adding that the visual models support equity by shifting fluency from rote speed to sense making.

At the middle school, Principal Joe Masterson said curriculum review work is underway and that IXL diagnostics are being used regularly to produce rapid "pinpoints" of student performance. He said MathLab serves as a tier‑2 intervention for grades 7–8 and currently supports roughly 20–25 students in small groups, with flex time built into the day for in‑the‑moment help.

High school presenters reported continued strong MCAS and PSAT performance compared with state averages and sharply higher AP participation and scores. The high school presenter noted about a 97% AP exam pass rate last year and said 77% of those passers earned a 4 or 5 on AP math exams among test takers. He also described professional development work with an organization called All Learners Network to strengthen differentiated instruction and increase critical thinking in lessons.

Committee members pressed for implementation details. One asked whether teachers maintain question banks with modified versions for English learners and students with special needs; Masterson and Terrigian explained that baseline assessments and teacher collaboration drive individual accommodations and that modifications are considered alongside accommodations and individualized education plans. Committee members also asked about capacity for scaling IXL and MathLab; Terrigian said the district purchased a set number of licenses and is piloting expansion where it appears to help students most.

The presenters emphasized that many strategies are early in their rollout and that further data will be shared as cycles complete. They described classroom products — student reflections, book‑creator projects, and ST Math "puzzle talks" — designed to deepen students’ ability to explain mathematical reasoning rather than only solve problems. The presenters closed by inviting committee feedback and said they will return with further results and implementation metrics.