Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Math Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Colonial School District highlights math pilot showing student gains, plans K— rollout
Summary
District leaders presented results from an elementary pilot of Amplify Desmos Math showing mid-year gains at participating schools, described teacher training and fluency practice features, and said the program will be expanded to K— next year after a trial year.
Dr. Langkor, the district's leadership and learning presenter for mathematics, told the Colonial School Board on April 8 that the district piloted Amplify Desmos Math across all eight elementary schools and reported promising mid-year gains in participating classrooms. She said pilot schools saw notable increases from last year's end-of-year benchmarks, citing one school, Newcastle, as roughly 31% higher at mid-year on the measures the district tracks.
The presentation described how Amplify's digital lessons engage students through inquiry-based activities and partner work, and how a fluency practice tool developed with Math for Love uses spaced repetition to build long-term recall. The recorded demonstration recommended 5 to 10 minutes of daily practice and showed teacher dashboards that track individual students' progress and allow teachers to pull "snapshots" of student work to compare strategies.
Board members asked how the platform reports individual student growth and how teachers are trained. Dr. Langkor said the platform generates item-level data and assessment reports and that the district supported teachers with extra professional development, monthly optional sessions, and coach-led follow-ups. She described the current school year as a trial ("year 0") and said the district plans full K— elementary implementation next year.
Asked why the district chose Amplify Desmos over other programs, Dr. Langkor said the district appreciated the program's classroom routines, differentiation supports, and culturally relevant stories that align with the district's core values and help students "own their brilliance." She emphasized that digital lessons are balanced with paper-and-pencil work and hands-on manipulatives to limit screen dependence.
The presentation included short student testimonials and teacher reflections; district staff said the pilot informed decisions about assessments, supports for students who need interventions, and how to scale teacher training. Dr. Langkor closed by pointing board members to caregiver hubs and Spanish-language resources available in the presentation materials.
Next steps: the board received the presentation and invited further review of the pilot data; the district will continue training and share rollout details before full implementation.
