Superior School District board approves phased adoption of Amplify Desmos for elementary math

The Superior School District Board of Education voted to adopt Amplify Desmos as the district's elementary math curriculum following a presentation and discussion by administrators, instructional coaches and classroom teachers.

Administration and classroom teachers told the board the recommendation follows a year-long review by a committee of about 14 teachers using research tools such as EdReports. Amy Patel, elementary instructional coach, said the committee evaluated materials for coherence, rigor and alignment with standards and recommended a phased approach: "next school year, we'll have a group of lead learners using this across our district in all K-5 grades and at all buildings," she said, describing the pilot that will produce classroom videos and local examples for future staff development.

Crystal (committee facilitator) highlighted district assessment data used to justify the change, saying the district had seen notable gains after introducing the resource at the secondary level: "We have not in the 13 years that I've been in this role, seen that significant of a jump in our data," she said, pointing to forward-exam and preACT improvements. Presenters gave examples: middle-school meeting/advanced on a state forward exam rose from about 34% to roughly 39.3% after the secondary rollout, and ninth-grade preACT meeting/advanced rose from about 37.8% to 48.8% after several months of implementation.

Teachers on the committee described classroom features they favored, including more focused workbook pages with fewer problems per page, built-in storylines that spiral through units, and structured problem-based learning that supports peer collaboration. Julie Ingebrets, a second-grade teacher, said the new workbooks "have much more space for the students to do their work, show their work," adding that teachers appreciated real-world tasks woven through units.

Board members asked about assessment alignment, professional development and how the district will balance existing benchmark assessments with new vendor assessments. Administrators said assessment components and intervention tools are available from the vendor and that district staff will determine what to keep or remove to avoid over-testing.

After discussion, the board approved the administration's recommendation to adopt Amplify Desmos for elementary grades with a phased launch (lead-learners pilot next year and broader implementation to follow). The policy decision does not finalize purchase timelines or full six-year procurement details; administrators said they would return with final purchase and implementation plans.