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District presenters recommend Amplify Desmos Math for K–5 after yearlong teacher pilot
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Summary
After a yearlong pilot and rubric review, district curriculum staff recommended Amplify Desmos Math for K–5, citing teacher and student feedback and a high EdReports rating; trustees pressed for clarity on digital use, backend data and professional development costs ahead of a board vote.
District curriculum staff told the San Mateo‑Foster City School Board that, after a yearlong pilot, the adoption committee recommends Amplify Desmos Math for kindergarten through fifth grade.
“I'm thrilled to announce that our math adoption committee is recommending Amplify Desmos Math for our K through 5 program,” said the curriculum presenter, citing alignment with Common Core goals and a combination of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and real‑world application in the materials. Presenters said the program scored highly on the district's multi‑page rubric and is positively rated on EdReports.
Why it matters: staff and pilot teachers told the board the program emphasizes inquiry and problem‑based tasks that position teachers as facilitators rather than sole demonstrators of method. Presenters said the adoption aims to build students’ mathematical reasoning and to align K–5 instruction with middle‑school materials already in use in district secondary grades.
The presenters described the selection process: the district hosted a publisher fair, narrowed finalists to five vendors, piloted two finalists in classrooms (one beginning the school year and one beginning in November), ran mid‑pilot check‑ins and convened a February consensus meeting of the adoption team. Staff said pilot participation included classroom teachers, multilingual and special‑education representatives and math TOSAs at most sites.
On classroom practice, the presenters said Amplify’s digital component is designed to surface student work and process rather than to act as a virtual instructor. “The online component is not a virtual instructor,” the curriculum presenter said, adding that teachers can select and sequence student work to highlight approaches and that the program includes manipulatives, teacher guidance and optional digital routines.
Trustees asked whether students could ‘beat’ the digital portion in the way some did on the district's previous program. Trustee Kim asked how Amplify addresses opportunities for students who need more challenge or additional support; the presenter said Amplify includes intervention and enrichment resources but emphasized that a shift in classroom culture and teacher facilitation is the larger lever for meeting diverse student needs.
Costs and implementation: presenters said the materials cost shown on the slide reflects a six‑year total for core materials, while year‑one professional development (PD) is a separate line item. Staff said they are still finalizing a PD plan and associated figures to return to the board. At the meeting a presenter described estimated ongoing PD at “somewhere between 80 to 100 annually” and did not specify units in the slide discussion; staff said they would provide clarified cost figures at the next board meeting.
Next steps: materials will be available for public review in the district office and online; staff said there will be a community review and that the adoption will return to the board for formal approval at the March 26 meeting. No formal adoption vote occurred at the meeting.
The board solicited public comment on the item and heard none. The agenda then moved to a separate literacy presentation.
Sources: district curriculum presenters and adoption committee materials presented to the San Mateo‑Foster City School Board.
