Wayzata outlines phased shift to Minnesota'approved 2022 math standards; statistics moved earlier in high-school sequence

At a Wayzata Public School District work session on April 27, 2026, district curriculum leaders described plans to implement Minnesota's 2022 math standards across K'12, emphasizing deeper conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and applied problem solving.

Director Abi Brar told the board the state'level standard-review process began with the 2022 development cycle and that most districts begin local adoption before the commissioner'level stamp of approval because subsequent changes are minimal. "MDE standards are what provides our baseline," Brar said; "we start with ensuring that we're teaching every single one of those benchmarks, and then how do we go above and beyond." The district plans a phased local implementation in 2026'27 while the state will first assess the 2022 standards on the MCAs in 2027'28.

Elementary classrooms will shift to Bridges third edition in a staggered rollout. Presenters said pilots in 2024'25 involved four teams (three fifth'grade teams and one second'grade team), this year expanded to roughly 21 teams, and full elementary adoption is planned for the next school year. Instructional leaders stressed continuity of routines and tools: "The core components of the lesson will . . . be very similar," one coordinator said, noting manipulatives, visual models and number-corner routines will largely remain in place while adjustments refine early-literacy of mathematics.

At the secondary level, district staff described more extensive changes: they identified roughly 20% of middle-school benchmarks as new to the district and about 45 new high-school benchmarks, many clustered in data science, probability and statistics. To create space for those standards, the district will move from the current semester/block model to term-long courses so students can "taste" statistics earlier. For example, next year students will have access to an initial sequence that includes Statistics 1 and Geometry 1, followed by nonlinear algebra and subsequent statistics courses in later terms.

The district described a multi'step vendor-selection process for new secondary curriculum materials: a review of six vendors, in-depth presentations in January and multiweek pilot testing by about 25 teachers. Presenters said that process narrowed options to two finalists that instructional teams will continue to vet.

Board members asked how success will be measured while the state transitions assessments. Brar said MCAs and ACT results will continue to be used as indicators but cautioned that state testing will not reflect the 2022 benchmarks until 2027'28. "We will be in a transition state for the next couple years," she said, adding that the district will use MCA, ACT and a student-experience survey to monitor progress and to refine instruction.

The board pressed on acceleration and readiness. District staff said they will preserve acceleration options (including testing in) and that term-long courses will allow students to test into topic-specific units rather than full-year content. Elementary acceleration will focus on "horizontal enrichment" available to any student, while middle-school acceleration was reworked to cover appropriate benchmarks without skipping foundational work.

On cost, staff said MDE is not providing incremental funds for implementation beyond existing allocations; the district will manage expenses within its curriculum budgets, negotiate vendor pricing and stagger purchases to smooth costs. "Any curricular resource that we purchase has a cost associated with it," a presenter said, adding the district also looks for discounts through longer commitments.

The presentation closed with board thanks and agreement that the committee will keep engaging teachers, counselors and families as work continues. There were no formal votes recorded on the curriculum at the work session.

The district plans continued teacher professional learning, pilot classrooms next year and ongoing family communication as the phased implementation proceeds.