OJ Roberts rolls out Reveal Math in grades 7–8 and Algebra I; teachers praise data but flag online, translation and AI challenges

The Owen J. Roberts School District on April 6 presented a year‑one rollout of the Reveal Math curriculum for seventh‑ and eighth‑grade courses and Algebra I, with district staff and middle‑school teachers describing the program’s classroom uses, professional development and next‑year planning.

District presenters said the curriculum is being used in pre‑algebra (7th), algebraic concepts (8th), co‑taught sections and high‑school Algebra I. The district highlighted McGraw‑Hill professional development, choice of resources to align with PSSA/Keystone standards, and features that let teachers group students and run item‑level reports.

Teachers told the board that Reveal’s reporting and formative data have been valuable in identifying skill gaps and planning targeted interventions. “We really do like the data that we’re getting from Reveal,” said Sam Nelson, a middle‑school math teacher and math leader, who praised the platform’s grouping and standard‑level reporting. Anna Chan, a seventh‑grade pre‑algebra teacher, said many students treated the printed workbooks responsibly and valued worked examples and side prompts that encourage conceptual thinking.

At the same time, teachers described implementation frictions. Nelson and other instructors said some online assessments are long and require adapting for special‑education and co‑taught sections; PDF exports sometimes format awkwardly for printed tests; and the platform lacks a smooth way to convert multiple‑choice items to open‑response. Nelson also reported occasional website glitches that delayed score reporting by a day or two.

Several teachers raised academic‑integrity concerns tied to online work. “Because it’s online and we don’t have the technology to lock their tabs, we find that when they do homework, they can be using AI,” Nelson said, adding that teachers now require students to show handwritten work to receive credit on some assignments.

Presenters and teachers recommended a mixed approach: leveraging Reveal’s online tools for formative practice and PSSA‑style exposure, while preserving paper‑and‑pencil checks to ensure students show their work. The district said it plans to continue building assessment banks, explore AI‑enabled supports for English‑language learners, and expand usage among special‑education teachers in 2026–27.

Board members asked whether PSSAs are offered in paper format; district staff said statewide administration is online and that paper testing is available only as an IEP accommodation. The presenters noted efforts to bridge the grade‑6 to grade‑7 transition through module organizers and math notebooks to strengthen study skills and executive functioning.

The district did not take final action on the curriculum during the working session; presenters closed by offering to provide additional materials and to continue refining assessments and pacing for next year.