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Gilroy Unified board approves shift from integrated math to traditional algebra-geometry-algebra 2 pathway
Summary
After teacher pilots, cohort test data and public discussion, the board voted to phase in a return to the traditional Algebra 1–Geometry–Algebra 2 (AGA) high-school pathway and move forward with a multi-year textbook adoption and professional development plan.
The Gilroy Unified School District voted to move its high-school math sequence from the integrated Math 1–3 pathway back to the traditional Algebra 1–Geometry–Algebra 2 sequence, approving a phased implementation and related instructional-materials planning. District staff framed the change as driven by local CASP cohort results and teacher pilot feedback.
District Director of Educational Services Sonia Flores told the board the 2023 California math framework validates both pathways but that eight years of local data and teacher feedback prompted reconsideration. Flores said teachers piloted both integrated and AGA instructional materials and “a majority of teachers surveyed indicate disagreement or strong disagreement with the idea that students retain the material in integrated math courses,” and that many supported AGA because it allows “depth and clarity where each course has a clear, focused progression.”
The nut of the district's case was a review of cohort CASP results (2015'2025) showing that percentages of students “not meeting” standards remained high in eighth and 11th grades and that the district has not realized the improvement hoped for after eight years of the integrated pathway. Flores stressed the adoption would be phased so current students would not be abruptly moved between grades, and administrators outlined options for accelerated students and supports such as additional periods of math instruction when needed.
Staff also presented results from a two-publisher piloting process that engaged teachers and collected student work and implementation feedback. Jennifer Evans, who led the adoption work, said the district applied the California Department of Education criteria to pilot evidence and recommended materials aligned to the AGA pathway: Innovamat for K—1, Reveal Math for grades 2—, EnVision for middle school and Amplified/Desmos for high school, with professional development and digital access included in the adoption costs.
Trustees raised questions about early-grade preparation, student voice from pilot classrooms and how AI tools will be handled in classrooms; Flores said the district's AI guidance to teachers will set expectations for appropriate student use and that professional development will accompany any textbook rollout. The board approved the AGA transition and directed staff to proceed with the planned, year-by-year adoption and related curriculum mapping and teacher supports.
Next steps include a formal adoption vote on instructional materials in a subsequent meeting, rollout of professional development, and continued monitoring of cohort outcomes as the phased transition proceeds.
