Rialto Unified outlines timeline and safeguards for districtwide math textbook adoption

Dr. Kevin Goodley, director of secondary instruction for Rialto Unified, presented an updated timeline and selection framework for adopting new math textbooks, telling the board the district has narrowed an initial pool of vendor materials and will pilot top choices before recommending a final set for the 2027–28 school year.

The presentation sketched a multi-phase process: a district needs assessment completed in February 2026; alignment to 81 selection criteria gathered from more than 400 teacher and administrator responses; preselection to five top vendors per level; two pilot cycles (August–October and October–December); and a final committee vote expected in January 2027 to produce a recommendation for the superintendent and board.

Why it matters: the adoption affects instruction for every grade and ties into professional development, assessment, and special programs. Goodley said the process is designed to be inclusive: three teachers per grade will pilot materials, panels will include elementary, secondary and content leaders, and parents and the public will have 30 days to review candidate materials before final recommendations. The district intends to align curriculum, teacher training and interim evaluation so materials are implemented with accompanying professional learning.

During a lengthy question-and-answer period trustees pressed for details on how the district will evaluate whether chosen materials are actually used and effective. Goodley and staff described a layered evaluation approach: district baseline assessments in August, recurring 10-week checkpoints, monthly data reviews and frequent professional learning community meetings for teachers. Staff also said they would include measures that capture both implementation fidelity and student outcomes.

Trustees raised concerns about implementation logistics and supports. Board members asked how dual-language immersion (DLI) needs and after-school tutoring/mentoring services would be integrated. Goodley said the selection criteria included resources and assessment formats aligned to California’s CASP/CAASPP exam formats and that vendors were screened for bilingual/Spanish-language quality rather than machine translation. On tutoring and remediation, staff confirmed that vendors lacking integrated academic support tools (tutoring portals, AI-enabled supplementary resources or partnerships for after-school mentoring) were screened out in the preselection phase.

The board did not take an action this meeting; staff said the pilot phase and public review steps will continue through late 2026 and that the committee will bring final recommendation materials for board consideration in early 2027.