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Harrisburg adopts Bridges for elementary math, outlines multi-year professional development
Summary
The board accepted Leighton’s recommendation to adopt Bridges (Math Learning Center) for elementary math after a multi-vendor review; the plan includes intervention alignment with Number Worlds (McGraw Hill), a Math Champions teacher cohort, Canvas-based PD and a phased onboarding schedule.
Harrisburg School District trustees heard a multi-week review of elementary math curriculum options and accepted the administration’s recommendation to adopt Bridges from the Math Learning Center.
Administrator Leighton described a six-week, teacher-driven review in which representatives from each grade level tested materials in classrooms. Leighton said the district prioritized math discourse, hands-on manipulatives and coherent intervention systems when selecting a vendor and cited Bridges’ built-in assessment tools and intervention supports as key strengths. “Bridges is really well known, for some of these pieces, hands on learning,” Leighton said during the presentation.
Leighton told the board that the adoption will include a districtwide professional-development plan: a Math Champions cohort (a representative teacher from each school and grade) will receive early access and then report back to staff; the district has built a Canvas course offering self-paced modules and plans three days of in-person professional development (one full day with Bridges, two days focused on district implementation). Leighton also said special-education instruction will use Number Worlds from McGraw Hill to align interventions to the new core curriculum.
Board members asked how Bridges aligns with revised state standards and statewide assessments. Leighton said early comparisons indicated alignment and that the district will continue work to ensure assessment compatibility, while acknowledging state assessment content is not changing in the near term.
Why it matters: The adoption changes instructional materials and teacher training across seven elementary buildings and shifts emphasis toward hands-on math discourse and aligned interventions.
What’s next: The district will onboard teachers through the Math Champions structure and Canvas modules over the summer and roll out further professional development in the fall.
