Moreland board adopts California Mathematics K–8 curriculum after teacher pilot

The Moreland Board of Trustees voted to adopt the California Mathematics K–8 curriculum and approve a contract with Curriculum Associates after a multi-year review and pilot, board members said on Tuesday evening.

Board members and district staff framed the adoption as the culmination of a two-year process that included vendor presentations, classroom pilots and teacher feedback. Superintendent Dr. Jen Baldwin said the district used priorities of content rigor, teacher usability, differentiation and vertical alignment to evaluate options before recommending California Mathematics.

Pilot teachers who presented to the board described classroom-level benefits. Nick, a middle- and elementary-level pilot teacher, said lessons open with a visual, low-risk prompt that encourages participation across ability levels and promotes discourse. “There is very explicit math vocabulary that is taught,” he said, adding that week-long sessions build complexity and allow teachers to differentiate instruction during the week.

Julie McKinley Reid, another pilot teacher, told the board the curriculum was more user-friendly than some previous materials and included digital integrations that aligned with the district’s diagnostic tools. She said the program includes parent letters in multiple languages and weekly comprehension checks that let teachers identify students who need targeted support. “Everything seemed purposeful and rigorous,” she said.

Board members pressed staff about supports for English learners and alignment to high school pathways. Teachers and staff said California Mathematics embeds visuals, sentence frames, vocabulary supports and reading structures designed to scaffold EL students; district leaders said they had discussed high-school transitions with neighboring districts and will convene a compacted math committee next year to study accelerated pathways.

On implementation, the district outlined a rollout plan that includes June trainings, tiered professional development for pilot teachers, five district collaboration sessions, and principal-level training focused on monitoring fidelity and student work. Staff emphasized the district’s expectation that the adopted curriculum will be the primary instructional thread while acknowledging occasional, targeted supplemental materials may be used to meet diverse student needs.

The motion to adopt California Mathematics and approve the associated contract with Curriculum Associates was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board also thanked teachers who piloted materials and staff who managed the process. The adoption takes effect for the 2026–27 school year, subject to formal contract execution and the district’s implementation timeline.