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District committee recommends K-12 math curriculum after year-long review
Summary
A year-long K—2 review, community input and a teacher-led rubric produced a recommendation to adopt IM Math (IM) as the district's K—2 math curriculum; the purchase was presented to the board with implementation and training plans and a budget that presenters said came in under estimate.
For the first time the Grand Rapids Public School District committee recommended adopting a single K—2 math curriculum across the district after a year of review, vendor demonstrations and community engagement. Carol, the district literacy lead who led the committee, told the board the finalists were IM Math and Envision; the committee rated IM Math highest based on a rubric built by committee members and cross-checked with EdReports and district outcome data.
The committee's process included vendor model lessons, a community "math night" where families evaluated vendors, surveys of 67 district math teachers and multiple in-district presentations. Carol said parents favored vendors that provided clear family supports and easy-to-understand home resources, and that teachers wanted conceptual understanding, math discourse and supports for differentiated instruction.
Committee members described key elements of the recommendation: K—2 alignment and consistent K—2 pacing, manipulatives and center kits for K— classrooms, downloadable materials for high school to avoid ordering large, costly student workbooks, and a tiered intervention pathway so intervention materials align with the core curriculum.
Implementation planning includes a three-hour leaders training July 21, grade-band full-day teacher trainings July 28 (with a make-up on August 26), ongoing professional learning during the school year and coaching and walkthroughs to monitor fidelity. Presenters said digital student access will be provided for grades 6—2; K— will receive center kits and manipulatives.
On budget, Carol said negotiators brought the purchase in "significantly under budget," and the committee intentionally avoided ordering high-school workbooks to save roughly $100,000 over the life of the adoption. The presenters also stressed regional support from the Northeast Service Co-op and that some implementation costs will be phased across the six-year adoption term.
The committee asked the board to approve the purchase; the transcript records the request and the presenters' answers to questions, but a formal roll-call vote on the adoption was not recorded in the transcript provided. If approved, presenters indicated the rollout and training schedule would begin in summer and initial implementation would occur in fall of the adoption year.
"We wanted a curriculum with stronger supports and conceptual understanding," said a committee teacher, summarizing why the finalists were narrowed. "Math discourse increases achievement," another committee member said.
Next steps: the board heard the adoption recommendation and budget details; the transcript records questions and discussion but does not include a documented final vote tally on the curriculum purchase.
