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Board adopts Math in Focus K–5 adoption and approves one-year MClass math diagnostic (diagnostic-only)
Summary
La Cañada Unified trustees voted to adopt Math in Focus for kindergarten through fifth grade and approved a one‑year purchase of the MClass math diagnostic (benchmarking/progress-monitoring only), deferring the vendor’s 'Boost' intervention module pending teacher pilots and further review.
La Cañada Unified School District’s governing board voted to adopt Math in Focus for grades K–5 and approved a one‑year license for the MClass math diagnostic to support screening and progress monitoring, the board decided at its June meeting.
Jim McLass, who presented the K–5 adoption, told trustees the textbook package includes student materials, teacher editions and manipulative kits and that the district plans to order materials after July 1. He said teachers and parents who reviewed the materials generally favored Math in Focus and emphasized the district will provide professional development and in-class support during rollout. “We’re planning on ordering after July 1,” McLass said, adding that district staff will provide summer and on-demand training and boots‑on‑the‑ground support during the opening weeks of school.
Discussion turned to assessments and intervention. Staff proposed purchasing the MClass math platform’s diagnostic and progress‑monitoring components to give teachers a familiar screening tool during the transition to Math in Focus. The full suite also includes a paid intervention module called Boost; after public and board concerns about curricular alignment and teacher workload, trustees agreed to purchase only the diagnostic/benchmarking portion for the first year.
Public commenter Sugi Sorenson urged the board to delay any purchase and run a formal pilot, citing lack of independent reviews for the new MClass math product and warning about potential misalignment with Math in Focus. “There was no pilot,” Sorenson said, and recommended a requirements definition and trial before committing district funds.
Board members and staff argued the diagnostic-only purchase strikes a balance between providing timely data to identify students who need support and avoiding wholesale adoption of an intervention that may not match the district’s instructional approach. The motion to adopt Math in Focus and to buy the diagnostic-only license for MClass passed. The board requested staff report back during the school year on pilot results and on any recommendation to expand purchases to include intervention modules.
