District 58 recommends 5-year adoption of Amplify Desmos for middle-school math, quote $299,146

District curriculum staff presented a recommendation March 9 to adopt Amplify (Desmos) as the middle-school math resource for grades 6–8, following a pilot and a consensus committee review. The district proposed a five-year adoption and quoted a five-year total cost of $299,146.20 for print and digital teacher and student components.

Liz Earhart, who presented the committee's findings, said the pilot showed higher student engagement and clearer conceptual learning. "Student articulation of their math understanding and their path to solving problems, dramatically increased," Earhart said, summarizing teacher and student pilot feedback.

The committee noted strengths including differentiation and a digital platform that supports visualizing mathematics. Concerns included ensuring explicit academic vocabulary instruction, balancing conceptual work with procedural practice and building common formative checks. Earhart said the district will use grant dollars to pay for professional learning tied to implementation so that shipping and training costs were reduced in the quoted package.

Materials and next steps: The recommended materials will be placed on display at the district office and Downers Grove Public Library for 30 days; the adoption is scheduled for board action at the April 13 meeting with a detailed memo and cost breakdown.

Budget context: Earhart said comparable resources were considered and the committee's cost comparisons showed similar ranges across options; the quoted price reflects a negotiated package that includes consumable student workbooks for the five-year adoption.

What remains unresolved: The board asked for continuing work on vertical alignment with high school curricula and on building a plan for common formative assessments and professional learning; administration will return with an implementation timeline and detailed budget breakout at the April meeting.