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Board adopts Amplify/Desmos for grades 6–8 math after yearlong review
Summary
After a year of pilots and teacher feedback, the Portland Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the Amplify/Desmos math program for grades 6–8, citing better differentiation, real‑time student data, and alignment with the district's Building Thinking Classrooms approach.
The Portland Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the Amplify/Desmos math curriculum for grades 6 through 8 following a yearlong vetting process that included classroom pilots, teacher feedback and student input.
District leaders told the board the adoption followed a multi‑month process that reviewed several programs. A middle‑school presenter summarized the work of a district team that piloted Amplify/Desmos and i‑Ready, visited other districts, and collected teacher and student feedback before making a recommendation.
The recommendation centered on Amplify/Desmos' ability to align with the district's Building Thinking Classrooms initiative, district presenters said. "Amplify Desmos checked all the boxes," one presenter said, noting the program combines teacher‑led and student‑led activities, offers paper and digital materials, and provides immediate classroom data that helps teachers adjust instruction.
Teachers and the district math interventionist described features they said mattered most: digital and workbook options, real‑time formative data from entrance and exit tickets, accessibility tools including speech‑to‑text, and built‑in remediation and mini‑lessons for targeted intervention. "We liked that it's not just digital — there's a workbook so teachers retain instructional flexibility," the math interventionist said.
Board members asked how the program addressed pandemic‑era learning gaps and whether manipulatives and hands‑on practice were preserved. Presenters said Amplify/Desmos supports both whole‑class collaborative tasks and differentiated practice, and that the district will pair the new curriculum with coaching and classroom modeling next year.
The board moved to adopt the program and voted in favor without recorded opposition. District officials said professional development and in‑class coaching will accompany the launch to support teachers during implementation.
What happens next: the district will deploy training, classroom coaching and curricular adjustments at the start of the next school year and monitor student outcomes and participation as part of implementation oversight.
