Seattle Schools K-5 Math Adoption Updates
From the January 18th Student Services, Curriculum & Instruction agenda documentation:
K-5 Math Adoption
We are writing to update you on the progress of the 2021-22 K-5 Math Instructional Materials adoption to select new K-5 Math Instructional Materials to be implemented in the 2022-23 school year. This adoption process began in June 2021. This month, we will update you on the review process of the K-5 Math Adoption Committee, the finalists to be field-tested, and the opportunities for public review of finalists.
A. K-5 Math Adoption Committee Review Work
Seven materials were submitted by vendors:
○ Big Ideas Math (Big Ideas Learning)
○ Bridges in Mathematics (Math Learning Center) ○ enVision Math (Savvas Learning Company)
○ Eureka Math (Great Minds)
○ Illustrative Math (LearnZillion/Edgenuity)
○ Ready Math (Curriculum Associates)
○ Reveal Math (McGraw Hill)During November and December 2021, the committee reviewed each material for bias, using the Anti-Bias Screener that is part of Policy No. 2015 and for alignment to Washington State Learning Standards for Mathematics, using part of the Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool from Achieve the Core.
After careful review, the committee voted to eliminate some programs for one or more of the following reasons: inability to demonstrate compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), low ratings on the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Anti-bias Screener, or low ratings on alignment to Washington State Learning Standards.
The following three materials were promoted to the second stage of review on the committee-developed selection criteria:
○ enVision Math (Savvas Learning Company) ○ Ready Math (Curriculum Associates)
○ Reveal Math (McGraw Hill)B. Selection of Finalists for Field Test
During December and January, the committee applied the criteria they developed to the
remaining three materials. On January 10th, the committee met to decide which 2 or 3
materials to move forward the Request for Proposals (RFP) Step 2.
Once purchasing completes the RFP Step 2, we will conduct a field test in SPS
classrooms in February 2022.
C. Public Review of Finalists
All finalists under consideration will be viewable online by SPS educators, students,
families, and community members on the Math Adoption webpage:
https://www.seattleschools.org/academics/alignment-and-adoption/curriculum-
adoption/2021-math-k-5/.
Seattle Public Libraries (SPL) has tentatively agreed to have physical materials displayed
at several Seattle Public Library sites during the field test period (tentatively February 11- 28). We are working with our SPL contacts to determine the exact number and location of sites. We plan to offer materials at multiple sites in Central and Southeast Seattle as well as all other regions in the city.
SPS educators, students, families, and community members will have an opportunity to give feedback on the finalists via an online survey or a written survey at the physical sites.
Comments
So what about the ones that are left?
Ready Mathematics aka iReady Mathematics is conceptually basically just like Amplify Science but for math. It's all about working on the computer, and its idea of group work is kids collaborating...on computers... It's not clear to me if we would be getting the digital-only package or what, but I suspect this would be a curriculum adoption devoid of manipulatives or the kinds of kinesthetic/hands-on elements in math classes that help everyone but are especially important for the 20% of students who have dyslexia (identified or not). I personally think Ready Mathematics is garbage, which is a sure sign it might well be the curriculum we ultimately pick.
The main upside to enVision is that we already use enVision for middle school math right now, so why not use the same approach K-8? (Note: Illustrative Mathematics also has a middle school curriculum.) It's not groundbreaking in any other way at all, although the art it uses on the textbook/workbook is eye-catching. I don't think enVision will be closing any achievement gaps. It's fairly traditional with just a few Singapore-like things that all math curricula have nowadays at least to some extent, so it's effective, and I think it's been "fine" for middle school these past few years, too.
Reveal Math looks terrible on first glance. But if you get into the materials and visualize it in the classroom, like me you may find you like it better. Reveal Math does have manipulatives/kinesthetic/hands-on things in classroom kits they call Workstations. I like those a lot. However, if we're not buying those for each classroom, I don't even see the point. It’s big selling point is extensive equitable classroom/sustainable pedagogy components with a strong social-emotional component they call “student agency” (giving students options among multiple strategies for solving problems, while avoiding discovery methods, which are inefficient if not detrimental). I like a lot of these ideas. Like I said, I was skeptical at first, but there's something to it ultimately. Red flag: most teachers lack the time to incorporate this with fidelity. The SEL/equity components will require a ton of time to pull off with fidelity. Without that, then why buy it? Most K-5 classrooms do math for only 5-6 hours a week. It may be too bloated with all the social-emotional and equitable classroom components for us to pull off well.
So, enVision is for the traditionalists, Ready Mathematics for people who like Amplify Science, and Reveal Math for SEL/equitable classroom advocates. My guess is the cheaper of Ready Mathematics or Reveal Math will win out. I think enVision or Reveal Math will be meh but "fine." I think Ready Mathematics will actively drive even more people out of public schools. Personally I would have gone with Illustrative Mathematics or Bridges.
Math Reviewer
The first how's the enVision math adoption going in middle school report was pretty abysmal. Lower test scores, teachers significantly changing their minds about the "bias" in the curriculum and whether they felt all kids would be successful, etc. And then we had Covid and very limited instruction for well over a year with zero communication of any actual student progress, so who knows what things look like now.
NE Seattle