The Lake Washington School District Elementary Math Adoption Committee has narrowed the curricula to be considered for adoption to two possibilities, enVision Math (Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley) and Math Connects (McMillan-McGraw Hill). These two finalists were selected after a parent input process that included four public meetings and Web input.

Adoption Committee teachers will now pilot the two curricula this spring in almost every elementary school in the district. Lessons in each grade will be selected that will replace the current curricula. Teachers will have the opportunity to try out lessons from both of the curricula under consideration. They will report back their experiences to the committee, which will include the data as they make their decision of what curriculum to recommend to the district’s Instructional Materials Committee. The final selection will ultimately go to the district’s Board of Directors for approval. The goal is to implement the new curriculum at the start of the 2010-11 school year.

The committee also considered but did not select Bridges in Mathematics (The Math Learning Center) and Math Expressions (Houghton Mifflin-Harcourt).

The district asked parents to weigh in with their opinions of these four options. During the month of January, parents were able to attend four public meetings or review the curricula online or in person at the district offices. Parents filled out a survey providing their view of each of the four curricula.

The committee used an evidence-based approach to form a professional judgment about the two finalist programs to pilot. The evidence included several filters that were applied to the four programs, including:

• Strands of Mathematical Proficiency scoring protocol for program balance

• Organization and Design scoring protocol

• Math Standards Alignment score

• Digital Resources scoring protocol

• Parent Survey Input

• Results of State Reports and Recommendations

The 43-member Committee includes representatives from all elementary schools and district programs. Programs represented include Preschool, English Language Learner, General Education, Special Education, Safety Net and Gifted. Three district-level administrators and seven elementary principals also serve on the committee. Math Content and Technology Integration Specialists are also included.

For more information about the Elementary Mathematics Adoption process, check our district Web site at: http://www.lwsd.org/News/Elementary-Math-Adoption/Pages/default.aspx