In light of the State adoption of revised standards for mathematics, Asha Riley has facilitated a review of curriculum materials. Our current math curriculum in grades K-6 is roughly 60% aligned to the old standards and even less aligned to the newly adopted common core standards for mathematics.
When we began our review of current resources, the math leadership at the State level indicated no curriculum is yet fully aligned to the common core standards, and therefore it would not be wise to make a large financial investment in materials right away. Instead, it was recommended we evaluate some open educational resources (OER). Essentially, OER materials are developed similarly to how publishers develop curriculum; however, they are often grant-funded and as a result published and shared for free. One highly rated resource recommended Engage NY math. In an effort to evaluate the resource ourselves, each teacher in grades K-6 piloted one module of the curriculum and submitted their feedback on the resources. The teachers evaluated and provided feedback on the following components
The survey results were reviewed by the building leadership team at both schools, and results indicated the curriculum addresses all the criteria well. Subsequently, the building leadership team at each building endorsed an interim adoption of the Engage NY math modules for use from the 2014 school year up to the 2017 school year. I support and recommend this interim adoption of these materials. The intent of doing an interim adoption of this OER resource, is to provide teachers and students quality instructional materials, without making significant financial commitments so that we can continue to thoroughly explore math curricula for full adoption.
Administrative Recommendation /MOTION/ "I move we approve Engage NY Mathematics as an interim mathematics adopiton for grades K-6"