The St. Vrain Valley School District has adopted a new middle school math curriculum meant to improve student success.
The school board unanimously approved the purchase and adoption of enVision Mathematics 6-8 from Savvas Learning for $750,000 with an additional $33,300 for staff training.
An adoption committee spent a year evaluating middle school math materials, with the selected program piloted for the 2021-2022 school year. A total of 32 teachers and roughly 1,100 students participated in the pilot program representing all district middle schools and grade levels.
According to a memo to the school board, feedback from the teachers, administrators, students and the community largely supported enVision Mathematics due to its resources for teachers, an improved sequencing of topics and extension projects and opportunities for students. The materials also emphasized foundational skills necessary for students to access and excel in middle school mathematics, the memo added.
“In addition to the strong focus on foundational skills and procedural fluency, enVision math gives students ample opportunity to apply mathematics in relevant settings,” said Greg George, K-12 mathematics coordinator for the district.
Marilyn Frade, who used enVision with her sixth grade Mead Middle School class, said that her students saw significant improvements in just the first semester of the pilot program, with some students seeing up to a 300% jump in success with math.
Sam Fenster, who piloted the program with seventh graders at Erie Middle School, added that the blend of print and digital materials and videos for visual learning were huge benefits for her class. She said she also saw students make significant gains, which she credited to the curriculum.
The new program is in line with 2020 Colorado academic standards as well. It introduces algebraic concepts early on, which board members and staff agreed would help with student success in higher level math.
Board member Richard Martyr asked if the curriculum was a systems improvement as a way to make progress with math outcomes in the district, and George said the program raised the bar for middle school students in a productive way.
Member Meosha Brooks also asked how the curriculum assists the students who struggle most with math. Fenster noted that the advances made with the pilot program were not with honors students, but in fact her struggling learners.
The digital licenses that will be purchased by the district are good for seven years, and teachers will be trained this summer on the new curriculum.
