Dear RPS Families, 

We are pleased to announce that we have selected a new high quality curriculum for our Mathematics classes for 6th through 11th grade: Illustrative Mathematics!  Our 12th graders will continue to study the topics of statistics, pre-calculus, AP statistics or calculus, or college algebra. We are pleased to announce that our elementary strand (Kindergarten - grade 5) will begin a curriculum review and selection process over the 2024-2025 school year. 

Illustrative Mathematics is a nonprofit organization founded on the belief that all students are capable of learning grade-level mathematics. Their innovative problem-based K–12 curriculum is designed to energize math classrooms and equip students with critical skills, understandings, and practices that can benefit them for a lifetime. The IM Certified® Experience leads students to this enduring math proficiency by giving educators exclusive access to engaging content, comprehensive professional learning, and an inclusive community of scholars working together to build a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics.

Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, we convened teams of educators to engage in a year-long process of evaluating and selecting our new curriculum. Together, we created a math vision and we defined priorities for selecting the curriculum program that would best meet our needs. We learned about curriculum rating systems, looked at the reviews, created our own scorecard, and narrowed the options. We finally chose two programs to field-test in classrooms. Teachers, students, and school administrators were surveyed to see how these programs met our priorities. 

In mid-May 2024, math teachers and administrators met to review all data that was collected and to build consensus around the best choice for Randolph. We think we picked a winner with Illustrative Mathematics!

Plans are already underway to make sure we implement the curriculum successfully, such as offering professional learning last June and this August, and establishing expectations for how we will use these new materials in the classroom. Please look for more information in the coming months detailing how we are innovating our Math classrooms. 

We’re excited to bring the joy of learning mathematics to RPS!  If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher or principal. 

Warm regards,
Dr. Amy Hartley-Matteson
Assistant Superintendent Randolph Public Schools