Here we are in January, 2025. As you have likely heard, in July, 2023 the California Board of Education unanimously approved the new revision of the California Mathematics Framework (this in itself should be a series of blog posts, but I’ll save that for another day), which means school districts throughout Merced County will soon be champing at the bit to adopt a much-needed set of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).

But here’s the thing:  As your school/district begins to think about adopting a new curriculum, resist the urge to think the job is complete once the shrink-wrapped curriculum has arrived in the classrooms.

It is only then that the REAL work begins!

If we want to see the explosive student achievement that we dream comes with a new math curriculum, then TWO things must happen:

1. The adopted curriculum must be high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) that intentionally build knowledge content rather than merely reinforce discrete skills;
2. Teachers must be provided with curriculum-based professional learning that enables teachers to actually experience, understand, and practice with the new materials.

The Challenge

The implementation of HQIM is a critical lever for improving students’ experiences and outcomes, particularly in alignment with the California Math Framework. In fact, improving the quality of curriculum used in classrooms and the effective use of that curriculum is a whopping 40 times more cost-effective than class-size reduction!^[1] Despite nearly 80% of California districts adopting highly rated curricular materials, in Merced County only 22% of our students met or exceeded standards on the 2023-2024 California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance.

Notably, Black/Latinx students, multilingual learners, and students experiencing poverty represent a disproportionately small portion of this proficient group, highlighting an expanding opportunity gap. This data underscores the urgent need to establish a curriculum adoption process and the subsequent curriculum-based profession learning necessary to make a difference.

It is possible that one contributing factor to our lack of success in student achievement, is due to the difference between the INTENDED curriculum and the ACTUAL curriculum students have access to. While it is likely that virtually every district in Merced County had at one point adopted highly rated instructional materials, evidence shows that in practice teachers spend a significant amount of their time creating or searching for instructional materials outside of their adopted textbook. In one study, teachers spent – on average – seven hours per week creating or selecting their own  instructional materials.^[2] Moreover, in the same study teacher-created materials reached the level of “high quality” only 20% of the time.

The Opportunity

Adopting high-quality instructional materials presents itself as an opportunity to make a huge impact on student achievement in a cost-effective way because HQIM do not cost more than low-quality instructional materials, but they have much bigger payoffs! Essentially, the overall cost of choosing a more ambitious and effective textbook over a less effective, but familiar, alternative is essentially zero.^[3]

Additionally, adopting HQIM creates the opportunity to close existing achievement gaps amongst our students. Teachers who use high-quality instructional materials significantly improve student learning outcomes the equivalent of moving an average performing teacher to one at the 80th percentile.^[4] Students who daily experience instruction via HQIM close the outcomes gap with their peers by more than seven months!^[5]

What should Districts do?

Start with a consensus-based decision making process that selects HQIM in a way that also garners support from the teachers – the very people responsible for implementing the HQIM in the classroom! The MCOE Math Team utilizes a Three-Step adoption process that is grounded in best practices for choosing the textbooks, analyzing them, and them enacting a consensus-based decision making protocol that results in selecting a curriculum that is supported by all teachers.

Support HQIM with Curriculum-based Professional Learning

Once the HQIM is selected, the REAL work is ready to commence. Systems must be put in place to create professional learning communities that empower teachers to

• unpack and understand the mathematics curriculum;
• learn how to implement the student-centered and inquiry-based instructional strategies within each lesson; and
• figure out the pacing at each of the three grain sizes:  the year, the chapter, and the lesson;

Curriculum-based professional learning focuses on the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. By centering professional development around these resources, teachers gain hands-on experience and a deep understanding of how to use them effectively. Through inquiry-based learning—mirroring the very approaches we want teachers to bring into their classrooms—educators build the confidence and skills to create engaging, student-centered lessons.

A key ingredient in this approach is the role of a mathematics instructional coach. Coaches bring the curriculum to life by demonstrating instructional strategies with actual students in real classrooms. These live demonstrations not only model effective teaching but also provide an authentic context for teachers to see how inquiry-based learning unfolds in practice.

The impact of curriculum-based professional learning goes beyond a single workshop or training session. Sustained and ongoing opportunities allow teachers to refine their mathematical, pedagogical, and curricular knowledge over time. This continuous learning process supports teachers in making meaningful changes to their instructional practices, resulting in deeper learning experiences for students.

The pitfall

Despite lots of evidence that curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL) increases teacher effectiveness and improves student achievement,^[6] too many districts are unable or unwilling to provide the necessary CBPL for their teachers in order to ensure their high-quality instructional materials are used effectively.

Rather than providing sustained and ongoing math-specific instructional coaching, it is common for districts to mistakenly believe TOSAs, acting as general instructional coaches (coaching a wide variety of subjects), is good enough. Plucking teachers out of the classroom and asking them to be general instructional coaches is NOT sufficient. Too often, these newly minted coaches never receive proper training in andragogy (the science of adult learning), nor do they receive the requisite math content training to develop their mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) that would enable them to provide the curriculum-based professional learning.

The Call to Action

At the risk of burying the lede, here is what to do:

• Invite the MCOE Math Team to support you in your adoption process to ensure you are adopting high-quality instructional materials
• Contract with the MCOE Math Team to provide ongoing and sustained math-specific curriculum-based professional learning for your teachers
• Use your existing general instructional coaches to focus on classroom management and general instructional strategies

Feel free to contact Duane Habecker at dhabecker@mcoe.org

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