Math Curriculum Pilot FAQ

Math curriculum in Grand Island Public Schools is like a roadmap for our Educators and for our students.  Our Math Curriculum “roadmap” shows what math ideas and skills students learn from Kindergarten all the way through High School relating to important concepts like: 

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Equations
• Fractions
• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Collaboration
• And More
   

As with all of our core curriculum in GIPS (English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, etc.) each year in school is designed to build up student skills each year. With our Educators leading the way alongside our curriculum resources, our students will be confident, life-long learners and problem solvers. 

The district's current Elementary School Math resource, Origo Stepping Stones, is approaching the end of its pre-paid material cycle (2025-26), which means it is time for a review. 
 

After a thorough evaluation involving teachers, coaches, and administrators, a consensus emerged that a new math resource is required to better align with best practices, state standards, and the vision we have for supporting our students to be confident life-long learners and problem solvers.
 

Highlights from the review process include: 
 

• Per district policy (Resource Adoption), a year-long process is underway, involving needs assessments, implementation planning, a diverse review committee, field testing, and Board of Education approval.
• Stakeholder teams, including teachers, coaches, and principals, reviewed the current materials and analyzed district data. They identified weaknesses in Origo, such as rigor, alignment, and practice opportunities.
• The original timeline is being followed, with resource exploration in 2024-2025, a pilot of two resources in 2025-2026, and adoption of new resources in 2026-2027.
• The committee narrowed down the options to six resources and then focused on five: Bridges in Mathematics, Into Math (HMH), i-Ready, Amplify - Desmos Math, and Great Minds - Eureka2.
• Two resources, Amplify Desmos Math and Eureka2, were chosen for pilot programs in four elementary schools. Eureka2 would pilot at Lincoln Elementary & Newell Elementary. Amplify Desmos Math would pilot at Starr Elementary & Stolley Park Elementary.
   

You may hear more about the process by watching our Math Curriculum update to the Board of Education HERE. 

We are excited to share that four of our Elementary Schools will be part of a pilot of new math materials in our classrooms in the 2025-26 school year! 
 

Our district is looking to update our resources for supporting math education.  Piloting or “testing” approved materials allows us to measure the positive impact on both teaching and student learning with these materials before we use them at every school.
 

• Starr Elementary & Stolley Park Elementary will be piloting Amplify Desmos Math
   
• Lincoln Elementary & Newell Elementary will be piloting Eureka²
   

Students at the Math Curriculum Pilot schools will still learn the same math concepts as all other Kindergarten-5th Grade students in GIPS. Our math standards will stay the same as they are aligned with the state. 

Amplify Desmos Math and Eureka² are the two Math Curriculums that were selected to be classroom tested for the 2025-26 school year.  Both Amplify and Eureka² are nationally recognized organizations with trusted, valuable, and effective resources.
 

Our GIPS Math Curriculum Stakeholders Team selected both resources for the pilot after months of careful review and vetting.
 

Both resources offer core math curriculum built with student-centered instruction in mind. This approach gives students opportunities to figure out how math works. Students will continue learning to communicate verbally and in writing, understand and respond to others’ opinions, and become confident problem solvers.
 

You may learn more about both resources at the links below:

• Amplify Desmos Math Caregiver Hub
• Eureka² Parent Website 

WHAT students will learn during Math will stay the same.
 

HOW students will learn during Math will look similar and different. 
 

Students at the Math Curriculum Pilot schools will still learn the same math concepts as all other Kindergarten-5th Grade students in GIPS. Our math standards will stay the same as they are aligned with the state.
 

What we will be measuring with the Math Curriculum Pilot are the different teaching approaches, mathematics strategies, and student learning activities.
 

All Kindergarten-5th Grade classrooms at the following schools will be part of the pilot:
 

• Starr Elementary & Stolley Park Elementary will be piloting Amplify Desmos Math
   
• Lincoln Elementary & Newell Elementary will be piloting Eureka²
   

There are many different ways to learn the HOW and WHY of Math.  By piloting Amplify Desmos Math and Eureka², we will be able to review, try, and discover the various high-quality ways these curriculum resources connect with our educators and students. 
 

Our commitment at GIPS is to ensure every student becomes a confident life-long learner and problem solver.  

For our remaining nine Elementary Schools (Dodge, Engelman, Gates, Howard, Jefferson, Knickrehm, Shoemaker, Wasmer, & West Lawn), Math learning will look similar for the 2025-26 school year as it has the previous six years. 
 

Our Math standards are still aligned with the state of Nebraska’s standards, and our classroom teachers are equipped with what they need to confidently continue championing Math education for all students.
 

This will be our last year using Origo Stepping Stones (our current curriculum provider) as it is the last year for our contract.  Origo has been a great resource for GIPS as we’ve focused on increasing Math competencies across the district.  Looking ahead to the future, we are ready to increase the rigor of Math learning and engagement, which is why we are piloting new resources. 
 

Our commitment of ensuring every student at GIPS becomes a confident life-long learner and problem solver remains the focus for all of our classroom teachers. 

We will be checking-in with our teachers regularly throughout the 2025-26 school year to gain their insights on the Amplify Desmos Math and Eureka² lessons and resources.  

Additionally, 3rd - 5th Grade students (at the four Math pilot schools) will have opportunities to share about their math learning.  Throughout the year, our classroom teachers will check-in with students by asking simple questions about their experiences with the materials.

The feedback we gather will help GIPS make an informed decision about next steps for Math education in our district Elementary schools.

When all the feedback is gathered and classroom monitoring complete by March 2026, our GIPS Math Curriculum Stakeholders Team will review everything in full, engage in deep discussions and deliberations, and eventually bring a recommendation for one of these resources to be adopted districtwide by the Board of Education.

We published a podcast episode, “Making Math Curriculum Count”, about the upcoming pilot in July.  You may listen to the podcast episode or read the transcript HERE.
 

Both curriculum resources we are piloting have webpages with more information:

• Amplify Desmos Math Caregiver Hub
• Eureka² Parent Website 

We will also be hosting “Math Pilot Check-in” events soon for families and community members interested in learning more.  Those dates will be shared publicly once they are scheduled. 

• Fall 2024:  Review and vet new Math Curriculum resources.
• Spring 2025:  Narrow down list to six resources for consideration.
• Spring 2025:  Select two resources for the Elementary School Math Curriculum Pilot.
• Spring 2025:  Present pilot process to the Board of Education.
• Summer 2025:  Prepare the four participating schools and train staff on Amplify Desmos Math and Eureka².
• 2025-26 School Year:  Implement piloting resources, teach, review, survey, engage, and measure effectiveness.
• Winter 2025 - Spring 2026:  Carefully review all the data and feedback to make an informed decision on which curriculum resource will be the best fit for GIPS.
• Spring 2026:  Recommend the chosen Math curriculum resource to the Board of Education for districtwide adoption.
• Summer 2026:  Provide the new Math curriculum resources for all GIPS Elementary Schools and train staff.
• 2026-27 School Year:  Full adoption of the approved, high-quality GIPS Elementary School Math Curriculum resources. 

The Math Curriculum Pilot has been ear-marked in the existing GIPS Curriculum budget for several years.  We are able to conduct the pilot in four of our schools without requesting any additional tax payer dollars.
 

Overall, the budget allocated for the Elementary School Math Curriculum Pilot is approximately $95,000.

This allotted budget amount allows for GIPS to purchase the necessary resources to implement the curriculum choices (Amplify and Eureka²) in two schools each, train the necessary staff to teach and support the curriculum confidently, and to give each student what they need to be confident, engaged learners during Math.