Applying the Math Framework to Materials Adoption: Workshop Reflections

Educators dive into deeper learning on the 2023 California Math Framework as they consider their instructional materials and plan ahead for adoption.

It’s been an exciting start to spring at CalCurriculum, as we kicked off our 2024 professional learning workshop series with a virtual session, followed by an in-person workshop for teams in Santa Ana on March 20th. The CalCurriculum team had the pleasure of collaborating with the English Learners Success Forum (ELSF) to bring a focused lens on supporting multilingual learner students. We were joined by 40 educators and leaders from across the state, including nine districts and charter management organizations and one county office of education. 

This year’s workshop learning series focuses on evaluating and adopting math instructional materials through the lens of the 2023 California Math Framework. Our series goals include:

• Understanding the importance of instructional materials and their impact on student learning,
• Learning about the expectations for materials from the 2023 California Math Framework, and
• Articulating the characteristics of high-quality instructional materials with a focus on multilingual learner students.

In our virtual kick-off session, we discussed the research that demonstrates the impact of high-quality instructional materials and how recent data shows that districts across California have been making shifts to newer, “off-list” math instructional materials. We also discussed how many districts and charters are now preparing for their next adoptions, with an eye toward the California Department of Education’s  Math Adoption Significant Events. 

Knowing that a strong instructional vision is the foundation for a strong instructional materials adoption process, we began our in-person workshop day by having teams revisit their Instructional Vision for Mathematics with the lens of the Five Components of Equitable and Engaging Teaching discussed in Chapter 2 of the 2023 Mathematics Framework.

Participants then dove deeper into the language demands of the shifts in the 2023 Math Framework. In addition, they focused on preparing for an inclusive adoption process for multilingual learners by integrating CalCurriculum’s Criteria for Review of Instructional Materials’ Success in Addressing Multilingual Learners’ Linguistic and Instructional Needs into their materials investigation. Participants practiced applying their own learning of the review criteria to a sample lesson and discussed how to prepare and train their adoption teams for future materials investigation. 

In the end, 100% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would apply what they learned from all four sessions, and one participant shared:

“I thought the time to review the lesson using the markers for HQIM was really valuable.”

We are looking forward to diving deeper into the key shifts in the Framework and how these apply  to planning for upcoming adoptions with our learning cohort at our upcoming Communities of Practice this spring!

If your district is looking at its materials through the lens of the CA Math Framework, we recommend checking out our blogs for an overview of the Math Framework and how it centers multilingual learners. If your team is ready to begin planning your adoption process and want to begin with setting the foundation of your instructional vision, check out EdReports’ resource on Sample Instructional Visions to get you started with helpful examples from other organizations.