Overview of the State Mathematics Adoption Timeline and What School Systems Can Begin Doing

Since we published our blog, Overview of California’s Revised Math Framework, the State Board of Education has released a Timeline of Significant Events.

Key Highlights from the Timeline

• January 2025: The State Board of Education (SBE) appoints reviewers.
• March/April 2025: Programs are submitted to the state for review, and reviewers are trained.
• July/August 2025: Programs are reviewed and recommended to the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC). The ICC holds public comment opportunities. IQC makes program adoption recommendations.
• November 2025: The California State Board of Education receives comments and takes action on program recommendations. The final list of programs is released.

What can school systems do now to help prepare for their upcoming adoption?

With the state adoption timeline in place, it is important for districts and charter management organizations looking to select new instructional materials to begin preparing now. The first two steps of the six-step adoption process are a great place to start. During step one (establish your process), district leaders set guidelines for the adoption process and gather a committee. That committee proceeds to step two (developing a local lens). Step two includes engaging in professional learning on current, research-based best practices in math education and how materials should reflect these best practices. The revised 2023 California Mathematics Framework  (Framework) is an essential resource here, with chapter 13 outlining what California wants to see from publishers in their upcoming editions. Ensuring your adoption committee receives quality professional learning around the latest research and the requirements of the Framework is a critical first step towards selecting math materials that will help every student thrive.

Below is an excerpt from our blog, Overview of the California Revised Mathematics Framework, which summarizes key highlights of the Framework.

In July 2023, the California State Board of Education approved the revised California Mathematics Framework. While its final approval is a huge milestone for math instructional guidance for the state, diving into the nearly thousand-page document to understand how this affects you and your work can be daunting. CalCurriculum is here to support you.

What are the key highlights of the 2023 Math Framework?

The Framework makes a few critical updates to attain higher and more equitable achievement in math for students across the state.

• Big Ideas: The revised Framework integrates the standards around “Big Ideas” rather than teaching them in isolation. This encourages thinking about the connections between standards within and across grade levels, which builds on work done over the last decade to more deeply understand the standards, such as Achieve the Core’s Coherence Map.
• Emphasis on Inquiry-Based Instruction: To integrate teaching standards around “Big Ideas,” the revised Framework also emphasizes inquiry-based instruction, suggesting that students and teachers should spend the majority of their time on mathematical investigations that build authentic connections to the real world and students’ lives. 
• A Focus on Equity: Chapter 2 focuses specifically on “Teaching for Equity and Engagement” and details strategies to promote equitable instruction and outcomes. The Framework prioritizes ways to ensure all students can “see themselves as mathematically capable individuals whose curiosity and love of mathematics learning will be sustained throughout their schooling.” 
• More Supports for Multilingual Learners: Chapter 2 also details best practices and supports for multilingual learners, including using an asset-based approach, supporting home language, developing students’ academic language, building more discourse opportunities, and integrating the English Language Development Standards throughout math instruction. 
• Pathway Updates: The Framework suggests that schools offer algebra starting in ninth grade but allows for district autonomy to determine whether some students may be ready to accelerate this course in middle school. It includes guidance for integrating data science instruction across the grade levels with an explicit call to publishers to include “data as a means to spark inquiry and apply mathematical concepts.” The Framework also notes that a data science high school course can be an option as a third-year course, allowing schools and districts to decide on various pathways. 
• Adoption Guidance: While chapter 13 of the revised Framework is very similar to the adoption guidance in chapter 12 of the prior Framework, there were two substantive additions. First, it reorganizes materials based on Big Ideas and calls for students to “spend the majority of their time on mathematical investigations that address the Big Ideas of that grade.” Second, it calls for publishers to include additional support for teachers with students who are not yet proficient in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in academic English.

How can my district start preparing?

To learn more about the steps you can take today and to prepare for an upcoming adoption process, apply to join CalCurriculum in our forthcoming 2025 Math Adoption workshop series, which will begin in January. 

This workshop series will support districts and charters in setting up their adoption process through the Framework’s lens. You can also continue to check out CalCurriuclum’s Math Adoption hub to learn more about the Framework and how to begin a successful adoption process.