What to Ask Publishers as You Prepare for a California Math Framework-Aligned Adoption

Discover 5 key tips for engaging publishers when preparing to select high-quality math curriculum that’s aligned with the California Math Framework

As districts across California are looking ahead in the state’s Timeline of Significant Events to the November release of the state list of mathematics program recommendations, many teams and leaders are beginning to engage with publishers to learn more about their potential options. As you prepare to do so, you might be wondering: How can I prepare to successfully engage with publishers, and what questions should I be asking to winnow my choices?

Begin with a Clear Understanding of Your Vision & Needs

In order to successfully engage with publishers to get the right information to drive your decision-making and select the best materials for your context, you need to begin with foundational work to shape your team’s understanding of what you are looking for in materials and what your priorities are for your upcoming adoption. This means developing an instructional vision and analyzing your data to identify local priorities (good news – CalCurriculum has resources to support you with this!). As EdReports explains in their blog on best practices for engaging publishers, this will “make it easier for you to distinguish between a vendor’s presentation and the qualities of a program that will make a real difference for the teachers and students in your district.”

Come Prepared with Your Priorities

Once you’ve established key priorities related to your district instructional vision and your needs assessment, use those priorities to develop questions that you want to ask publishers. Is the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework a priority for your district? Make sure you are developing and asking questions about this. Do you want to improve the supports for multilingual learner (MLL) students in your new materials? Make sure you’re reviewing our MLL Review Criteria and using these criteria to develop targeted questions. Do you want to ensure there are high-quality assessments of both content and language, as is outlined in this definition of HQIM? Make sure you are asking about the assessment systems and supports.

Gather Evidence

As we detail in the Evidence section of our Hexagon Discussion & Analysis Tool, it’s important to consider the evidence of quality and efficacy for any set of instructional materials under consideration. Has EdReports evaluated the materials for multiple aspects of quality, including standards alignment? Are there any independent research reports or case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the materials, such as their impact on student learning outcomes? Keep in mind that many such studies are conducted by the publishers or authors of the materials. That doesn’t mean their findings are irrelevant, but it does mean they’re not independent. EdWeek’s recent guide to judging the credibility of research is a helpful resource to explore this topic further.

And as you engage with publishers around your priority questions for alignment to local priorities and the California Math Framework, make sure to continue to ask: “What evidence can you provide? What are some examples of this in the materials?”

Look for Framework Alignment

The 2023 California Mathematics Framework is calling on publishers to “have strengths” in many key instructional shifts outlined in the Framework in order to be “suitable” for adoption. While the standards —what students should know and be able to do—remain the same, the new Framework encourages many evidenced-based instructional shifts on how to get all students to mastery of the standards. If we consider the standards as the destination, the Framework provides guidance on how to get there, as well as guidance for publishers/developers who are creating instructional materials.

 Below are four key Framework alignment questions districts should be asking publishers:

1. 1. Big Ideas: How do you plan on structuring materials to incorporate the Big Ideas? Will the Big Ideas be explicitly stated? What evidence can you provide?
   2. Mathematical Investigations: The Framework calls for “a large majority” of students’ time to be spent on mathematical investigations (inquiry-based instruction). How do you plan to include or expand inquiry-based instruction that allows for authentic problem-solving? How will materials include the drivers of investigations, content connections, and Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs)? What evidence can you provide?
   3. Support for Multilingual Learners: Do your materials include language development objectives that are explicitly tied to the mathematical learning objectives? How do your materials include strategies for students who are Multilingual learners that are consistent with the California English Language Development Standards: Kindergarten through Grade 12? Do they allow for students to engage meaningfully with the core content? Are you using the criteria for review of instructional materials’ success in addressing MLL linguistic and instructional needs? What evidence can you provide?
   4. Teacher Implementation Support: What support do you have in the materials/teacher editions to assist teachers in the instructional shifts around: Big Ideas, mathematical investigations, equitable teaching strategies, data science and number sense development? What examples can you show me of these supports?

Keep Implementation Front of Mind

Beyond the categories outlined above, there are also many factors related to implementation that are crucial for you to explore with publishers. Our Hexagon Discussion & Analysis Tool outline exactly the types of implementation-focused questions you should keep front of mind, such as:

1. 1. Usability: Is each core feature well operationalized (e.g., staff know what to do and say, how to prepare, how to assess progress)? Are the materials easy to navigate and understand for teachers?
   2. Systems Capacity: How do these instructional materials align with current technology (including learning management systems and other platforms) and data security requirements? Do the instructional materials require any new technology (hardware or software)?
   3. Supports: Is publisher training and professional development on the instructional materials available for teachers and leaders, both up front and to help with implementation over time? Do they provide any coaching services?

These questions were front of mind for participants in our final Community of Practice session that just wrapped up our spring 2025 workshop series. After engaging in a training on the Hexagon Tool, one participant shared that they would be prioritizing: “A publisher that provides ongoing teacher implementation training to support teacher capacity.”

As you and your adoption team begin to prepare for next year’s list and upcoming adoptions, our Math Framework Hub can be a great resource with detailed action steps and tools to support each stage of the adoption process. CalCurriculum is here to support as you jump in – check out our Workshops page for upcoming opportunities!