The board of trustees unanimously approved the instructional materials during a May 15 meeting.
A closer look
PfISD first adopted Texas Go Math, its current math curriculum, in 2013.
“We need something new; we need a change,” said Erik Torres, chief academic and innovation officer.
Following a campus review process, officials recommended Delco, Dessau, Northwest, River Oaks, Spring Hill and Timmerman elementary schools to pilot Bluebonnet Learning in the upcoming school year.
“We’ve come to understand that this [math] data is not good,” Torres said. “Prior to the pandemic, we were doing OK. However, since then, we have flatlined. We have used the same math product for more than 10 years.”
The details
According to Torres, the new Bluebonnet Learning curriculum will provide:
- Lesson plans for teachers
- Differentiated instruction for emergent-bilingual students
- Activities for special education students
- Other resources for special education teachers and students
Some context
House Bill 1605, which was passed in 2023, established that the State Board of Education must approve a list of high-quality instructional materials, or HQIM, for school districts.
The Texas Education Agency then created its instructional materials review and approval process, or IMRA.
Per agenda documents, school districts receive financial entitlements for choosing materials that have been approved through the IMRA process.
The TEA also has Open Education Resources, which are instructional materials provided free of charge.
Bluebonnet Learning is both IMRA-approved and an Open Education Resource.
PfISD’s material adoption process includes identifying IMRA-approved products and ordering and sending the materials to teachers to review, said Ellen Bhattacharyya, executive director of curriculum and innovation.
Next steps
- May-June: prepare and plan for the school year
- July-August: provide materials and training needed
- August-March: monitor student progress and adjust when needed
- March-May: reflect on the implementation to plan for growth
