The Triton Regional School Committee voted April 9 to adopt the Big Ideas mathematics curriculum for students in grade 7 through Algebra II after teachers completed side-by-side pilots of two programs.

The recommendation, presented by Dr. Anna Bates, the district’s director of curriculum, and teacher leaders Kelly Buckley and Irene Thompson, follows a multi-year review, classroom pilots in middle- and high-school sections and teacher surveys. Implementation was approved by voice vote; the district says the full implementation cost will be covered in this fiscal year’s budget and staff estimated an upper-cost projection of about $87,000 for six years of licenses and class-set textbooks, though the final vendor quote had not arrived at the time of the meeting.

District leaders said the pilots began in 2022–23 with a formal stage-one review and continued through 2023–24 and the current year. Ten teachers — four middle school and six high school — participated in classroom-level pilots that covered algebra 1, algebra 2 and geometry sections. Teachers rated the pilots, analyzed unit-by-unit feedback and met with publishers for training and troubleshooting during the year.

Dr. Anna Bates said the review used a Massachusetts CURATE rubric adapted for local teachers, and that the team narrowed 13 curricula to two finalists. “We set out in the beginning to identify a program that would meet the diverse needs of our students through a balanced approach of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and real world application,” Bates said while presenting the recommendation.

Teacher leader Kelly Buckley described how the pilot was run with scheduled trainings, regular teacher collaboration and a shared document listing every lesson piloted and teacher feedback. “At the end of the process, we feel like it was all worth it because we unanimously agree on a curriculum that we feel is most in line with Triton’s vision,” Buckley said.

Irene Thompson, who summarized the pilot results, emphasized the curriculum’s step-by-step explanations, visual aids, videos and built-in tiered supports. “Big Ideas is the curriculum that stands out as the more accessible and more relatable option for our students,” Thompson said.

Committee members asked several implementation questions during the meeting: whether honors-level sections would be covered (the adoption applies to college-preparatory/CP levels; honors programs would be handled separately), whether content would be available in print or online (both, with class sets and online access for students and teachers), and how the curriculum would integrate with existing diagnostic tools such as i‑Ready (district staff said the platforms could be used together and that the district would pilot any publisher benchmarks before replacing i‑Ready).

On cost, staff said pilot materials were provided at no charge and the district had budgeted a conservative high-water amount for full implementation. The budget estimate presented to the committee was up to about $87,000 for six years of licenses plus textbooks; staff said they expected the final price to be lower because the district planned to purchase class sets rather than an individual hard copy for every student.

Committee members discussed phasing options, including rolling out the program by grade band or by course if the district needed to spread costs across fiscal years. The finance subcommittee and administration said they would return in May with a refined spending plan.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion: “Approve the adoption of the Big Ideas mathematics curriculum as presented.” Mover: Irene Thompson. Second: (committee member; name not specified in transcript). Outcome: approved by voice vote (tally not specified).

The committee asked administration to return with a final vendor quote and an implementation schedule, including professional development for special educators, instructional assistants and administrators.

The adoption completes a multi-year curriculum review process and begins a planning phase to install the publisher platform, provide training and align benchmark assessments.

Ending: Implementation work and final budget details are expected to return to the committee at the May meeting, and staff said they would prioritize teacher-led coaching and targeted PD to support classroom rollout.