The following is a message from the Olympia School District’s K-12 Teaching and Learning Department sharing exciting national news about the Bridges elementary math curriculum. This week marks the end of the second year of the curriculum’s use in elementary schools throughout the Olympia School District.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the teachers who were on the elementary math adoption committee in 2013-14. Another thank you to our elementary teachers and the incredible work they have done with the implementation of Bridges. EdReports recently evaluated Bridges, and the Math Learning Center’s Collin Nelson relays the exciting results in the following report:

“Bridges in Mathematics Second Edition was evaluated by EdReports and met all three major criteria at each grade level. This places Bridges among the very few programs that have achieved the organization’s highest rating.

EdReports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educators with a trusted resource for independent reviews of classroom curricula. Their rigorous process evaluates how closely curricula align to the Common Core State Standards using three main criteria: (1) Focus and Coherence, (2) Rigor and the Mathematical Practices, and (3) Instructional Supports and Other Usability Indicators.

After a thorough review of Bridges, EdReports found that Bridges materials are coherent, follow a logical progression, balance all three aspects of rigor, devote effort to the math practices, and develop conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts. EdReports also deemed Bridges highly usable noting that in terms of “use and design, the problems and exercises are developed sequentially and each activity has a mathematical purpose.

‘We appreciate the important role EdReports plays in terms of evaluating curricula and we’re gratified they found Bridges to be among the best,’ said Rick Ludeman, Math Learning Center president.”

Click here to see the report and learn more about EdReports on its website:

This is exciting news and continues to add to the credibility of our elementary math program.  Teachers are reporting they are seeing a huge amount of growth in their students.  Students are entering new grade levels as more confident math learners and have the ability to communicate their thinking.  We are looking forward to even more math growth in our students in 2016-17!