Montgomery County, Md., Public Schools to Use Eureka Math™ from Great Minds®

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools has adopted Eureka Math from Great Minds as its new elementary school math curriculum.

The high-achieving school district just outside Washington, D.C., approved Eureka Math for Prekindergarten through Grade 5. Schools will begin using the math curriculum in the 2019-2020 school year as part of a three-year roll-out.

"In selecting Eureka Math, Montgomery County Public Schools is going to get instructional materials and resources that respect the craft of teaching and set high expectations for all students," said Lynne Munson, founder and CEO of Great Minds. "The curriculum teaches math as a body of knowledge, not just a set of skills. Students build an understanding of math that serves them indefinitely in education and life."

The adoption of Eureka Math by the 14^th largest school system in the country follows a Johns Hopkins University review of the district's curricular needs. The reviewers recommended the district adopt a new curriculum that was better aligned with college- and career-ready learning standards and would improve the teaching of mathematics across grades. The accompanying report noted that the learning trajectory of some subgroups of students was a concern under the district's outgoing curriculum.

At the January 8 Montgomery County Board of Education meeting where district administrators recommended Eureka Math for adoption, Niki Hazel, director of the Department of Elementary Curriculum and Districtwide Programs for Montgomery County Public Schools, commented on the positive reviews other districts gave the math curriculum. "The references were so excited to talk to us about the product and the growth that their students are making in the districts that they're in, so we were really excited about hearing how students are moving (forward) with their resource," she said.

In neighboring District of Columbia Public Schools, students at every grade level assessed, across all neighborhoods, made gains since the districtwide adoption of Eureka Math in the 2016-17 school year. Many other schools and districts across the country also have had strong success with Eureka Math, including "astounding" results at a Kentucky elementary school.

Great Minds developed Eureka Math and its predecessor, EngageNY Math, working with classroom teachers and mathematicians from higher education. The creators sought to produce a math curriculum that would meet more rigorous learning standards; improve students' understanding of mathematics as a body of knowledge rather than simply a set of skills; help students better apply math toward solving real-world problems; and provide teachers with detailed instructional methods.

Independent reviewers, including EdReports.org, have given Eureka Math high scores for alignment with standards and usability in the classroom. The state of Louisiana, known for rigorous curricula review, has given the curriculum its top rating.  

Eureka Math is available for Prekindergarten through Grade 12.

About Great Minds: The organization recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, evolving from a startup to a provider of the highest quality materials to schools nationwide. A group of educators founded Great Minds to define and encourage knowledge-rich, comprehensive education for all students. Eureka Math and Wit & Wisdom® both earned near-perfect scores from independent nonprofit reviewer EdReports.org. Great Minds is the only curriculum developer to have earned three Tier 1 ratings, the highest possible, for Wit & Wisdom, Eureka Math, and PhD Science™, from the Louisiana Department of Education, which is widely respected for its curricula leadership. The most recent data from a RAND Corporation survey of teachers found Eureka Math and its original version, EngageNY Math, were the most widely used elementary school math curriculum in the nation. Learn more at greatminds.org.

SOURCE Great Minds

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