What features does Amplify Classroom offer teachers?

Amplify Classroom offers built-in tools that promote real-time teacher visibility and student engagement. Key features include: Real-time student insights: See student responses and thinking as they happen, all in one easy-to-use teacher dashboard. Teacher pacing controls: Pause a lesson or advance all student screens simultaneously. Select and sequence student work: Highlight student ideas live by selecting and sharing student work during a discussion. Anonymous student sharing: Display student work to the class without showing students’ real names. Lesson customization: Copy and edit pre-built K–12 lessons or build your own from scratch using our drag-and-drop lesson builder. Class management tools: Create and manage multiple classes, add co-teachers, and organize rosters.

Amplify Desmos Math California

Welcome, K–8 Reviewers!

We’re honored to introduce you to Amplify Desmos Math California. We’re confident you’ll find this comprehensive program to be a powerful tool for bringing the vision of the California Math Framework to life in classrooms across the state.

Please start with the video on the right to learn how to navigate the program and access key features referenced within our submission. Below you’ll find additional resources to support your review.

Your Review Samples

As a curriculum that incorporates both print and digital resources, it’s important that you explore both our physical materials (delivered to you in grade-specific tubs) and our digital materials (accessible through our platform). We invite you to explore both types of resources using the instructions and tips below.

Print Samples

Your print samples should have arrived in grade-specific tubs with a copy of two Reviewer binders. The K-5 Reviewer binder is contained within the Grade K shipping box and the Grade 6-8 Reviewer binder can be located in the Grade 6 shipping box. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside each tub as well as within your Reviewer Binder.

Digital Samples

In order to access your digital samples, you’ll need to log into our platform using your unique login credentials found on a Digital Access Flyer inside of your Reviewer Binder. Once you have located the flyer:

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Access Flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation Tips

Below you will find helpful tips for navigating Amplify Desmos Math California. We recommend reading these pages alongside the program’s print materials and digital experience to gain a deeper understanding of the program.

Click the links below to read about navigating program features including:

Built for California

The Amplify Desmos Math California program is designed around the vision articulated in the California Mathematics Framework to enable all California students to become powerful users of mathematics. Our program incorporates the latest research in student learning, meaning that we:

Focus on the Big Ideas: Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. Big Ideas, like standards, are not considered in isolation. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons.
Center on open and engaging tasks: Amplify Desmos Math California is grounded in engaging tasks meant to address students’ often-asked question: “Why am I learning this?” Students are invited into learning with low-floor, high-ceiling tasks that provide an entry point for all. Open tasks in Amplify Desmos Math California provide the space for students to try on multiple strategies and represent their thinking in different ways, and allow student explanation and discussion to serve as the center of the classroom. All lessons offer both print and digital representations of lessons.
Provide enhanced digital experiences: Amplify Desmos Math California includes digitally-enhanced lesson activities, incorporating interactive digital tools alongside print materials. These purposefully-placed resources allow students to visualize mathematical concepts, receive actionable feedback while practicing, encounter personalized learning support from an onscreen tutor, and engage in discussions about their thinking and approaches.
Treat core instruction and differentiation as integral partners: The Amplify Desmos Math California curriculum provides teachers with lessons, strategies, and resources to eliminate barriers and increase access to grade-level content without reducing the mathematical demand of tasks. Every activity has multiple entry points to ensure that all students are supported and challenged. Intervention and personalized learning activities are directly connected to lesson content and offer students the individualized support as they dive into the mathematics.

Category 1: Mathematics Content/Alignment with the Standards

Standards Maps

The links below provide the Standards Maps for Amplify Desmos Math California for each grade level.

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked here is the Evaluation Criteria Map for grades K–8. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

The links below provide the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the Standards for Mathematical Practice at each grade level.

Drivers of Investigation and Content Connections

Amplify Desmos Math California incorporates the Drivers of Investigation (DIs) and Content Connection (CCs) throughout the program. Throughout the year, students engage with open and authentic tasks of varying durations — from lesson activities to unit-level Explore lessons and longer course-level Investigations. Every lesson and investigation opportunity is grounded around the why, how, and what of the learning experience, and helps teachers bring mathematical concepts to life.

A three-column chart details: Drivers of Investigation, Standards for Mathematical Practice, and Content Connections, each with their respective codes and brief descriptions.

California English Language Development Standards

The links below provide the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the California English Language Development Standards at each grade level.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts

Select lessons, performance tasks, and investigations across grade levels in Amplify Desmos Math California are aligned to one or more of the California Environmental Principles and Concepts. Click the links below to view how the California Environmental Principles and Concepts are represented in each grade level.

Category 2: Program Organization

Amplify Desmos Math California thoughtfully combines conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application. Each lesson is designed to tell a story by posing problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to synthesize their understanding of the learning goals.

Big Ideas

Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons. Please refer to Keeping the Big Ideas at the Center (linked below) for specific lesson designs and alignment with the Big Ideas for each grade level.

Program Structure

Amplify Desmos Math California combines the best of problem-based lessons, intervention, personalized practice, and assessments into a coherent and engaging experience for both students and teachers.

A diagram showing three stages: Core instruction, Integrated personalized learning, and Embedded intervention, under Screening and progress monitoring with daily tiered support.

Lessons and units in Amplify Desmos Math California are designed around a Proficiency Progression, a model that steps out problem-based learning by systematically building students’ curiosity into lasting grade-level understanding.

Five steps for learning: 1. Activate prior knowledge, 2. Collaborate, 3. Refine ideas, 4. Guide to understanding, 5. Practice and extend for lasting understanding.

In the Proficiency Progression, lessons begin by activating students’ natural curiosity and offering opportunities to generate new ideas through collaboration. Teachers are then able to refine ideas through intentional facilitation and guide students to grade-level understanding, while students retain the ability to use different strategies and methods to show their comprehension of the content. Students are provided ample opportunities to develop lasting understanding.

Scope and Sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence for each grade level.

A chart displaying seven kindergarten math units with themes, number of instructional days, and assessment days, totaling 136 suggested instructional days.

Grade 1 instructional units overview showing 7 units on math topics, total suggested days is 153, with each unit listing instructional and assessment days.

Grade 2 math curriculum map showing 8 units with topics, number of instructional and assessment days, and total days; suggested instructional days: 156.

Seven instructional units are shown, each with a title, icon, number of instructional and assessment days, and total days; a note suggests 150 instructional days in total.

A Grade 4 math curriculum overview showing seven units with titles, number of instructional days, and assessment days; the suggested total instructional days is 152.

A curriculum map displays seven math units with icons, titles, instructional days, and assessment days, totaling 149 suggested instructional days.

A chart showing Grade 6 math units, each with instructional days, assessment days, and optional days. Total suggested instructional days is 142, plus 19 optional days.

Overview of Grade 7 math curriculum units, showing unit titles, number of instructional, assessment, and optional days for each, with a total of 125 instructional days plus 22 optional days.

Eight illustrated cards display Grade 8 math units, each with the unit title, topics covered, number of instructional and assessment days, and a total of 131 suggested instructional days.

Curriculum chart showing eight units split into two volumes, with topics, instructional days, assessment days, and optional days listed for each unit over an accelerated 6th-grade year.

A chart displays the breakdown of Accelerated 7 math units, indicating topics, number of instructional days, assessment days, and optional days for each of the nine units across two volumes.

Lesson Design and Structure

A four-part diagram shows: Warm-Up, Activities with a graph of student ideas to grade-level understanding, Synthesis with notes, and Practice and differentiation with students building a structure.

Amplify Desmos Math California is designed with a structured approach to problem-based learning that systematically builds on students’ curiosity and allows students to grapple with the Big Ideas of the California Framework. Every lesson activity is organized into a Launch, Monitor, Connect format.

Launch: The launch is a short, whole-class conversation that creates a need or excitement, provides clarity, or helps students connect their prior knowledge or personal experience, which ensures that everyone has access to the upcoming work.
Monitor: As students work individually, in pairs, or in groups, teachers explore student thinking, ask questions, and provide support to help move the conversations closer to the intended math learning goal.
Connect: Teachers connect students’ ideas to the key learning goals of the lesson, facilitating class discussions that help synthesize and solidify the Big Ideas.

Each lesson within Amplify Desmos Math California follows the same structure.

Warm-Up: Every Amplify Desmos Math California lesson begins with a whole class Warm-Up. Warm-Ups are an invitational Instructional Routine intended to provide a social moment at the start of the lesson in which every student has an opportunity to contribute. Warm-Ups may build fluency or highlight a strategy that may be helpful in the current lesson or act as an invitation into the math of the lesson.
Lesson Activities: Each lesson includes one or two activities. These activities are the heart of each lesson. Students notice, wonder, explore, calculate, predict, measure, explain their thinking, use math to settle disputes, create challenges for their classmates, and more. Guidance is provided to help teachers launch, monitor, and connect student thinking over the course of the activity.
Synthesis and Show What You Know: The Synthesis is an opportunity for the teacher and students to pull all the learning of the lesson together into a lesson takeaway. Students engage in a facilitated discussion to consolidate and refine their ideas about the learning goals, and the teacher synthesizes students’ learning. Show What You Know is a daily assessment opportunity for students to show what they know about the learning goals and what they are still learning.
Centers (K–5): Centers are hands-on activities for students in grades K–5 to play collaboratively to strengthen their understanding of key skills and concepts. In grades K–1, students have Daily Center Time built into every lesson.
Practice and Differentiation: Daily practice problems for the day’s lesson are included both online and in the print Student Edition, including fluency, test practice, and spiral review.

Kindergarten–Grade 1

A lesson plan timeline showing phases: Warm-Up (5–10 min, whole class), Lesson Activities (25–30 min), Synthesis (10 min), Centers (15 min), and Practice (time varies).

Grades 2–5

A horizontal flowchart shows a classroom lesson sequence: Warm-Up (5–10 min), Lesson Activities (35 min), Synthesis (10 min), and Practice (time varies); groupings vary.

Grades 6–8

A horizontal timeline shows four lesson segments: Warm-Up (5 min), Lesson Activities (30 min), Synthesis (10 min), and Practice (time varies).

Routines

Amplify Desmos Math California features a variety of lesson routines. Instructional routines and Math Language Routines (MLRs) are used within lessons to highlight student-developed language and ideas, cultivate conversation, support mathematical sense-making, and promote meta-cognition. Both are called out at point-of-use within the Teacher Edition and Teacher Presentation Screens. Below are the types of routines used throughout the Amplify Desmos Math California curriculum:

Math Language Routines

MLR1: Stronger and Clearer Each Time
MLR2: Collect and Display
MLR3: Critique, Correct, Clarify
MLR5: Co-Craft Questions
MLR6: Three Reads
MLR7: Compare and Connect
MLR 8: Discussion Supports

Instructional Routines

Decide and Defend
Notice and Wonder
Number Talk
Tell a Story
Think-Pair-Share
Which One Doesn’t Belong?

Category 3: Assessments

A variety of performance data in Amplify Desmos Math California provides evidence of student learning, while helping students bolster their skills and understanding.

Unit-Level Assessment

Amplify Desmos Math California has embedded unit assessments that offer key insights into students’ conceptual understanding of math. These assessments provide regular, actionable information about how students are thinking about and processing math, with both auto-scoring and in-depth rubrics that help teachers anticipate and respond to students’ learning needs.

Pre-Unit Check: Each unit in grades 2–8 begins with a formative assessment designed to identify the student skills that will be particularly relevant to the upcoming unit. This check is agnostic to the standards covered in the following unit and serves not as a deficit-based acknowledgment of what students do not know, but rather as an affirmation of the knowledge and skills with which students come in.
End-of-Unit Assessment: Students engage with rigorous grade-level mathematics through a variety of formats and tasks in the summative End-of-Unit Assessment. A combination of auto-scored (when completed digitally) and rubric-scored items provides deep insights into student thinking. All Amplify Desmos Math California End-of-Unit Assessments include two forms.
Sub-Unit Quizzes: Sub-Unit Quizzes are formative assessments embedded regularly in Grades Kindergarten through Algebra 1. In these checks, students are assessed on a subset of conceptual understandings from the unit, with rubrics that help illuminate students’ current understanding and provide guidance for responding to student thinking.
Sub-Unit Checklists: These checklists enable teachers to observe key skills and concepts that cannot be assessed on a pencil-and-paper assessment in Kindergarten–Grade 1. The checklists outline the supports students need to achieve mathematical growth and success.
Performance Tasks: At the end of each unit in grades 3–8, there is a summative assessment performance task provided to evaluate students’ proficiency with the concepts and skills addressed in the unit.

Lesson-Level Assessments

Amplify Desmos Math California lessons include daily moments of assessment to provide valuable evidence of learning for both the teacher and student. Beyond formative, summative, and benchmark assessments, students also have opportunities for self-reflection with Watch Your Knowledge Grow. Students take ownership of their learning by reflecting and tracking their progress before and after each unit.

Show What You Know: Each lesson has a daily formative assessment focused on one of the key concepts in the lesson. Show What You Know moments are carefully designed to minimize completion time for students while maximizing daily teacher insights to attend to student needs during the following class.
Responsive Feedback™: Teachers have the ability to see and provide in-the-moment feedback as students progress through a digital lesson. Responsive Feedback motivates students and engages them in the learning process.

Diagnostic Assessment

Every grade level features an asset-based diagnostic assessment designed to be administered at the beginning of the year. Delivered digitally and to the whole class, our diagnostic assessment is uniquely designed to reveal underlying math thinking and identify what students know about grade-level math. With data beyond just right and wrong, teachers have the type of deeper level of insights need to take the right next step.

CAASPP-Aligned Assessment Preparation

Amplify Desmos Math is designed to support students’ mathematical development through problem-based learning, differentiation, and embedded assessments. The program’s emphasis on conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application aligns with the mathematical practices and content standards assessed by the CAASPP.

Amplify Desmos Math California includes a CAASPP-aligned Item Bank. This standards-aligned bank of questions allows teachers to filter and search by grade and standard to find items. Once assigned on the digital platform, students will experience CAASPP-like practice with the online digital tools.

Data and Reporting

Amplify Desmos Math California provides teachers and administrators with unified reporting and insights so that educators have visibility into what students know about grade-level math—and can plan instruction accordingly for the whole class, small groups, and individual students. Reporting functionality integrates unit assessments, lesson assessments, diagnostic data, and progress monitoring for a comprehensive look at student learning. Program reports show proficiency and growth by domain, cluster, standard, and priority concept using performance data from unit assessments, then highlight areas of potential student need to allow teachers to modify their instruction and target differentiated support.

Administrator reporting provides a complete picture of student, class, and district performance, allowing administrators to implement instructional and intervention plans.

Category 4: Access and Equity

The Amplify Desmos Math California curriculum provides teachers with lessons, strategies, and resources to eliminate barriers and increase access to grade-level content without reducing the mathematical demand of tasks. Our lessons are developed using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to proactively ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Every activity has multiple entry points to ensure that all students are supported and challenged. Intervention and personalized learning activities are directly connected to the day’s content and offer students the individualized supports they need to be successful.

Each lesson and unit contains guidance for teachers on how to identify students who may need support, students who need to keep strengthening their understanding, and students who may be ready to stretch their learning. In addition, teachers are provided with recommendations for resources to use with each group of students.

Universal Design for Learning

Each lesson in the program incorporates opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Multiple Means of Engagement: Students engage in both print and digital learning, and are regularly participating in discussions and hands-on activities. Students are invited to build their own challenge for other students to solve, which provides opportunities for choice and
autonomy, as well as joy and play.
Multiple Means of Representation: Students are encouraged to demonstrate their learning using mathematical representations, both print and digital, and regularly engage with their peers in analyzing multiple possible solutions. Classes engage in open-ended discussions about what individual students notice and wonder about mathematical concepts.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Learners differ in how they navigate learning environments and express what they know. Students can communicate their ideas in multiple ways, including in print, sketching, uploading photos, or recording an audio response.

Accessibility

Lesson facilitation supports

Every lesson includes at least one specific suggestion the teacher can use to increase access to the lesson without reducing the mathematical demand of the tasks. These suggestions address the following areas:

Visual-spatial processing
Conceptual processing
Executive functioning
Memory and attention
Fine motor skills

Accessibility tools

Students have the ability to control accessibility tools so that each learning experience is customized to their individual needs. In many instances, these tools can be turned on or off at any point of instruction.

Text to speech: Reads text instructions to students in multiple languages
Enlarged font: Increases the size of all text on screen
Braille mode: Includes narration of digital interactions
Language selection: Toggles between languages

Differentiation: In-Lesson Teacher Moves

Within every lesson activity, teachers can use the suggestions in the Differentiation Teacher Moves table to provide in-the-moment instructional support while students are engaged in the work of the lesson. This table can help teachers anticipate the ways students may approach the activity, and provides prompts that they can use during the lesson to Support, Strengthen, and Stretch individual students in their thinking. Teachers are provided with clear student actions and understanding to look for, each matched with immediately usable suggestions for how to respond to the student thinking illustrated in each row of the table. In addition to using these suggestions in the moment as teachers monitor student work, teachers can review the Differentiation table in advance to help them anticipate how students are likely to approach the activity.

A table showing differentiation teacher moves with examples of representing groups in different ways, support prompts, and a stretch question about patterns with more teams.

Differentiation: Beyond the Lesson

Teachers are provided with recommendations for resources to use with each group of students needing support, strengthening, and stretching after each lesson. Support, Strengthen, and Stretch resources include:

Mini-Lessons: 15-minute, small-group direct instruction lessons targeted to a specific concept or skill
Item Banks: Space for teachers to create practice and assessments by using filters and searching for standards, summative-style items, and more
Fluency Practice: Adaptive, personalized practice built out for basic operations and more
Centers (K–5): Lesson-embedded routines and practice for students that are vertically aligned across grade levels
Extensions: Lesson-embedded Teacher Moves including possible stretch questions and activities for students
Lesson Practice: Additional practice problems support every lesson
Math Adventures: Strategy-based math games where students engage with math concepts and practice skills in a fun digital environment
Lesson Summary Support: Support for students and caregivers that provides efficient explanation of the learning goal with clear examples

Math Identity and Community

The Math Identity and Community feature supports teachers in helping students build confidence in their own mathematical thinking, develop skills to work with and learn from others when doing math, and learn how math is an interwoven part of their broader community. The embedded prompts throughout the lessons are designed to highlight what it means to be good at math, the value of sharing ideas, and the power of flexible and creating thinking. Here are some examples of the Math Identity and Community supports embedded in each lesson:

I can be all of me in math class. You will work with partners every day in math class. What do you want your partners to know about you?
We are a math community. What does good listening look like and sound like in a math community?
I am a doer of math. What math strengths did you use today?

Unit Stories

Every unit in grades K–5 contains a Unit Story. These Unit Stories are brief fiction stories read aloud by the teacher at the beginning of each unit that connect to the math of the unit and introduce characters that students will get to know as they engage in the unit. Teachers read the story aloud from their Teacher Edition while projecting illustrations for students from the story, found in the Teacher Presentation Screens for the story. Across the unit, the Unit Story context and characters are used at appropriate points to inspire and engage students in the math as well as in reflections about their math identity and community.

Math Language Development

Every lesson in Amplify Desmos Math California includes opportunities for all students to develop mathematical language as they experience the content. Amplify Desmos Math California purposefully progresses language development from lesson to lesson and across units by supporting students in making their arguments and explanations stronger, clearer, and more precise. This systematic approach to the development of math language can be broken down into the following four categories of support:

Vocabulary: Units and lessons start by surfacing students’ language for new concepts, then building connections between their language and the new vocabulary for that unit. This honors the language assets that students bring into their learning.
Language goals: Language goals attend to the mathematics students are learning, and are written through the lens of one or more of four language modalities: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Math Language Routines: Math Language Routines are used within lessons to highlight student-developed language and ideas, cultivate conversation, support mathematical sense-making, and promote meta-cognition.
Multilingual/English learner supports: Supports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentional points within each lesson. These specific, targeted suggestions support ML/ELs with modifications that increase access to a task, or through development of contextual or mathematical language (both of which can be supportive of all learners).

Multilingual and English Learner Supports

Partnership with English Learner Success Forum

Amplify partnered with the English Learner Success Forum (ELSF), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for high-quality instructional materials that are inclusive of multilingual learners. ELSF reviewed Amplify Desmos Math California, and provided directional guidance and feedback to ensure that the program reflects their research-based instructional strategies for multilingual/English learners.

Math Language Development Resources

Our Math Language Development Resources book contains lesson-specific strategies and activities for all levels of English Learners (i.e., Emerging, Expanding, Bridging). With support for every lesson, teachers are empowered to help all students, regardless of their language skills, to participate fully, grasp the material, and excel in their mathematical journey.

Multilingual Glossary

Amplify Desmos Math California includes a digital glossary for languages other than Spanish. Translations will be provided for up to nine languages.

Spanish Version

Amplify Desmos Math California will include Spanish student-facing materials beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Support

Amplify Desmos Math California includes a variety of embedded instructional supports to empower teachers to lead effectively and gain actionable insights into student growth and progress. Teachers are equipped with a comprehensive set of resources designed to fulfill the requirements of Category 5.

Grade-level concepts

Within the Teacher Edition front matter:

Scope and sequence
Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Unit and Sub-Unit Overview:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Math that Matters Most
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Lesson:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

How to implement the program

At the course level (within the Teacher Edition front matter):

Navigating the Program (both print and digital)
Facilitating Lesson Activities with Launch, Monitor and Connect
Overview of the Digital Facilitation Tools

At the lesson level:

Suggestions for timing
What materials to prep
How to organize and group students
Key lesson takeaways with the Synthesis
Recommendations for Differentiation
Strategies for intervention and extensions (in the Intervention, Extensions, and Investigation Resources book)

At the activity level:

Differentiation recommendations
Accessibility tips
ML / EL tips
Teacher look-fors
Recommended Teacher Moves
Prompts for guiding student thinking
Sample student responses

Development of Math Language

A variety of language development supports are provided within the Student and Teacher Editions and Math Language Development Resources book.

At the lesson level:

Diagrams and visuals
Sentence frames and word banks
Graphic organizers, including Frayer models
Vocabulary routines
Embedded language supports aligned to the CA ELDs
Lesson-specific strategies for Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging

At the unit level:

Words With Multiple Meanings
Contextual vocabulary

At the course level:

English/Spanish cognates
Multilingual Glossary

Other Curriculum Guidance

Additional Practice Resources book
Assessment Resources book
Assess and Respond guidance paired with each assessment opportunity
Show-What-You-Know activities
Answer keys and rubrics
Performance tasks

Welcome, Program 3 reviewers!

We’re honored to introduce you to Amplify California Language Arts. We’re confident you’ll find this comprehensive program to be a powerful tool for bringing the vision of the California ELA/ELD Framework to life in classrooms across the state.

Your review samples

We’re excited for you to begin your review of Amplify California Language Arts, a comprehensive biliteracy program for kindergarten through grade 6.

Reviewer Binders (K–6)

Your physical samples should have arrived in grade-specific boxes with three Reviewer Binders.

The first binder will contain logistical program review information and the printed Evaluation Criteria Map.
The second binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades K–2.
The third binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades 3–6.

Physical samples (trade books)

Your review of the program will be entirely digital with the exception of the trade books that you will be receiving as physical samples. You can expect to receive 13 boxes of physical materials for your review. Twelve boxes of trade books, one for each grade K–5, in English and Spanish, and one box containing your Reviewer Binders.

As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside each box as well as within your Reviewer Binder.

Digital review materials

In order to access your digital review materials, you’ll need to log in to our platform using your unique login credentials found on a Digital Review Credential flyer inside of your Reviewer Binder. Once you have located the flyer:

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Review Credential flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation tips

Before you get started, please review these important functionality notes:

Criteria Map and Standards Maps must be opened on Microsoft Word on your desktop to function as intended. If you open the documents without Microsoft Word on your desktop, citations will be cut off at the bottom of most tables within the document.

Many of our citations are deep-links to PDFs, meaning they will take you to the right page or the first page in the sequence for the citation in question. To ensure this functionality works, please disable any PDF-viewing extensions or plug-ins such as Adobe Acrobat Pro Browser Extension.

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grades K–5

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grade 6

Click here for additional information on navigating the program for grade 6.

Category 1: English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Development (ELD) content/alignment to standards

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked below is the Evaluation Criteria Map. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Program 3: Basic Biliteracy (K–6) Evaluation Criteria Map

ELA Standards Maps

The links below provide the Standards Maps for Amplify California Language Arts for each grade level.

ELD Standards Maps

Category 2: Program organization

Amplify California Language Arts’ biliteracy program is a comprehensive curriculum provides a full year of evidence-based instruction for each grade level, with both integrated and designated English Language Development instruction designed to give multilingual/English learners the tools to thrive. Amplify’s biliteracy program for grades K–6 includes:

Core English language arts instruction: Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) California (grades K–5) and Amplify ELA California (grade 6) covering knowledge building and foundational skills.
- Provides upper grade foundational skills instruction for grades 3–6.
Core Spanish language arts instruction: Amplify Caminos California, a fully parallel SLA program that works in tandem with English core instruction across all grades.
- Provides upper grade foundational skills instruction for grades 3–6.
Designated English Language Development: Language Studio California is the designated English Language Development companion that directly aligns with and supports core English instruction.
Newcomer Support: Amplify California Language Arts Newcomer Support to facilitate instruction for students who are new to both English and the United States.

Program structure

Amplify’s California Language Arts programs are built on what the research shows: Strong readers need both word recognition and language comprehension. Our comprehensive curriculum suite follows the Simple View of Reading bringing together foundational skills and knowledge building to deliver instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.

This model is integral to the structure of the Amplify biliteracy program, which directly aligns with the CA CCSS ELA and ELD standards by combining rigorous decoding and skills instruction with research-based knowledge and language development instruction. In its early grades, the Amplify biliteracy program uses a two-strand structure—Skills/Lectoescritura and Knowledge/Conocimiento—to effectively address this learning challenge while meeting standards expectations for both language development and academic content mastery.

Diagram with three orange squares labeled: "Language comprehension," "Word recognition," and "Skilled reading," connected by multiplication and equals signs, with Spanish headings above each square.

[Reviewer highlight video] Program organization for Category 2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades K–2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades 3–5

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grade 6

Amplify Caminos California lessons are designed to allow all students time to work toward learning objectives, including peer collaboration and discussion. Since each lesson activity is aligned to subsequent activities, students’ understanding and analysis develops progressively throughout the lesson.

Each lesson follows a predictable structure with clearly marked components, beginning with warm-up routines, progressing through explicit instruction with guided practice, and concluding with independent application activities. The program provides detailed teacher language, including question stems and discussion prompts, ensuring clear and consistent delivery of instruction.

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify Caminos California empower teachers to deliver effective instruction and keep students engaged with the following resources:

Teacher Guides
Assessment Guides
Authentic texts and trade books
Knowledge Image Cards
Knowledge Flip Books
Remediation and intervention resources
Decodable readers
Student Readers and novels
Student Activity Books
Dedicated ELD support with Language Studio California
Poet’s Journals
eReaders
Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs
Instructional routine modeling videos
Assignable Practice Games
On-demand professional development

Amplify ELA California students stay engaged with the following resources:

Teacher Guides that include:
- Detailed lesson plans
- Standards alignment and exit tickets
- Real-time differentiation strategies
- Robust reporting

Student Editions that include:
- High-quality narrative and informational texts
- Videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention
- Personal Writing Journal to keep all student writing in one place

Dedicated ELD support with Language Studio California
Trade books

Core literacy philosophy

Support every learner. Meet all learning needs with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) that brings together universal screening, scaffolded core instruction, support for multilingual/English learners, and data-driven intervention to ensure every student gets what they need to succeed.

Deliver consistent foundational skills instruction. Daily explicit, systematic skills instruction in grades K–2, with targeted yet flexible support for students still building decoding confidence in grades 3–6, ensures mastery of essential reading foundations.

Build lasting knowledge across all grades. Through coherently sequenced, content-rich instruction that revisits key vocabulary and concepts with increasing complexity, students build meaningful connections that deepen their vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Strengthen reading through writing at every level. Regular writing instruction grounded in the Science of Writing supports reading comprehension, improves sentence-level writing, and provides the foundation for high-quality composition. As students progress through the upper grades, they engage in increasingly complex analytical tasks—synthesizing ideas, drawing generalizations, and interpreting multiple textual layers through both focused quick-writes and comprehensive essays.

Foster oral language development. Structured opportunities for academic conversation and evidence-based dialogue build students’ ability to express complex ideas with precision and allow them to participate confidently in classroom discussions.

Measure growth with comprehensive assessments. Assessments range from in-the-moment checks for understanding to summative assessments that measure progress toward skills mastery and standards proficiency, providing the data needed to drive targeted instruction.

Scope and sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence documents for each grade level.

Routines

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California include several structured instructional routines that provide predictable patterns for both teachers and students:

Discussion and collaboration routines:

Turn and Talk: Partners discuss text-specific content using sentence starters and frames
Think-Pair-Share: Students engage in individual thinking, partner discussion, and whole-class sharing
Partner reading: Students sit shoulder-to-shoulder, taking turns reading and listening

Foundational Skills routines:

Sound-spelling review: Warm-up activities that reinforce phonics patterns
Oral blending warm-ups: Teacher-guided practice progressing to independent application
Finger-tapping: Techniques for blending sounds
Chaining activities: Students manipulate letters to transform one word into another
Word Work: Daily short activities focused on domain-specific and academic vocabulary

Knowledge-building routines:

Teacher modeling: Demonstration of proper intonation, expression, and pacing
Choral reading: Whole-class reading practice
Partner reading: Paired fluency practice

Close reading routines

The program includes carefully structured close reading activities that guide students through multiple encounters with complex texts. These routines help students develop deeper comprehension through systematic analysis and discussion.

Each routine includes comprehensive instructional guides with clear-cut directions for implementation, straightforward explanations of concepts, and suggestions for discussion.

Cross-Linguistic Transfer routines

The Cross-Linguistic Transfer (CLT) routines are easy-to-implement, 10–15 minute mini-lessons designed to help bridge English and Spanish literacy and language development. These structured routines are organized by grade bands for K–2, grades 3–5 and grade 6, covering five skill areas:

Oral language
Reading
Vocabulary
Language
Writing

[Reviewer highlight video] Amplify’s program alignment to Cross-Linguistic Transfer criteria

Designated English Language Development materials

Language Studio California is a K–8 content-based companion for English language learners. Built on Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California’s carefully sequenced Knowledge Domains, it combines engaging content knowledge with targeted supports and research-based strategies to help students move swiftly toward language proficiency. This program includes:

Real-world content to provide authentic opportunities to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Scaffolding strategies and differentiated instruction to offer targeted support along five English proficiency levels.
Progress monitoring tools to help teachers provide consistent and effective support.
Teacher Guides that:
- Provide impactful progress monitoring tools including formative and summative assessments, and Language Proficiency Assessment rubrics.
- Offer varied differentiation strategies including Support, Challenge, and Access supports in each lesson segment.
- Are organized into thoughtful lesson segments—Talk Time, Building Background, On Stage and more—that make learning objectives concrete.
Activities that:
- Expand on domain knowledge from core content and read-alouds and prompt collaborative conversation to practice oral fluency.
- Support hands-on language activities to promote authentic interaction in the classroom.
- Help students bridge experiences and knowledge with images, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, anticipation guides, writing space, and more.

Category 3: Assessments

Systematic MTSS alignment

In alignment with the additional 2025 Guidance 3.1.a, the assessment systems align with MTSS tiers, including universal screening, diagnostic assessments for students demonstrating a need for additional support, and progress monitoring tools that complement California’s required reading difficulties screening schedule per SB 114.

	Tier 1: Universal/ differentiated support	Tier 2: Supplemental/ targeted support	Tier 3: Intensified/ intensive support
Core instruction assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly
Universal screening assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY
Formal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura Monthly	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura Bi-weekly
Informal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California core assessments Daily	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit
Diagnostic assessment Frequency of administration		Amplify skill diagnostic assessment Amplify Spanish skill diagnostic assessment Optional after universal screening assessment is administered	Amplify skill diagnostic assessment Amplify Spanish skill diagnostic assessment After universal screening assessment is administered

Universal assessment system

Amplify’s mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition (K–8) and mCLASS Lectura (K–6) are universal and dyslexia screening assessments that should be administered three times per year (BOY, MOY, and EOY) to all students. The assessments evaluate student literacy risk, determine progress toward grade-level goals, and indicate the level of instructional support a student may need. Beginning-of-year screenings require adequate instructional time before administration, particularly in grades K–1, while mid-year and end-of-year assessments evaluate instructional effectiveness and guide tier placement adjustments. These screenings also identify students at risk for dyslexia. Universal screening provides essential data for targeting instruction and measuring instructional system effectiveness.

Core instruction assessments

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California provide a comprehensive suite of assessments for grades K–6 that range from low-stakes, informal formative assessments to more formal summative assessments. These assessments incorporate a variety of methods and question types, including multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and oral and written responses.

Formative assessments:

Checks for Understanding: Incorporated into each lesson segment throughout daily instruction. Quick pulse-checks that provide immediate feedback during lesson delivery (grades K–5).
Daily formative assessments: Highlighted moments within each lesson for teachers to plan to track mastery of Primary Focus objectives and standards of each lesson to get a clear snapshot of individual and whole-class progress (grades K–5).
Activity pages: Completed as part of lessons and can be used to assess lesson content understanding through various formats (grades K–5).
Exit Tickets: Located at the end of lessons, these provide a quick gauge of students’ ability to meet the lesson’s focus standards (grade 6).
Writing Prompts: Prompts integrated throughout lessons during writing activities that provide skill snapshots within lessons and tracks patterns of skill development over time (grade 6).
Independent reading activities (Solos): At the end of every lesson, students complete an independent reading activity (“Solo”) with reading questions that are scored to measure comprehension (grade 6).

Summative assessments:

Skills end-of-unit assessments (grades K–2)
Knowledge end-of-domain assessments (grades K–2)
End-of-unit assessments (grades 3–5)
Unit essays: A culminating end-of-unit set of lessons that guide students through crafting an essay with a rubric to score mastery of writing skills (grade 6)
Unit reading assessments: Auto-scored responses and two constructed response items evaluate comprehension, content understanding, and reading skills using the passages students read during the unit (grade 6)

Performance assessments

Student Performance Assessments are multi-day assessments administered in Grades K–5 at the beginning, middle, and end of year to help teachers gauge student mastery of grade-level Core content. These assessments provide critical data to help teachers set targeted instructional goals and monitor individual and class-wide progress towards core objectives.

Progress monitoring

Amplify’s mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura provide formal progress monitoring in the discrete skills that are indicative of reading growth and predictive of overall success to provide the most instructionally meaningful information to teachers.

Informal progress monitoring tools can be found within the Intervention Toolkit, including materials for teachers to record, track, and evaluate student progress.

Diagnostic assessment

Interventions within Amplify’s literacy programs are informed by a skill diagnostic assessment that provides detailed data on foundational literacy skill deficits. The Amplify Skill Diagnostic Assessment and Amplify Spanish Skill Diagnostic assessment serve as critical tools in this process, administered specifically to students identified as at risk for reading difficulty through universal screening assessments—particularly those demonstrating mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition or mCLASS Lectura composite scores in the Well Below or Below Benchmark ranges. These diagnostic assessments provide teachers with the precise skills to begin intervention and remediation.

Category 4: Universal Access

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California are developed using the Universal Design for Learning framework to proactively ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Universal Design for Learning

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California incorporate opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning.

Multiple Means of Engagement: The programs incorporate interesting and motivating ways for students to interact with information and content. The Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students. Scaffolding for students with various levels of need is incorporated into the design of each lesson.
Multiple Means of Representation: The programs provide multiple means of presenting content to maximize student understanding. This includes digital component files that allow for a range of presentations of images and text to support learning. Amplify provides access to universal supports such as point-of-use audio for all core texts, embedded definitions for critical vocabulary, and glossaries in multiple languages. The programs include clarification on language found throughout the program, with sidebars that include support on transition words and syntax, and illustrations to help students understand the concepts they are learning.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: The programs include a range of methods for all students, including Multilingual/English Learners, to navigate and demonstrate learning. This includes physical actions, a range of methods for response, appropriate tools for composition, and varied scaffolding. Lessons provide multiple ways for students to interact with text, allowing their brains to process the language through distinct pathways. Activities harness multiple learning modes, using media tools, digital apps, and a variety of visual and physical experiences to strategically support and enhance student learning.
Accessibility: Universal access features include visual aids, enlarged materials, physical objects, and multiple learning modalities through activities like Push & Say and Wiggle Cards. The Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students.

Embedded differentiation

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California provide built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students.

Pre-teaching supports include mini-lessons on:
- Core vocabulary building
- Core connections
- Essential background information building
- What Have We Already Learned?/What Do We Already Know?

Differentiated Support for Core Instruction tables, located in the overview of each K–2 Skills Teacher Guide, provide a list of specific opportunities for reteaching and additional support in each lesson based on skill.
Support and Challenge Sidebars in lesson margins offer educators immediate guidance in implementing point-of-use differentiation techniques.
Flexible Grouping within lessons provides opportunities for teachers to facilitate small groups, partners, or individualized support based on students’ needs. In the Skills Strand, teachers receive specific guidance for differentiated small group instruction, with targeted support and activities outlined for both Group 1 (students needing additional support) and Group 2 (on-level students) based on data.
Amplify ELA California and Amplify Caminos California provide point-of-use supports embedded within key core lesson activities with six levels of differentiation. The goal of these supports is to fully enable access to grade-level content for all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and students ready for an additional level of challenge.
The Universal Access section of Advance Preparation in each lesson includes varied strategies to ensure all students can access and engage in each lesson.
Frequent use of graphic organizers and visual supports in lessons provide opportunities for differentiation based on need. The program also includes a variety of technological supports, such as eReaders with audio.
Extension opportunities are suggested throughout lessons, often embedded in writing tasks, which include prompts to use more complex and descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, multi-clause and complex sentences, and informational text characteristics.

Assessment-driven MTSS resources

The K–6 Intervention Toolkit is available online and provides easy-to-use resources that assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ reading skills, with activities to support print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and other key skills.
Fluency packets (Grades 2–6)
Foundational Skills Intervention Program for Grades 3–6 support students who would benefit from direct and explicit intervention instruction in the full continuum of foundational skills in the upper grades

Flexible Instructional Time including:
- Pausing Points built into the curriculum that provide teachers with dedicated time to address specific student needs through targeted reteaching, remediation, practice, and extension activities
- Pausing Point activities designed to support multilingual/English learners’ competence and confidence through differentiated whole-group, small-group, or individual instruction
Boost Reading and Boost Lectura are student-led digital intervention programs that follow the scope and sequences of Amplify CKLA California and Amplify Caminos California respectively, to reinforce the same foundational skills taught in core instruction. It integrates easily into daily routines, while the robust data provided by mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition offers a detailed view of how students progress across all instructional tiers.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Teacher Support

Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, and Amplify ELA California teachers are empowered to deliver effective instruction with various print and digital resources. The program provides comprehensive planning and support materials designed to help teachers prepare for and execute lessons effectively and fulfill the requirements of Category 5.

Implementation supports across K–6

Planning and preparation resources

Unit Overviews that provide important background and context for the texts students will read, including highlighted elements within the text and guidance for how students will work with those elements
Sub-unit Overviews (Grade 6) that provide an overview of Lesson Objectives and reading and writing assignments, as well as a list of any projections, multimedia, or digital apps that can be projected from the teacher’s included digital license
Lesson-by-lesson preparation checklists (Grade 6) accompanying each Sub-unit Overview
Lesson Briefs for each individual lesson providing important background and context
Content knowledge materials regarding topics that students will examine

Point-of-use instructional guidance

Teacher Editions that feature insets of the same text and activity instructions as the corresponding Student Edition, wrapping teacher instruction around these materials
Activity guidance at point of use
Lesson standards clearly called out
Discussion suggestions embedded in lessons
Differentiation tips at point of use
Detailed Instructional Guides in each activity that include sequencing and grouping suggestions, tips for facilitating discussion, possible student responses and exemplars
On-the-Fly supports (Grade 6)—quick call-outs to the identifying features of “on track” and “needs support” students accompanied by short models of student guidance to foster strong performance

Multimedia and digital support

Teacher tip videos provide modeling and guidance for implementing key foundational skills routines within the program
Digital platform access where teachers can access printable PDFs of differentiated support materials for multilingual/English learners and students struggling to read, including translated Unit Background and Context documents and Text Previews
Teacher Dashboard and reporting tools provide real-time visibility into student progress and work for immediate instructional response

Caregiver supports

Communication and overview resources

Caregiver Hub available in English and Spanish that provides an overview of the curriculum
Caregiver Letters for each K–2 Knowledge Domain and unit in Grades 3–5 that provide an overview of the content, the skills students learn, as well as practical methods that continue the learning and knowledge building at home
Unit-specific Caregiver Letters (Grade 6) that provide detailed information regarding what students will read and learn in each unit, including conversation starters that allow caregivers to ask questions and discuss specific aspects of a unit with their student
Welcome letters that explain the assessment and placement process while inviting parent involvement and offering support
Editable Home-School Communication letters available in English and Spanish
Editable Progress Reports for teachers to update parents and guardians on what their child is learning

Content and learning support materials

Unit Background and Context documents that provide an introduction and overview to the unit’s topic and themes, available in English and Spanish
Text Previews that provide a brief introduction to formative, independent reading assignments (called Solos in Grade 6), available in English and Spanish
Unit Overview and Support documents (Grade 6) designed for caregivers that provide information about important questions, assignments, and key aspects of the unit texts, available in English and Spanish
Conversation starters included in Knowledge Strand Caregiver Letters to discuss domain topics at home

Home practice and extension activities

Take-Home pages in the Skills Strand that include copies of decodable passages, enabling students to share their reading progress with families and continue practicing their skills outside of school
Take-Home Letters in the Skills Strand that provide specific guidance for parents to support skills practice at home, such as sound-sorting activities, with detailed instructions and materials for home practice activities
Take-Home pages in the Knowledge Strand that provide suggested activities families can do together to reinforce and extend learning beyond the classroom
Games and activities on Take-Home Pages that extend classroom instruction, including all the materials and instruction necessary to help families assist students in a fun and engaging way
Digital access to decodable texts through the Amplify Caregiver Hub, allowing students to practice their reading skills both in class and at home
Weekly spelling lists and directions to decoding activities that can be practiced at home

Welcome, K–8 Program 2 reviewers!

Your review samples

We’re excited for you to begin your review of Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) California and Amplify ELA California, Language Studio California for grades K–8. Physical and digital review materials will vary by grade level.

Reviewer Binders (K–8)

Your physical samples should have arrived in grade-specific boxes with three Reviewer Binders.

The first binder will contain logistical program review information and the printed Evaluation Criteria Map.
The second binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades K–4.
The third binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades 5–8.

Physical samples (K–5)

You can expect to receive 15 boxes of physical materials for your review. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside each box as well as within your Reviewer Binder. Please note you will not receive any physical samples for grades 6–8 ELA or Language Studio for grades K-8. Your review of the program for grades 6–8 ELA and Language Studio for grades K-8 will be entirely digital.

Digital samples

In order to access your digital samples, you’ll need to log in to our platform using your unique login credentials found on a Digital Review Credential flyer inside of your Reviewer Binder. Once you have located the flyer:

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Review Credential flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation tips

Before you get started, please review these important functionality notes:

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grades K–5

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grades 6–8

Click here for additional information on navigating the digital materials for grades 6–8.

Category 1: English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Development (ELD) Content/Alignment to Standards

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked below is the Evaluation Criteria Map for grades K–8. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Program 2: Basic ELA/ELD (K–8) Evaluation Criteria Map

ELA Standards Maps

The links below provide the Standards Maps for Amplify California Language Arts for each grade level. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Standards Maps.

ELD Standards Maps

The links below provide the ELD Standards Maps for Amplify California Core Language Arts for each grade level.

Category 2: Program Organization

The Amplify California Language Arts Program 2 submission includes Amplify CKLA California for Grades K–5, Amplify ELA California for Grades 6–8, and Amplify Language Studio California for Grades K–8. This comprehensive curriculum provides a full year of evidence-based instruction for each grade level, with both integrated and designated English Language Development instruction designed to give English learners the tools to thrive.

Program structure

Amplify’s California Language Arts programs are built on what the research shows: Strong readers need both word recognition and language comprehension. Our comprehensive curriculum suite follows the Simple View of Reading and The Reading Rope–bringing together foundational skills and knowledge building to deliver instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.

Flowchart illustrating skilled reading as the product of language comprehension and word recognition, grounded in the science of reading.

Diagram illustrating the interplay between language comprehension and word recognition in reading, as seen in early literacy stages. It highlights pathways through knowledge, vocabulary, and sentence understanding, reflecting principles from the CKLA reading program.

[Reviewer highlight video] Program organization for Category 2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades K–2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades 3–5

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades 6–8

Amplify CKLA California empowers teachers to deliver effective instruction and keeps students engaged with with the following resources:

Teacher Guides
Assessment Guides
Authentic texts and trade books
Knowledge Image Cards
Knowledge Flip Books
Remediation and intervention resources
Decodable readers
Student Readers and novels
Student Activity Books
Dedicated ELD support with Language Studio California
Poet’s Journals
eReaders
Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs
Instructional routine modeling videos
Assignable Practice Games
On-demand professional development

Amplify ELA California students stay engaged with the following resources:

Teacher Guides that include:
- Detailed lesson plans
- Standards alignment and exit tickets
- Real-time differentiation strategies
- Robust reporting
Student Editions that include:
- High-quality narrative and informational texts
- Videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention
- Personal Writing Journal to keep all student writing in one place
Dedicated ELD support with Language Studio California
Trade Books

Core literacy philosophy

Support every learner. Meet all learning needs with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) that brings together universal screening, scaffolded core instruction, support for English learners, and data-driven intervention to ensure every student gets what they need to succeed.

Provide intentional ELD support. Honor students’ linguistic assets while building academic English through both integrated and designated instruction.

Deliver consistent foundational skills instruction. Daily explicit, systematic skills instruction in grades K–2, with targeted yet flexible support for students still building decoding confidence in grades 3–8, ensures mastery of essential reading foundations.

Scope and sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence for each grade level.

Routines

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California include several structured instructional routines that provide predictable patterns for both teachers and students:

Discussion and collaboration routines:

Turn and Talk: Partners discuss text-specific content using sentence starters and frames
Think-Pair-Share: Students engage in individual thinking, partner discussion, and whole-class sharing
Partner reading: Students sit shoulder-to-shoulder, taking turns reading and listening

Foundational Skills routines:

Sound-spelling review: Warm-up activities that reinforce phonics patterns
Oral blending warm-ups: Teacher-guided practice progressing to independent application
Finger-tapping: Techniques for blending sounds
Chaining activities: Students manipulate letters to transform one word into another
Word Work: Daily short activities focused on domain-specific and academic vocabulary

Knowledge-Building Routines:

Teacher modeling: Demonstration of proper intonation, expression, and pacing
Choral reading: Whole-class reading practice
Partner reading: Paired fluency practice

Close reading routines

Each routine includes comprehensive instructional guides with clear-cut directions for implementation, straightforward explanations of concepts, and suggestions for discussion.

Designated English Language Development materials

Language Studio California is a K–8 content-based companion for English language learners. Built on Amplify CKLA California’s and Amplify ELA California’s carefully sequenced Knowledge Domains and units, it combines engaging content knowledge with targeted supports and research-based strategies to help students move swiftly toward language proficiency. This program includes:

Real-world content to provide authentic opportunities to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Scaffolding strategies and differentiated instruction to offer targeted support along with five English proficiency levels.
Progress-monitoring tools to help teachers provide consistent and effective support.
Teacher Guides that:
- Provide impactful progress monitoring tools including formative and summative assessments and Language Proficiency Assessment rubrics.
- Offer varied differentiation strategies including Support, Challenge, and Access Supports in each lesson segment.
- Are organized into thoughtful lesson segments—Talk Time, Building Background, On Stage and more—that make learning objectives concrete.
Activities that:
- Expand on domain knowledge from core content and read-alouds and prompt collaborative conversation to practice oral fluency.
- Support hands-on language activities to promote authentic interaction in the classroom.
- Help students bridge experiences and knowledge with images, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, anticipation guides, writing space, and more.

Category 3: Assessments

Systematic MTSS alignment

In alignment with the additional 2025 Guidance 3.1.a, the assessment systems align with MTSS tiers, including universal screening, diagnostic assessments for students demonstrating a need for additional support, and progress monitoring tools that complement the California’s required universal screening schedule per SB 114.

	Tier 1: Universal/ differentiated support	Tier 2: Supplemental/ targeted support	Tier 3: Intensified/ intensive support
Core instruction assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly
Universal screening assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY
Formal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura Monthly	mCLASS DIBELS and Lectura Bi-weekly
Informal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify Caminos California, Amplify ELA California core assessments Daily	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit
Diagnostic assessment Frequency of administration		Amplify skill diagnostic assessment Amplify Spanish skill diagnostic assessment Optional after universal screening assessment is administered	Amplify skill diagnostic assessment Amplify Spanish skill diagnostic assessment After universal screening assessment is administered

Universal assessment system

Amplify’s mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura are universal and dyslexia screening assessments that should be administered three times per year (BOY, MOY and EOY) to all students. The assessments evaluate student literacy risk, determine progress toward grade-level goals, and indicate the level of instructional support a student may need. Beginning-of-year screenings require adequate instructional time before administration, particularly in grades K–1, while mid-year and end-of-year assessments evaluate instructional effectiveness and guide tier placement adjustments. These screenings also identify students at risk for dyslexia. Universal screening provides essential data for targeting instruction and measuring instructional system effectiveness.

Core instruction assessments

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California provide a comprehensive suite of assessments for Grades K–8 that range from low-stakes, informal formative assessments to more formal summative assessments. These assessments incorporate a variety of methods and question types, including multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and oral and written responses.

Formative assessments:

Checks for Understanding: Incorporated into each lesson segment throughout daily instruction. Quick pulse-checks that provide immediate feedback during lesson delivery (grades K–5).
Daily formative assessments: Highlighted moments within each lesson for teachers to plan to track mastery of Primary Focus objectives and standards of each lesson to get a clear snapshot of individual and whole-class progress (grades K–5).
Activity pages: Completed as part of lessons and can be used to assess lesson content understanding through various formats (grades K–5).
Exit Tickets: Located at the end of lessons, these provide a quick gauge of students’ ability to meet the lesson’s focus standards (grades 6–8).
Writing Prompts: Prompts integrated throughout lessons during writing activities that provide skill snapshots within lessons and tracks patterns of skill development over time (grades 6–8).
Independent reading activities (Solos): At the end of every lesson, students complete an independent reading activity (“solo”) with reading questions that are scored to measure comprehension (grades 6–8).

Summative assessments:

Skills end-of-unit assessments (grades K–2)
Knowledge end-of-domain assessments (grades K–2)
End-of-unit assessments (grades 3–5)
Unit essays: A culminating end-of-unit set of lessons that guide students through crafting an essay with a rubric to score mastery of writing skills (grades 6–8)
Unit Reading Assessments: Auto-scored responses and two constructed response items evaluate comprehension, content understanding, and reading skills using the passages students read during the unit (grades 6–8)

Performance Assessments

Student Performance Assessments are multi-day assessments administered in Grades K-5 at the beginning, middle, and end of year to help teachers gauge student mastery of grade-level Core content. These assessments provide critical data to help teachers set targeted instructional goals and monitor individual and class-wide progress towards core objectives.

Progress monitoring

Informal progress monitoring tools can be found within the Intervention Toolkit, including materials for teachers to record, track, and evaluate student progress.

Diagnostic assessment

Category 4: Universal Access

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California were built on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and reviewed by CAST, a nonprofit education research and development organization. The program is developed using the Universal Design for Learning framework to proactively ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Universal Design for Learning

The programs incorporate opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning.

Multiple Means of Engagement: The programs incorporate interesting and motivating ways for students to interact with information and content. In Amplify CKLA California, the Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students. Scaffolding for students with various levels of need is incorporated into the design of each lesson.
Multiple Means of Representation: The programs provide multiple means of presenting content to maximize student understanding. This includes digital component files that allow for a range of presentations of images and text to support learning. Amplify provides access to universal supports such as point-of-use audio for all core texts, embedded definitions for critical vocabulary, and glossaries in multiple languages. Amplify CKLA California includes clarification on language found throughout the program, with sidebars that include support on transition words and syntax, and illustrations to help students understand the concepts they are learning.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: The programs include a range of methods for all students, including English Learners, to navigate and demonstrate learning. This includes physical actions, a range of methods for response, appropriate tools for composition, and varied scaffolding. In Amplify ELA California, lessons provide multiple ways for students to interact with text, allowing their brains to process the language through distinct pathways. Activities harness multiple learning modes, using media tools, digital apps, and a variety of visual and physical experiences to strategically support and enhance student learning.
Accessibility: Universal access features include visual aids, enlarged materials, physical objects, and multiple learning modalities through activities like Push & Say and Wiggle Cards. The Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students.

Embedded differentiation

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California provide built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students.

Throughout the Teacher Guides, point-of-use Differentiation icons provide targeted instructional strategies and supports. These icons indicate specific guidance for advanced learners, students who need additional support, and English learners, allowing teachers to easily identify and implement appropriate scaffolds and extensions during instruction. In addition, teachers are provided with recommendations for resources to use with each group of students.

Pre-teaching supports include mini-lessons on:
- Core vocabulary words
- Core Connections
- Essential Background Information or Terms
- What Have We Already Learned/What Do We Already Know?
Differentiated Support for Core Instruction tables, located in the overview of each K–2 Skills Teacher Guide, provide a list of specific opportunities for reteaching and additional support in each lesson based on skill.
Support and Challenge Sidebars in lesson margins offer educators immediate guidance in implementing point-of-use differentiation techniques.
Flexible Grouping within lessons provides opportunities for teachers to facilitate small groups, partners, or individualized support based on students’ needs. In the Skills Strand, teachers receive specific guidance for differentiated small-group instruction, with targeted support and activities outlined for both Group 1 (students needing additional support) and Group 2 (on-level students) based on data.
Amplify ELA California provides point-of-use supports embedded within key core lesson activities with six levels of differentiation. The goal of these supports is to fully enable access to grade-level content for all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and students ready for an additional level of challenge.
The Universal Access section of Advance Preparation in each lesson includes varied strategies to ensure all students can access and engage in each lesson.
Frequent use of graphic organizers and visual supports in lessons provide opportunities for differentiation based on need. The program also includes a variety of technological supports, such as eReaders with audio.
Extension opportunities are suggested throughout lessons, often embedded in writing tasks, which include prompts to use more complex and descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, multi-clause and complex sentences, and informational text characteristics.

Assessment-Driven MTSS resources

The K–8 Intervention Toolkit is available online and provides easy-to-use resources that assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ reading skills, with activities to support print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and other key skills
Fluency Packets (Grades 2–5)
Foundational Skills Intervention Program for Grades 3–8 support students who would benefit from direct and explicit intervention instruction in the full continuum of foundational skills in the upper grades
Flexible Instructional Time including:
- Pausing Points built into the curriculum that provide teachers with dedicated time to address specific student needs through targeted reteaching, remediation, practice, and extension activities
- Pausing Point activities designed to support English learners’ competence and confidence through differentiated whole-group, small-group, or individual instruction
Boost Reading is a K–5 student-led digital intervention program. Boost Reading follows Amplify CKLA California’s scope and sequence to reinforce the same foundational skills taught in core instruction. It integrates easily into daily routines, while the robust data provided by mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition offers a detailed view of how students progress across all instructional tiers.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Teacher Support

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California teachers are empowered to deliver effective instruction with various print and digital resources. The program provides comprehensive planning and support materials designed to help teachers prepare for and execute lessons effectively and fulfill the requirements of Category 5.

Implementation supports across K–8

Planning and preparation resources

Unit Overviews that provide important background and context for the texts students will read, including highlighted elements within the text and guidance for how students will work with those elements
Sub-unit Overviews (Grades 6–8) that provide an overview of Lesson Objectives and reading and writing assignments, as well as a list of any projections, multimedia, or digital apps that can be projected from the teacher’s included digital license
Lesson-by-lesson preparation checklists (Grades 6–8) accompanying each Sub-unit Overview
Lesson Briefs for each individual lesson providing important background and context
Content knowledge materials regarding topics that students will examine

Point-of-use instructional guidance

Teacher Editions that feature insets of the same text and activity instructions as the corresponding Student Edition, wrapping teacher instruction around these materials
Activity guidance at point of use
Lesson standards clearly called out
Discussion suggestions embedded in lessons
Differentiation tips at point of use
Detailed Instructional Guides in each activity that include sequencing and grouping suggestions, tips for facilitating discussion, possible student responses and exemplars
Student Supports in all core lessons that provide teachers with targeted supports in daily core instruction, addressing which might serve the student best in the moment—support, strengthen, stretch—with additional call-outs for newcomers

Multimedia and digital support

Teacher tip videos provide modeling and guidance for implementing key foundational skills routines within the program
Digital platform access where teachers can access printable PDFs of differentiated support materials for English learners and students struggling with reading, including translated Unit Background and Context documents and Text Previews
Teacher dashboard and reporting tools (Grade 6–8) provide real-time visibility into student progress and work for immediate instructional response

Caregiver supports

Communication and overview resources

Caregiver Hub available in English and Spanish that provides an overview of the curriculum
Caregiver Letters for each K–2 Knowledge Domain and unit in Grades 3–5 that provide an overview of the content, the skills students learn, as well as practical methods that continue the learning and knowledge building at home
Unit-specific Caregiver Letters (Grades 6–8) that provide detailed information regarding what students will read and learn in each unit, including conversation starters that allow caregivers to ask questions and discuss specific aspects of a unit with their student
Welcome letters that explain the assessment and placement process while inviting parent involvement and offering support
Editable Home-School Communication letters available in English and Spanish
Editable Progress Reports for teachers to update parents and guardians on what their child is learning

Content and learning support materials

Unit Background and Context documents that provide an introduction and overview to the unit’s topic and themes, available in English and Spanish
Text Previews that provide a brief introduction to formative, independent reading assignments (called Solos in Grades 6–8), available in English and Spanish
Unit Overview and Support documents (Grades 6–8) designed for caregivers that provide information about important questions, assignments, and key aspects of the unit texts, available in English and Spanish
Conversation starters included in Knowledge Strand Caregiver Letters to discuss domain topics at home

Home practice and extension activities

Take-Home pages in the Skills Strand that include copies of decodable passages, enabling students to share their reading progress with families and continue practicing their skills outside of school
Take-Home Letters in the Skills Strand that provide specific guidance for parents to support skills practice at home, such as sound-sorting activities, with detailed instructions and materials for home practice activities
Take-Home pages in the Knowledge Strand that provide suggested activities families can do together to reinforce and extend learning beyond the classroom
Games and activities on take-home pages that extend classroom instruction, including all the materials and instruction necessary to help families assist students in a fun and engaging way
Digital access to decodable texts through the Amplify Caregiver Hub, allowing students to practice their reading skills both in class and at home
Weekly spelling lists and directions to decoding activities that can be practiced at home

Welcome, K–8 Program 1 reviewers!

Your review samples

We’re excited for you to begin your review of Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) California and Amplify ELA California. Physical and digital review materials will vary by grade level.

Reviewer Binders (K–8)

Your physical samples should have arrived in grade-specific boxes with three Reviewer Binders.

The first binder will contain logistical program review information and the printed Evaluation Criteria Map.
The second binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades K–4.
The third binder will contain the printed Standards Maps for grades 5–8.

Physical samples (K–5)

You can expect to receive 15 boxes of physical materials for your review. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside each box as well as within your Reviewer Binder. Please note you will not receive any physical samples for grades 6–8. Your review of the program for grades 6–8 will be entirely digital.

Digital samples (K–8)

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Review Credential flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation tips

Before you get started, please review these important functionality notes:

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grades K–5

[Reviewer program navigation video] Grades 6–8

Click here for additional information on navigating the digital materials for grades 6–8.

Category 1: English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Development (ELD) Content/Alignment to Standards

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked below is the Evaluation Criteria Map for grades K–8. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Program 1: Basic ELA (K–8) Evaluation Criteria Map

ELA Standards Maps

The links below provide the Standards Maps for Amplify California Core Language Arts for each grade level. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Standards Maps.

Category 2: Program Organization

The Amplify California Language Arts Program 1 submission includes Amplify CKLA California for Grades K–5 and Amplify ELA California for Grades 6–8. This comprehensive curriculum provides a full year of evidence-based instruction for each grade level, transitioning from foundational literacy to advanced text analysis.

Program structure

Amplify’s California Language Arts programs are built on what the research shows: Strong readers need both word recognition and language comprehension. Our comprehensive curriculum suite follows the Simple View of Reading and The Reading Rope–bringing together foundational skills and knowledge building to deliver instruction grounded in evidence-based literacy practices.

[Reviewer highlight video] Program organization for Category 2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades K–2

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades 3–5

[Reviewer highlight video] Program structure for grades 6–8

Amplify CKLA California empowers teachers to deliver effective instruction and keeps students engaged with the following resources:

Teacher Guides
Assessment Guides
Authentic texts and trade books
Knowledge Image Cards
Knowledge Flip Books
Remediation and intervention resources
Decodable readers
Student Readers and novels
Student Activity Books
Poet’s Journals
eReaders
Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs
Instructional routine modeling videos
Assignable Practice Games
On-demand professional development

Amplify ELA California students stay engaged with the following resources:

Teacher Guides that include:
- Detailed lesson plans
- Standards alignment and exit tickets
- Real-time differentiation strategies
- Robust reporting
Student Editions that include:
- High-quality narrative and informational texts
- Videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention
- Personal Writing Journal to keep all student writing in one place
Trade Books

Core literacy philosophy

Support every learner. Meet all learning needs with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) that brings together universal screening, scaffolded core instruction, support for English learners, and data-driven intervention to ensure every student gets what they need to succeed.

Deliver consistent foundational skills instruction. Daily explicit, systematic skills instruction in grades K–2, with targeted yet flexible support for students still building decoding confidence in grades 3–8, ensures mastery of essential reading foundations.

Scope and sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence for each grade level.

Kindergarten
- Amplify CKLA California Knowledge Strand
- Amplify CKLA California Skills Strand
Grade 1
- Amplify CKLA California Knowledge Strand
- Amplify CKLA California Skills Strand
Grade 2
- Amplify CKLA California Knowledge Strand
- Amplify CKLA California Skills Strand
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8

Routines

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California include several structured instructional routines that provide predictable patterns for both teachers and students:

Discussion and collaboration routines:

Turn and Talk: Partners discuss text-specific content using sentence starters and frames
Think-Pair-Share: Students engage in individual thinking, partner discussion, and whole-class sharing
Partner reading: Students sit shoulder-to-shoulder, taking turns reading and listening

Foundational Skills routines:

Sound-spelling review: Warm-up activities that reinforce phonics patterns
Oral blending warm-ups: Teacher-guided practice progressing to independent application
Finger tapping: Techniques for blending sounds
Chaining activities: Students manipulate letters to transform one word into another
Word Work: Daily short activities focused on domain-specific and academic vocabulary

Knowledge-building routines:

Vocabulary preview: Introduction of new words before reading
Read-aloud procedures: Established routines for introducing and discussing complex texts
Text discussions: Structured comprehension conversations with scaffolded questioning

Fluency routines:

Teacher modeling: Demonstration of proper intonation, expression, and pacing
Choral reading: Whole-class reading practice
Partner reading: Paired fluency practice

Close reading routines

Each routine includes comprehensive instructional guides with clear-cut directions for implementation, straightforward explanations of concepts, and suggestions for discussion.

Category 3: Assessments

Systematic MTSS alignment

	Tier 1: Universal/ differentiated support	Tier 2: Supplemental/ targeted support	Tier 3: Intensified/ intensive support
Core instruction assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify ELA California assessments Daily, Weekly, Monthly
Universal screening assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY
Formal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura 3 times per year – BOY, MOY, EOY	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura Monthly	mCLASS DIBELS and mCLASS Lectura Bi-weekly
Informal progress monitoring assessments Frequency of administration	Amplify CKLA California, Amplify ELA California core assessments Daily	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit	Intervention Toolkit progress monitoring assessments When linked to a lesson in the toolkit
Diagnostic assessment Frequency of administration		Amplify skill diagnostic assessment Optional after universal screening assessment is administered	Amplify skill diagnostic assessment After universal screening assessment is administered

Universal assessment system

Amplify’s mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition (K–8) and mCLASS Lectura (K–6) are universal and dyslexia screening assessments that should be administered three times per year (BOY, MOY and EOY) to all students. The assessments evaluate student literacy risk, determine progress toward grade-level goals, and indicate the level of instructional support a student may need. Beginning-of-year screenings require adequate instructional time before administration, particularly in grades K–1, while mid-year and end-of-year assessments evaluate instructional effectiveness and guide tier placement adjustments. These screenings also identify students at risk for dyslexia. Universal screening provides essential data for targeting instruction and measuring instructional system effectiveness.

Core instruction assessments

Formative assessments:

Checks for Understanding: Incorporated into each lesson segment throughout daily instruction. Quick pulse-checks that provide immediate feedback during lesson delivery (grades K–5).
Daily formative assessments: Highlighted moments within each lesson for teachers to plan to track mastery of Primary Focus objectives and standards of each lesson to get a clear snapshot of individual and whole-class progress (grades K–5).
Activity pages: Completed as part of lessons and can be used to assess lesson content understanding through various formats (grades K–5).
Exit Tickets: Located at the end of lessons, these provide a quick gauge of students’ ability to meet the lesson’s focus standards (grades 6–8).
Writing Prompts: Prompts integrated throughout lessons during writing activities that provide skill snapshots within lessons and tracks patterns of skill development over time (grades 6–8).
Independent reading activities (Solos): At the end of every lesson, students complete an independent reading activity (“Solo”) with reading questions that are scored to measure comprehension (grades 6–8).

Summative assessments:

Skills end-of-unit assessments (grades K–2)
Knowledge end-of-domain assessments (grades K–2)
End-of-unit assessments (grades 3–5)
Unit essays: A culminating end-of-unit set of lessons that guide students through crafting an essay with a rubric to score mastery of writing skills (grades 6–8)
Unit Reading Assessments: Auto-scored responses and two constructed response items evaluate comprehension, content understanding, and reading skills using the passages students read during the unit (grades 6–8)

Performance Assessments

Progress monitoring

Informal progress monitoring tools can be found within the Intervention Toolkit, including materials for teachers to record, track, and evaluate student progress.

Diagnostic assessment

Category 4: Universal Access

Universal Design for Learning

The programs incorporate opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning.

Multiple Means of Engagement: The programs incorporate interesting and motivating ways for students to interact with information and content. In Amplify CKLA California, the Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students. Scaffolding for students with various levels of need is incorporated into the design of each lesson.
Multiple Means of Representation: The programs provide multiple means of presenting content to maximize student understanding. This includes digital component files that allow for a range of presentations of images and text to support learning. Amplify provides access to universal supports such as point-of-use audio for all core texts, embedded definitions for critical vocabulary, and glossaries in multiple languages. Amplify CKLA California includes clarification on language found throughout the program, with sidebars that include support on transition words and syntax, and illustrations to help students understand the concepts they are learning.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: The programs include a range of methods for all students, including English learners, to navigate and demonstrate learning. This includes physical actions, a range of methods for response, appropriate tools for composition, and varied scaffolding. In Amplify ELA California, lessons provide multiple ways for students to interact with text, allowing their brains to process the language through distinct pathways. Activities harness multiple learning modes, using media tools, digital apps, and a variety of visual and physical experiences to strategically support and enhance student learning.
Accessibility: Universal access features include visual aids, enlarged materials, physical objects, and multiple learning modalities through activities like Push & Say and Wiggle Cards. The Universal Access section in the introduction of each lesson provides specific lesson-level options based on the needs of individual classrooms and students.

Embedded differentiation

Amplify CKLA California and Amplify ELA California provide built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students.

Pre-teaching supports include mini-lessons on:
- Core vocabulary building
- Core connections
- Essential background information building
- What Have We Already Learned?/What Do We Already Know?
Differentiated Support for Core Instruction tables, located in the overview of each K–2 Skills Teacher Guide, provide a list of specific opportunities for reteaching and additional support in each lesson based on skill.
Support and Challenge Sidebars in lesson margins offer educators immediate guidance in implementing point-of-use differentiation techniques.
Flexible Grouping within lessons provides opportunities for teachers to facilitate small groups, partners, or individualized support based on students’ needs. In the Skills Strand, teachers receive specific guidance for differentiated small-group instruction, with targeted support and activities outlined for both Group 1 (students needing additional support) and Group 2 (on-level students) based on data.
Amplify ELA California provides point-of-use supports embedded within key core lesson activities with six levels of differentiation. The goal of these supports is to fully enable access to grade-level content for all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, and students ready for an additional level of challenge.
The Universal Access section of Advance Preparation in each lesson includes varied strategies to ensure all students can access and engage in each lesson.
Frequent use of graphic organizers and visual supports in lessons provide opportunities for differentiation based on need. The program also includes a variety of technological supports, such as eReaders with audio.
Extension opportunities are suggested throughout lessons, often embedded in writing tasks, which include prompts to use more complex and descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, multi-clause and complex sentences, and informational text characteristics.

Assessment-driven MTSS resources

The K–8 Intervention Toolkit is available online and provides easy-to-use resources that assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ reading skills, with activities to support print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and other key skills
Fluency Packets (Grades 2–5)
Foundational Skills Intervention Program for Grades 3–8 support students who would benefit from direct and explicit intervention instruction in the full continuum of foundational skills in the upper grades
Flexible Instructional Time including:
- Pausing Points built into the curriculum that provide teachers with dedicated time to address specific student needs through targeted reteaching, remediation, practice, and extension activities
- Pausing Point activities designed to support English learners’ competence and confidence through differentiated whole-group, small-group, or individual instruction
Boost Reading is a K–5 student-led digital intervention program. Boost Reading follows Amplify CKLA California’s scope and sequence to reinforce the same foundational skills taught in core instruction. It integrates easily into daily routines, while the robust data provided by mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition offers a detailed view of how students progress across all instructional tiers.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Teacher Support

Implementation supports across K–8

Planning and preparation resources

Unit Overviews that provide important background and context for the texts students will read, including highlighted elements within the text and guidance for how students will work with those elements
Sub-unit Overviews (Grades 6–8) that provide an overview of Lesson Objectives and reading and writing assignments, as well as a list of any projections, multimedia, or digital apps that can be projected from the teacher’s included digital license
Lesson-by-lesson preparation checklists (Grades 6–8) accompanying each Sub-unit Overview
Lesson Briefs for each individual lesson providing important background and context
Content knowledge materials regarding topics that students will examine

Point-of-use instructional guidance

Teacher Editions that feature insets of the same text and activity instructions as the corresponding Student Edition, wrapping teacher instruction around these materials
Activity guidance at point of use
Lesson standards clearly called out
Discussion suggestions embedded in lessons
Differentiation tips at point of use
Detailed Instructional Guides in each activity that include sequencing and grouping suggestions, tips for facilitating discussion, possible student responses and exemplars
Student Supports in all core lessons provide teachers with targeted supports in daily core instruction, addressing which might serve the student best in the moment—support, strengthen, stretch—with additional call-outs for newcomers

Multimedia and digital support

Teacher tip videos provide modeling and guidance for implementing key foundational skills routines within the program
Digital platform access where teachers can access printable PDFs of differentiated support materials for English learners and readers struggling with text, including translated Unit Background and Context Documents and Text Previews
Teacher Dashboard and reporting tools (Grade 6–8) that provide real-time visibility into student progress and work for immediate instructional response

Caregiver supports

Communication and overview resources

Caregiver Hub available in English and Spanish that provides an overview of the curriculum
Caregiver Letters for each K–2 Knowledge Domain and unit in Grades 3–5 that provide an overview of the content, the skills students learn, as well as practical methods that continue the learning and knowledge building at home
Unit-specific Caregiver Letters (Grades 6–8) that provide detailed information regarding what students will read and learn in each unit, including conversation starters that allow caregivers to ask questions and discuss specific aspects of a unit with their student
Welcome letters that explain the assessment and placement process while inviting parent involvement and offering support
Editable Home-School Communication letters available in English and Spanish
Editable Progress Reports for teachers to update parents and guardians on what their child is learning

Content and learning support materials

Unit Background and Context documents that provide an introduction and overview to the unit’s topic and themes, available in English and Spanish
Text Previews that provide a brief introduction to formative, independent reading assignments (called Solos in Grades 6–8), available in English and Spanish
Unit Overview and Support documents (Grades 6–8) designed for caregivers that provide information about important questions, assignments, and key aspects of the unit texts, available in English and Spanish
Conversation starters included in Knowledge Strand Caregiver Letters to discuss domain topics at home

Home practice and extension activities

Take-Home pages in the Skills Strand that include copies of decodable passages, enabling students to share their reading progress with families and continue practicing their skills outside of school
Take-Home Letters in the Skills Strand that provide specific guidance for parents to support skills practice at home, such as sound-sorting activities, with detailed instructions and materials for home practice activities
Take-Home pages in the Knowledge Strand that provide suggested activities families can do together to reinforce and extend learning beyond the classroom
Games and activities on Take-Home Pages that extend classroom instruction, including all the materials and instruction necessary to help families assist students in a fun and engaging way
Digital access to decodable texts through the Amplify Caregiver Hub, allowing students to practice their reading skills both in class and at home
Weekly spelling lists and directions to decoding activities that can be practiced at home

Math Teacher Lounge

Math Teacher Lounge is a biweekly podcast created specifically for K–12 math educators. In each episode, co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson (@lockhartedu) and Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) chat with expert guests, taking a deep dive into the math and educational topics you care about.

Join the Math Teacher Lounge Facebook group to continue the conversation, view exclusive content, interact with fellow educators, participate in giveaways, and more!

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Join our community to connect with thousands of other math educators—and be the first to hear when new episodes drop!

We’ll also share new free resources for your classroom every month!

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S5-05. Math technology & hacks for math anxiety: research-based tips for caregivers

We’ve been very lucky to have so many prolific and brilliant researchers on this season of Math Teacher Lounge, and our next guest is no exception.

Listen as we sit down with Dr. Marjorie Schaeffer to discuss what causes math anxiety, math hacks, and how the right math technology can make an incredible impact in children and caregivers coping with math anxiety.

Listen today and don’t forget to grab your MTL study guide to track your learning and make the most of this episode!

Enjoy this episode >

Available episodes

Listen to our available episodes below!

Season 5

Listen to Season 5!

Season 5, Episode 04.

Coaching tips for managing math anxiety in teachers

So far this season, we’ve investigated math anxiety in students and its causes with passionate researchers and curriculum experts, including one from Sesame Workshop! In this episode, we hear from Dr. Heidi Sabnani, consultant, coach, and co-host of Math 4 All, as she gives us research-based tips for teachers who are facing math anxiety themselves! Listen as we discuss Heidi’s own math anxiety and journey through math, the effects teacher math anxiety can have on instruction, and practices educators can implement right away for overcoming math anxiety.

Season 5, Episode 03.

Cultivating a joy of learning with Sesame Workshop

In this episode, listen as we chat with Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president of curriculum and content for Sesame Workshop! Continuing our theme of math anxiety this season, we sat down with Dr. Truglio to chat about Sesame Street and her thoughts on how to spread a growth mindset to young children and put them on course to academic achievement and long-term success.

Season 5, Episode 02.

Uncovering the causes of math anxiety

We’re continuing our season theme of math anxiety, going beyond the basics, diving deeper into what causes it, and how we can help students move forward. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Erin Maloney from the University of Ottawa to better understand what’s actually happening in the brain when a person experiences math anxiety, and how we can take steps to shift student mindsets in a positive direction.

Investigating math anxiety in the classroom

Season 5, Episode 01.

Investigating math anxiety in the classroom

This season, we’ll be talking all about math anxiety: what it is, what causes it, and what we can do to prevent or ease this anxiety in the math classroom. To launch this very important theme, in this episode, we sit down with Dr. Gerardo Ramirez, associate professor of educational psychology at Ball State University.
As someone who’s been studying math anxiety for more than a decade, he had some interesting research and advice to share on why math anxiety affects so many students (and adults), and tips for how to start reducing it.

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Winter Wrap-Up episodes

Listen to the Winter Wrap-Up!

Ideas to build math fluency

Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 03.

Ideas to build math fluency

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Valerie Henry to talk about math fluency and what that means for students. Listen as we dig into the research, hear Val’s three-part definition of fluency, and explore her five principles for developing it.

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Mathematizing Children’s Literature

Two people appear in separate circular frames; the woman is smiling and wearing headphones, while the man stands in front of bookshelves, perhaps discussing Mathematizing Children’s Literature.

Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 02.

Mathematizing Children’s Literature

While we’re hard at work producing the exciting fifth season of Math Teacher Lounge: The Podcast, we’re continuing to share some of our favorite conversations from our first four seasons. This time around, we’re revisiting our popular episode that connected literacy and math!
In this episode, we sit down with Allison Hintz and Antony Smith, authors of Mathematizing Children’s Literature, to talk about what would happen if we were to approach children’s literature, and life, through a math lens–and how we can apply those same techniques to classroom teaching!

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Problem solving and facilitating classroom discussions

Three women are pictured separately in circular frames, each smiling and facing the camera, against a white background with overlapping pastel shapes—perfect for highlighting math teacher lounge discussions or sharing essential math teacher resources.

Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 01.

Problem solving and facilitating classroom discussions

In this episode, In this episode, hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer are looking back at the amazing speakers and conversations from past episodes and sharing some of their favorites!
First up: A season 2 double feature of The Power of Problem-Solving with Fawn Nguyen and Facilitating Classroom Discussions with authors Christy Hermann Thompson and Kassia Omohundro Wedekind.
Fawn is a specialist on Amplify’s advanced math team, and is a former math teacher and math coach—so she knows her stuff! You’ll hear about her five criteria for good problem-solving problems, and the power and importance of exposing all students to problem solving.
Then, we’ll move into Bethany and Dan’s conversation with Christy and Kassia to learn how hands-down conversations allow students to become better listeners and the steps you can take to implement hands-down conversations in your classroom.

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Season 4

Listen to Season 4!

Cultivating mathematical joy

Season 4, Episode 05.

Cultivating mathematical joy

In this episode, Bethany and Dan explore mathematical joy while visiting a math teacher conference in Southern California. During this program, Dan describes his attempts to cultivate mathematical joy in his own school-aged kids.

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Dear Math

Season 4, Episode 04.

Dear Math

In this episode, Bethany and Dan chat with Sarah Strong and Gigi Butterfield, authors of Dear Math: Why Kids Hate Math and What Teachers Can Do About It. Listen in as they chat about their experiences with finding joy in math, and how their passion helped them tell the stories of other students’ journeys to find (or not find!) joy in math.

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LIVE from NCTM with Bethany and Dan

Season 4, Episode 03.

LIVE from NCTM with Bethany and Dan

In this episode, co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer are LIVE with more than one hundred Math Teacher Lounge listeners at the recent National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference. Listen in as they answer the pressing question: Who is the best teacher in film or television?

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Season 4, Episode 02.

Bethany and Dan share their math biographies

In this episode, co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer get personal and share their “math bios”—their early experiences with math and how those experiences turned them into the educators they are today.

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Joyful math teaching with Kanchan Kant

Season 4, Episode 01.

Joyful math teaching with Kanchan Kant

In this episode, Kanchan Kant joins Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to discuss the key, early investment she makes at the start of the school year to ensure her math teaching will be joyful for herself and for her students for the rest of the year.

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Season 3

Listen to Season 3!

Dan and Bethany Take on Twitter!

Season 6, Episode 06.

Dan and Bethany Take on Twitter!

In this episode, Bethany and Dan take a look at several tweets that caught the most fire on Twitter during the 2021-2022 school year. The pair answer questions about viral teaching methods, the best teaching advice you can give in three words, and if students should use pencils or pens in class. Join them as they take on those questions and several others in a fast-paced episode.

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Developing an asset orientation with Lani Horn

Season 3, Episode 05.

Developing an asset orientation with Lani Horn

In this episode, math education professor Lani Horn shares with us what it means to have an asset orientation towards students, contrasting it with a deficit orientation, and helping Bethany and Dan understand the many ways students experience one or the other. Their conversation hit both high notes and low notes and included a challenge that Bethany and Dan both found extremely valuable for helping a teacher develop an asset orientation towards their students.

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Ideas to build math fluency with Valerie Henry, Graham Fletcher, and Tracy Zager

Season 3, Episode 04.

Ideas to build math fluency with Valerie Henry, Graham Fletcher, and Tracy Zager

In this episode, Bethany and Dan are joined by three guests to better understand fluency and how to make its approach fun. Dr. Val Henry shares her three-part definition of fluency and her five principles for developing it. Additionally, Tracy Zager and Graham Fletcher join Bethany and Dan to better understand fluency through a lens of equity and using multimedia as a tool.

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Math professional learning experiences with Elham Kazemi

Season 4, Episode 03.

Math professional learning experiences with Elham Kazemi

In this episode, Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer chat with Elham Kazemi to explore how to look at teaching as a collaborative experiment. Moving more toward analyzing student thinking and how that contributes to teaching itself, leaves more space for one’s own understanding of math to grow throughout your career. When one revises their teaching based on the data we’re collecting from students and peers, this allows us to be both teachers and learners forever.

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Mathematizing Children’s Literature with Allison Hintz and Antony Smith

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Season 3, Episode 02.

Mathematizing Children’s Literature with Allison Hintz and Antony Smith

In this episode, Mathematizing Children’s Literature authors Allison Hintz and Antony Smith join Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to discuss what would happen if we were to approach children’s literature, and life, through a math lens – and how we can apply those techniques to classroom teaching.

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Making math viral with Howie Hua

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Season 4, Episode 01.

Making math viral with Howie Hua

In this episode, Howie Hua (you may know him from his viral TikTok videos) joins Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to discuss making math accessible for students through multiple social media platforms, creating an engaging space for students to share their ideas.

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Season 2

Watch Season 2!

Math potluck favorites

Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer are hosting a Math Teacher Lounge potluck. Instead of bringing a casserole (or a store-bought item passed off as homemade), Bethany and Dan are bringing you a cornucopia of math topics. Be sure to join our Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/mathteacherlounge) as we will be announcing some exciting changes in the new year!

Watch now

The power of problem solving with Fawn Nguyen

Rio School District Teacher on Special Assignment and Amplify Math advisor Fawn Nguyen joins Bethany and Dan to discuss the power of problem solving. Hear from Fawn about:

Her five criteria for good problem solving problems.
How problem solving should involve all students.
The power of exposing all students to problem solving.
And much more!

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Hands Down, Speak Out | Facilitating classroom discussions

Authors Christy Hermann Thompson and Kassia Omohundro Wedekind chat with Bethany and Dan about facilitating student conversations in the math and literacy classrooms. Watch the video to learn how hands down conversations allow students to become better listeners and learn about steps you can take to implement hands down conversations in your classroom.

Be sure to head over to our Facebook group to participate in our book club study with Christy and Kassia.

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An asset-based return to school | Math teaching ideas

A lot of great learning occurred over the last school year. Watch Bethany and Dan’s conversation with math educators (Zak Champagne, Natali I. Gaxiola, Howie Hua, Janaki Nagarajan, Brian Shay, and Dolores Torres) to hear what learning, practices, and ideas they want to bring with them to the 2021-2022 school year.

Watch now

Season 1

Watch Season 1!

Episode 6, Segment 1: Math in public with Molly Daley and Chris Nho

Where is the most unusual place you have seen math in the last year? In this segment of Math Teacher Lounge, Public Math’s Molly Daley (@mdaley15) and Chris Nho (@nhoskee) join Bethany Lockhart and Dan Meyer to discuss all the unique places one can find math, including a laundromat, to elicit and invite math conversations.

Learn more about Public Math by visiting public-math.org.

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Episode 6, Segment 2: Math in public with Molly Daley and Chris Nho

Molly Daley and Chris Nho are back in the lounge to answer this question. In this segment they join Bethany and Dan for a mathematizing public places game. Watch the video to join in the game and see how you can spot and make sense of math in public spaces.

Learn more about Public Math by visiting public-math.org.

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Episode 6, Segment 3: Math in public with Omo Moses

MathTalk’s CEO Omo Moses enters the Math Teacher Lounge to chat with Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer. Watch their conversation to learn about how communities can create positive math experiences for all.

Episode 5: Slow reveal in an 8th grade classroom

In the latest segment of the Math Teacher Lounge series, Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) substitute teaches an 8th grade class. Students interact with a few activities authored by Dan using the slow reveal described first in the Power of Data Science segment.

Curious how Dan found his way to this class? Our Math Teacher Lounge Facebook group made it happen! Join the group today and catch up on previous segments and stay in-the-know with all things MTL.

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Episode 4, Segment 1: Wrong and brilliant

Is there a different and better way to teach rightness and wrongness in math class? In this segment, Bethany and Dan use a Desmos activity to discuss how wrong and brilliant answers can reveal student understanding and inform your instruction.

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Episode 4, Segment 2: Wrong and brilliant with Mandy Jansen

University of Delaware professor and author Mandy Jansen (@mandymathed) joins Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to continue the discussion around wrong and brilliant and the idea of rough draft math.

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Episode 4, Segment 3: Wrong and brilliant with Megan Franke

The conversation around wrong and brilliant in the classroom concludes with UCLA Professor Megan Franke (@meganlfranke). Professor Franke discusses with Bethany (@lockhartedu) and Dan (@ddmeyer) the amazing things students are doing in math (in a pandemic!) and more.

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Episode 3: The power of data science with Jenna Laib

Curious how data science can reveal profound noticings in your math class? Special guest Jenna Laib joins Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to discuss this and the power of data science in the classroom.

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Episode 2: Effective and ineffective technology in the math classroom

Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer discuss technology in the math classroom with the following special guests: Idil Abdulkadir, Robert Berry, Lauren Carr, Steve Leinwand, Francis Su, and Theresa Wills.

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Episode 1: Welcome to MTL, let’s talk distance learning!

In this episode, Bethany and Dan talk distance learning. You’ll learn a little about what’s in store for series subscribers, listen to your hosts figure out the topic du jour by playing a game, and hear from Idil Abdulkadir as the group discusses real vs. fake Zoom norms.

Watch now

About your hosts

Learn more about your hosts!

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Bethany Lockhart Johnson

Bethany Lockhart Johnson is an elementary school educator and author. Prior to serving as a multiple-subject teacher, she taught theater and dance, and now loves incorporating movement and creative play into her classroom. Bethany is committed to helping students find joy in discovering their identities as mathematicians. In addition to her role as a full-time classroom teacher, Bethany is a Student Achievement Partners California Core Advocate and is active in national and local mathematics organizations. Bethany is a member of the Illustrative Mathematics Elementary Curriculum Steering Committee and serves as a consultant, creating materials to support families during distance learning.

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Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer taught high school math to students who didn’t like high school math. He has advocated for better math instruction on CNN, Good Morning America, Everyday With Rachel Ray, and TED.com. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in math education and is currently the Dean of Research at Desmos, where he explores the future of math, technology, and learning. Dan has worked with teachers internationally and in all 50 United States and was named one of Tech & Learning’s 30 Leaders of the Future.

Check out our social media!

Facebook groups

Join in the Math Teacher Lounge conversation by joining our Facebook group or by checking out our Facebook community group!

Instagram

Join in the Math Teacher Lounge conversation by following us on Instagram @Amplify.education.

Twitter

Join in the Math Teacher Lounge conversation by following us @MTLShow.

Desmos Classroom

Desmos Classroom is a teaching and learning platform offering a collection of free digital lessons and lesson building tools. Learn more about Desmos Classroom on Twitter and on Facebook.

Resources

Enjoy our free resources!

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Free professional development cours…

Three on-demand professional learning courses for math teachers. Earn your cert…

Mathigon: the mathematical playgrou…

Math games and manipulatives for online and remote learning.

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Track key strategies to elevate instruction and engage students in math!

Don’t miss the finale of Math Teacher Lounge

Just like certain functions and number sequences, even the most successful podcasts reach a natural end. And that’s true of Math Teacher Lounge. After six seasons and more than 40 episodes, co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer are heading off to work on other exciting projects.

So let’s take a look at the podcast’s farewell episode, as well as some highlights from earlier seasons.

Highlights from this math podcast

On the final episode of Math Teacher Lounge, our hosts walk through the past ten episodes on math fluency. They highlight key conversations on defining and assessing fluency, fluency development in a bilingual math classroom setting, and the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on so-called fake fluency.

“I think every guest has answered a question that we’ve had about fluency and then also opened up new areas of investigation for us,” says Dan. “Whether that’s thinking about community more deeply through fluency or assessment or classroom practices, all these different folks offered us a glimpse into their expertise and then pointed at paths towards more learning.”

Spanning six seasons, the podcast has reached thousands of educators while exploring a wide range of topics including the joy of math, math anxiety, and (of course) math fluency. Guests have included Amplify’s Jason Zimba, Reach Capital’s Jennifer Carolan, and Baltimore County Public Schools’s John W. Staley, Ph.D.

Some of the most popular episodes included:

Investigating math anxiety in the classroom (S5E1) with Gerardo Ramirez, Ph.D., associate professor of educational psychology at Ball State University. Ramirez helped our hosts and listeners understand what math anxiety is and is not, what impact it has on learning, and what we can do about it.

Building math fluency through games (S6E7) with University of Louisville professor Jennifer Bay-Williams, Ph.D., who—in a special live recording at NCTM 2023—showed how games can bring both fluency and joy into the math classroom.

Cultivating a joy of learning with Sesame Workshop (S5E3) with Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president of curriculum and content for Sesame Workshop. Dr. Truglio shared how to cultivate a growth mindset in young children and point them toward academic achievement and long-term success.

Professional development—and more—to look forward to

Bethany and Dan will continue working on a host of other exciting projects, including webinars and conference appearances. On March 12, Dan will also participate in the Amplify 2024 Math Symposium: a free, virtual, five-hour event that will help educators strengthen math instruction, bolster student agency, and build math proficiency for life.

The following key Math Symposium sessions (featuring your favorite Math Teacher Lounge guests and host Dan Meyer) will help you learn even more about those popular topics in math:

Dan Meyer

How to Invite Students into More Effective Math Learning | 3:15 p.m. EDT

Gerardo Ramirez Ball State University

How Student’s Personal Narratives Shape Math Learning | 12:15 p.m. EDT

Jennifer Bay-Williams University of Louisville

Bringing Math to Life: How Games Build Fluency and Engagement | 1:00 p.m. EDT

Akimi Gibson Sesame Workshop

Developing Young Children’s Identities and Competencies as Mathematicians | 4:00 p.m. EDT

Check out the full agenda and sign up today. All sessions will be recorded and attendees will receive a certificate of attendance.

Key links

S4 – 02. Bethany and Dan share their math biographies

Promotional graphic for "math teacher lounge," season 4 episode 2, featuring photos and names of math teaching guests Bethany Lockhart and Dan Meyer.

Explore more from Math Teacher Lounge by visiting our main page.

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Dan Meyer (00:00):

We’re recording. What’s up, everybody. This is Dan Meyer with Math Teacher Lounge.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:08):

And I’m Bethany Lockhart Johnson. We are so excited to be back. Season Four, Episode Two. Hi, Dan.

Dan Meyer (00:16):

Hey, Bethany, how are you doing today?

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:18):

I’m so excited to be talking with you! You know, as we record this, our reunion at NCTM is getting closer and closer.

Dan Meyer (00:28):

The NCTM live show is gonna be bonkers. I don’t think people are ready for it. You think you know what we’re about on MTL from listening to us, but the live show is gonna be outta control. You cannot imagine how many clowns and elephants Bethany wants to have at the live show. We’re still—we’re trying to talk her down from like three to one, but we’ll see.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:44):

All I want is the t-shirt cannon. Because I used to go to these baseball games and they would have a t-shirt cannon. And I thought, I wanna operate a t-shirt cannon! So like, if I could be standing on stage aiming t-shirts at people who are jumping up and down requesting a t-shirt? I don’t know. Doesn’t that sound fun?

Dan Meyer (01:01):

Sounds awesome. High point of my college education was catching a t-shirt. No, it was—it was a burrito. It was a burrito cannon. But I think it was just a t-shirt cannon, but it was a burrito cannon. And I caught a burrito at a game and it was probably the most memorable moment of all of college education for me.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (01:16):

Was the burrito still warm?

Dan Meyer (01:18):

Oh yeah. I think it got—like, I think it might’ve been warm at one point and then it got warmed back up through the muzzle velocity of the cannon. So it was a pretty great system they had going on there. <Laugh> Yeah. <Laugh> Anyway, I’m off topic, but, we’re thrilled to—I’m thrilled to chat with you and we’re thrilled to be listened to by you folks out there in MTL land. In the lounge itself. We got a fun show today.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (01:40):

So if you listen to Episode One—which if you haven’t, hope you go back and listen to it—if you listen to Season Four, Episode One, you’re gonna hear—we asked Huon, KT, who is this delight of a joyful teacher. We asked her to talk to us about what’s her math bio. And we want to ask all of our guests—like, I wanna go back and ask every single guest we’ve ever had to tell us their math bio.

Dan Meyer (02:06):

Yep.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (02:06):

Because, while seemingly simple in nature, our students enter our math classroom already having had this relationship with math and these notions about their role in math or what they think about math. And it impacts our school year with them if we’re a teacher. And it impacts our relationship with math as we move through our education and beyond. Right? And I I’m so excited about this question, ’cause I think it also ties into this theme for Season Four, which is joyful math, and diving into “When has math felt joyful? When has it not? Does it feel like—how do we think about how our math bio, our relationship with math, has evolved into a joyful or less joyful place?”

Dan Meyer (02:54):

I get it. And what’s really key here, I think, is that teaching more than other professions is a generational profession. You know what I’m saying? Like, no one is like, “Well, you know, I sold insurance to you and now you’re selling insurance to, you know, my grandkids; that’s amazing!” But people are always posting photos when, like, you teach someone who then becomes a teacher later. Teaching is a generational sort of thing. So the kinds of joyful experiences that we offer or don’t offer students now affect the experiences that students who haven’t even been born yet will have, you know, some 20, 30 years later. That, to me, is a trip. And well-worth exploring, you know, how we got here, mathematically speaking.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (03:39):

I remember a friend had sent me this image of an assignment that her son got that was asking for their Mathography. They wanted to know about their history of mathematics. And this was their first assignment. And this teacher, I would like to imagine, read them all and used it to inform conversations about students’ relationship with math. And, you know, some of the questions they asked were thinking about whether you consider yourself, quote, unquote, “good at math.” Like “what kind of experiences have you had? What do you like or dislike about math? What is, you know—what do you expect to learn in math this year?” Just asking students to actually pause and examine and reflect on their relationship and then also looking forward to, like, what kind of a classroom community do we wanna create? And I loved that assignment. And yeah, so today’s episode Dan, guess what?

Dan Meyer (04:32):

What’s going on? What’s happening?

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (04:33):

I figured we should ask each other about our math bio.

Dan Meyer (04:39):

I think the people out there would love to know this about us. ‘Cause you know, we’re both awesome. But also what’s really cool here is that like, I don’t know this about you. Like not, not a lot. You know, the folks at Amplify, they kind of assembled me and Bethany together in the same way that record labels assembled pop boy bands, girl bands, that kind of thing, back in the day. You know, grabbing some stars from screen or film and just like throwing ’em together and saying, “All right, now you’re here to perform together.” And so it’s just a really good moment for us to, like, settle back and just know who we’ve been working with for the last three seasons and change here. I love it.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:15):

Well, I don’t know. I don’t actually agree with that, Dan. Because don’t you remember? We knew each other beforehand. And while I would like to think of us as…oh, I’ll say One Direction—well, no, One Direction is now defunct. Who’s another band that got formed by one of those shows and is still together and still—

Dan Meyer (05:33):

BTS! K-Pop, you know! Let’s go!

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:35):

K-pop. BTS.

Dan Meyer (05:38):

Let’s go, Bethany <laugh>.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:39):

So can we incorporate some K-pop into the NCTM Math Teacher Lounge live episode? Don’t answer now. Don’t answer now. OK. So not only are we gonna share our math bios, but we want to encourage you listeners to share your math bio with somebody in your life. It could be a child in your life, maybe talking to your kiddo about what was it like. What was math like for you? It could be a student that you have. It could be a partner, a friend, a parent. I mean, the sky’s the limit. Share your math bio. And most of all, share with us. We wanna hear about your math bio and you can share it with us at Twitter, at MTLShow, or in our Facebook group, Math Teacher Lounge.

Dan Meyer (06:26):

Stop on by, please. All right. I’m gonna just share like, just a couple of quick, signposts. Not the full bio. Gotta leave them wondering about something here. But here’s a few quick highlights and lowlights of my math bio and how, maybe, it made me the teacher that I was and the educator I am. Is that cool?

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:44):

Wait, I didn’t even, I didn’t ask you yet.

Dan Meyer (06:46):

Ask me what?

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:47):

Hey, Dan!

Dan Meyer (06:49):

Is there like a magical word? Like, what’s your math bio? <Laugh> Oh, go for it. No, no, that’s right. They won’t know what I’m talking about. Why is he talking about his math bio? Bethany—

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:57):

That whole lead-in that we just gave? They might not know.

Dan Meyer (07:00):

Yeah. We just talked about math bios for the last 20 minutes. But yeah, they might not know what we’re—

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (07:04):

<laugh> So Dan, why don’t you go first? ‘Cause I know you were gonna ask me to go first, but why don’t you go first? Dan? What’s your math bio?

Dan Meyer (07:12):

Oh, wow. Well, thank you for the formal invitation to share my math bio, Bethany Lockhart Johnson. So, I’ll just share—I just wanna share a couple items here, not the full history. Gotta leave ’em—leave a little mystery in there, you know what I’m saying? But here’s a few highlights and lowlights, and I think what it means for me as an educator. So, I was homeschooled for eight years. That was big—did a lot of math learning on my own. Couple of lowlights from that, a lot of highlights, in terms of just like being able to, like, learn at my own rate and just jump on ahead and pursue different wacky things. But I tried to switch into public school in fourth grade and I lasted, um, four hours. I didn’t even go to class. I enrolled and then it was like, boom, I was out of there. Because we went to the school; we met the teacher, saw the room, very nice person and place. But I got the homework assignment and the homework assignment was gibberish. I had no idea what to do and such was this feeling of just, like, despair and hopelessness, I was like, I cannot be a part of this. I remember the assignment. It was about identifying scalene, isosceles, and equilateral triangles. I’ll tell you this: I am quite good at that now. But at the time, like, I didn’t know what those words meant. And you know, at that moment we had Encyclopedia Britannica, could not Google this or even Ask Jeeves or AltaVista this so well back then. It just—it was an entry moment of failure and realizing that so much of math is like a, kind of a social kind of construct. And if you’re not part of that social circle, what can you do? So that was a bummer. Another bummer was eighth-grade math, learned it all by way of videotape. You know, put in the tape and watch—not gonna say the person’s name and not this person’s fault—but it was just like watching someone work on a whiteboard. Kind of a precursor to Khan Academy, kind of a drag. Went to high school—

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (09:02):

Wait, wait, wait, wait. We were—I’m not ready to jump to high school. Wait. Can you pause for just a second?

Dan Meyer (09:06):

Yeah. Rock on.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (09:07):

I just need you to go back to the triangle thing. So in that moment, what did that mean for you that you had had all these experiences with math and then you encounter math in a completely different sphere, a public school, and it did not have a connection or meaning to you because prior to that, it sounds like it was pretty positive. Right? Explore these things you’re curious about; there’s not, like, a level you need to stick with…

Dan Meyer (09:33):

Yep, yep. Yeah. I think that’s right. Maybe it was a little bit of a classic, like, “Oh, I didn’t have a growth mindset; my mindset was like, ‘Oh, I’m good at math because I am, you know, born that way,’” and all of a sudden, that identity was, you know, thrown into question. And, you know, my foundation was all of a sudden quite shaky. And yeah, that’s—you know, I think I taught a lesson recently where I was like, “Hey, this whole thing with a less-than or equal-to sign and a greater-than or equal-to sign, like what those signs are: it’s just, it’s language. And if it’s confusing to you, it’s not because you’re bad at math; it’s ’cause language is oftentimes confusing ’cause people have to agree on it.” So I dunno, that sort of thing is kind of filtered in, filtered back in periodically, some sympathy for like how a lot of math is like just socially agreed upon ways of working with, you know, numbers, shapes, patterns, that kind of thing.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (10:20):

OK.

Dan Meyer (10:21):

Anyway.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (10:21):

And in this home school—I have a lot of questions about that, but I’ll stick to one—were you in a community of people that you talked about these math ideas with? Were you homeschooled solo? You have a sibling, so I think you were together, right?

Dan Meyer (10:39):

Yeah. Yeah. I’ve got a twin sister. So we were, you know, like, right on with each other the whole way through there. And yeah, so we had—but it wasn’t, it wasn’t like a—it was a lot of individual work, with my flavor of homeschooling.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (10:54):

Got it. And the tapes—wait, before you go to high school, the tapes, the VHS tapes, which I’m just loving this image—

Dan Meyer (11:02):

Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (11:02):

Was that a positive experience? Was that because that was an area of math that whoever was homeschooling you wasn’t that comfortable with? Why was it that route for the tapes, and what was that? Was that joyful for you?

Dan Meyer (11:15):

Yeah, definitely not joyful. Yeah, it was like, if you had questions, you couldn’t really ask them of the VHS tape. It didn’t work out so well in that way. And it was a lot of operational-type math. It was, you know—there was no give and take; it was all kind of take. From the video teacher. And yeah, I was doing that because my homeschool teacher, my mom, who is very smart in lots of areas, did not have the math knowledge or confidence, especially to help with math at eighth grade. And that was a big reason why, flash-forward to the next year, went to high school.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (11:48):

Nice segue. OK.

Dan Meyer (11:50):

<laugh> You caught up to high school…I encountered just like four years of just crazy-good, just bonkers-good math teachers who just really changed a lot for me. Especially, Mr. Bishop and Mr. Cavender, very cool folks who did a lot. And especially, I think Mr. Bishop and Cavender both modeled for me what curiosity from a knowledgeable adult looks like. Like someone who, you know, now I can say to myself, “Oh, they were kind of like putting on an act of being very curious about answers they were hearing for the 2000th time from a student,” let’s say, but what a powerful experience that was for me to feel like, “Oh, wow, my thoughts are interesting to someone besides myself.” I got like, maybe it’s two real highlights that I’ll just point to, from my math bio that made me the math teacher and person that I am. Let’s see here. Maybe three, if you you’ll indulge me. One is just like the idea that you could do math wherever you have your brain, a pencil and a paper. And so I remember like in high school, I was in church with my family and kind of a little bit bored of whatever’s going on. And I just had the Bolton and I like drew a pentagon, a regular one, then a hexagon, a regular one, and kept on drawing, like adding sides to the shape. And it was like, it was becoming a circle. And, you know, I was able to take the area of each of those shapes and say, you know, “What happens as you send the number of sides to infinity?” And watch as the formula for area of a circle, Pi R squared, popped out. And it was kind of a literal religious experience, in that moment, just like, “Wow, like my brain’s so cool and math is so cool and paper and pencil’s so cool.” And so there’s that. Just that kind of experience was pretty awesome. And then I would just say like, I’ve had some really fantastic experiences with math in the world itself. Stuff like—let’s see, this is gonna invite more questions from Bethany, probably, maybe I should avoid—I got, I have a Guinness—I have a Guinness world record that’s almost 20 years old. This Guinness world record is—it’s old enough to drive basically at this point. And almost old enough to drink. But like it was—it was a record for chaining the longest paper clip chain together in 24 hours. And the only way I was able to break that record was through mathematics. Where, like, I would be finishing a box of clips. And I would say to my buddy who was there, “I just finished a box of clips.” And that person would type in the number of clips that I had just done. And then a mathematical formula that I had created would tell me how many—how long the chain was at that point. It was being rolled around a spool. And like, it’s just like, wow. So math just made this possible. You know, math revealed that the record I was trying to beat was beatable, because I did the math on it. It was, like, thousands of feet long in 24 hours. And other folks might be like, “Oh, like, that’s that’s huge!” But me, I was like, “All right, let’s divide this out. You know, divide by 24 hours in a day, divide by 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds in a minute. Oh, that’s like one clip every four seconds. That’s really slow.” You know, think about that <counts aloud>, “Clip, two, three, four. Clip two, three…” It was just slow. So math helped me, you know, wreck that record. Which to my knowledge still still stands. Don’t get any ideas, Math Teacher Lounge Folks! Is this news to you, Bethany? You haven’t blinked in the last, like, five minutes. I’m curious if this is new.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (15:20):

It is news to me. And I have so many questions. Because OK, if four seconds was slow, so then what was your like—so then I’m assuming a hundred clips per box? Like, what was the rate, you know, per box? How long did it take you to complete a box? What did this friend like? Did this friend stick with you for the whole 24 hours? Did you really do it for 24 hours? Or once you beat the record, did you rest? How did you account for biological function? Like, needs? Like a restroom?

Dan Meyer (15:51):

<Interrupting> Like what?

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (15:51):

Eating.

Dan Meyer (15:51):

Like what, Bethany? OK.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (15:52):

Um, Sleep.

Dan Meyer (15:55):

So yeah, maybe we dive into some of the specifics in a different time.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (15:59):

Just tell me one of ’em. Tell me one.

Dan Meyer (15:59):

I’ll just say. So as to discourage other Math Teacher Lounge listeners from taking this on—back off of the record, folks!—this was back in college, so I was a little more limber back then. But I did one—I think it was 1.8 seconds per clip. For an entire 24 hours. Just like, so just like think about it, would you? If you’re gonna step to me on this one, just think about that, OK? And then, and then, you know, make an informed decision.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (16:28):

Wait. Wait, wait, I just wanna tell you one thing. I’m picturing somebody with a straw, and like, giving you water as you keep clipping. I’m picturing, like, music, I…

Dan Meyer (16:37):

That’s not far. That’s not far. That’s not far from—yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (16:40):

So many questions! OK. Go on. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Go on. This is your bio.

Dan Meyer (16:44):

We gotta, I gotta wrap this up. I wanna hear your bio. But, like, I would just say like this move to this sense that math is actually a thing that’s useful for more than just a grade; it’s useful for more than just, you know, the societal, you know, adulation that comes from being a math nerd. That kind of thing. And so that, I think that affected a lot of math teaching for me. And, if I gotta, like, summarize math teaching itself in a journey, it went from like, “Hey kids, aren’t I awesome?” to, “Hey kids, isn’t math awesome?” to “Hey kids, aren’t you awesome?” And like that journey was facilitated by lots and lots of people, you know, a lot of personal growth, but at this point, at one point I was like, “Hey, math can help you get records and whatnot. It’s really useful.” And now I’m like, “Wow, your brain’s just doing just really interesting things. I can help you understand how interesting those things are, and maybe make them more interesting, or interesting in a different way, with some help here.” Let’s put a pin in that. That’s the math bio.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (17:50):

So I have no doubt that if you ask someone in your life, listeners, for their math bio, that you will discover things about them that you never knew. Literally the questions that I have…I have so many question. And Dan is very good at, you know, bringing me back. Bring me back, like, come on, come on. But I just wanna say, overall, your journey seems pretty joyful. It seems pretty joyful. It seems pretty full of confidence. I don’t wanna say “ego” in a negative way, but I wanna say you were buoyed by these experiences that allowed you to feel like math was a place for you to thrive.

Dan Meyer (18:36):

Right.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (18:36):

Where you could try out things. You could try it out and just, “I could do that!” Right? Like…your relationship just felt very, like…you felt like you had autonomy, agency, perhaps much like you, you operate in this world. Dan, is that, is that right <laugh>?

Dan Meyer (18:54):

Yeah, I think it’s fair to say. And without telling too much of her story, my twin sister with whom I share most things, including genetics, you know—she had a very different experience in math early on. She’s brilliant. She’s a doctor. And not, you know, the book kind of doctor that I am, but like a real, you know, medical doctor. She’s brilliant. But we were—we encountered different messages about who math was made for, early on in, you know, in our entire math learning. And she—we both digested the messages that we were sent, and took, you know, different, different paths because of them, for sure.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (19:31):

Funny how that works. I thank you, Dan. I do. For in all sincerity, I appreciate you sharing that. And I think that it’s exciting to hear how it influenced your teaching. It feels like you want to cultivate those experiences for your students. And I’ve been in the room when you’ve presented; I was in a room where you taught a class live. It felt like you were making space for the students to have these aha moments. And it feels like in your work at Desmos, and now Amplify, you’re trying to create these products that allow folks to recreate these amazing math moments. Right? And that it’s for everyone and that it’s accessible and it can be very positive. I feel like I have this new perspective on kind of the energy you bring to your teaching. So thank you for sharing that.

Dan Meyer (20:24):

Yeah. Been a pleasure. Thanks for your questions here, Bethany. And it’s been—it’s been fun to reflect on it. And I do—I do feel very lucky in lots of ways. Privileged. Lucky. I know, like—I think the world has been set up for my success in lots of ways, as who I am. But I do just…yeah, I feel—I want more people to experience what it’s like when you walk into a math classroom and it’s like, “Hey, this place is for you. You have interesting thoughts about this. Let’s get ’em out.” So that’s awesome. I would love to hear about you and how you…I mean, we have taught different kinds of kids. You know, I taught kids who I think were somewhat set in, they’re a little bit more solid at secondary in who they are as a math learner. Like “I know who math is and who I am with math.” And I’m really excited to hear what your math bio allowed you to do with students who were perhaps open to the idea that they are very mathematical or at least not yet closed off to those possibilities. So, yeah. What are some of the high, the, you know, the high and low water marks of the making of Bethany Lockhart Johnson, math teacher? <Laugh>

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (21:24):

Thanks for asking, Dan. <Laugh> I’ve shared aspects of my math bio because I think it really informs the way that I talk to people about math and think about math. And I like to share it because I want folks to consider their own journey with math, as we like engage with problem-solving and sense-making and thinking about the students in our classroom. My dad is a math and computer science major. So he had a computer very early on. I wish he had invested in Apple early on when he had like one of the first Apple computers ever. And, sorry, dad, but it’s true. I do wish you had done that.

Dan Meyer (22:10):

I’m sure he does too.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (22:11):

Oh, he does. So math and computers and conversations about counting, you know, it felt like it was kind of just normal. Like it was around me. And I went to Montessori, which is a private school that—oh, they have some public Montessori—but it’s very self-directed. And so we would have these kind of charts, these goals for the day that you explored. And so we would explore math in very, I don’t know, very organic ways, with these natural materials. And I feel like I excelled at math, but it wasn’t something that I was conscious of. It was just like, “Oh, well, yeah. Math, it’s, you know, something we do.” And then when I went to—when I left Montessori in fourth grade, I remember that year being a lot of like repetition. I was like, well, we did this. We covered this. And except for the mission project that we hadn’t done, that was all new. And that’s it. For another time I’ll share about that. But <laugh> then, they actually, I was moved with a group of students to the fifth grade math class, ’cause we had already done the work that we were doing. And so, it wasn’t that it felt like it came easily, but it did make sense. What we were doing made sense. And then it all kind of changed. There was a lot of change in my family. There was, like, missed school time. And we moved and I went to a new middle school and I was in this environment with students who—it was like an accelerated program. And so I was in this environment with students who were pretty competitive with each other. And I remember going—and I was not from of a competitive environment; like Montessori is not competitive. It’s not about that.

Dan Meyer (24:02):

Right. Right.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (24:02):

It’s—it was very strange to me that I would be competing against anyone, even competing against myself. And I, you know, knew how to set goals. But it was a different level of energy. And I felt like, because I wasn’t competitive in that nature, I felt like that kind—I felt on the outside of a lot of the energy. Besides the regular, like, middle-school feeling outside of things. And I remember the first friend that I made. Hi, Susan! She had said to me, this was like maybe our second week of school, she’s like, “Oh, at lunchtime, come with me to math club.” And I was like, “OK.” And I remember walking into that room and I had no idea what was going on. And so that was one of the first times where I was just like, “Whoa, I have absolutely no concept of what they’re talking about or what.” These are my peers. I felt very—it was very—it was strange. It was strange. I was like, “This doesn’t feel like a space for me at all.” When I think ordinarily I was kind of excited about the idea of going to math club at lunch, you know? And over middle school, I kind of just got progressively more and more behind. It started with missing some work and then missing more and then checking out. And, you know, the problem was that I really made it about myself. That, like, it wasn’t something that I was then good at or could do. When really it was that well, pre-algebra, I was having a really hard time in like the rest of my life. And so I wasn’t real present in that class. And so when I got to algebra, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. And then if I missed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, well, Thursday is gonna be hard, you know? And, it just got progressively harder and harder. So I had this great idea that between eighth grade and ninth grade, I was going to take this accelerated geometry class. ‘Cause that was the ninth grade class, it was geometry. And I would take it. It was like geometry in three weeks or something. So then when I entered high school, I would’ve gotten this like jumpstart. But I wish I had said, “Oh, I’ll take this, and then in ninth grade I’ll take geometry.” So like I’ve already kind of gotten a preview of the material. But instead I went to the 10th grade math, which was like intermediate algebra, trigonometry. I had absolutely no clue what was going on. And I had a very, very difficult time and I wasn’t ready for that class. But it was exacerbated by the fact that this teacher felt very free to let the freshmen in that class know that they shouldn’t be in that class. That this class was for 10th graders.

Dan Meyer (26:49):

Oh wow. Oh, wow.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (26:51):

And we had a rather contentious relationship. And I will never forget that we were in the hallway, and he says to me, “You don’t belong here.” And I’ve talked to—I’ve talked to a girlfriend of mine about her experiences with this teacher and she has the fondest memories.

Dan Meyer (27:13):

Wow.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (27:14):

She—in fact, almost everyone I’ve spoken with, you know, if we are talking about past teachers or, “Oh, what was that class like?” I mean, they just have these wonderful memories! And for me, my sense of like belonging was already so on a tight rope anyway, that to have this adult, this teacher, tell me, “You do not belong here,” just crushed me. And in hindsight, I think he was saying like, “This class is too hard for you.” I mean, maybe. <Laugh> But all I heard was “You don’t belong here.” And I extrapolated it to connect to math and to anything having to do with math in general. And it just got worse and worse through high school in the world of math. My next math class was even—I had to repeat that class, and still didn’t understand what was going on, and felt more out of place, and, you know, it’s one of those things that I just kind of had started to accept that, I guess, math isn’t for me. I guess I’m just not a math person. Or whatever these stories are that I started to create and build and find evidence for around me that was informing that this wasn’t for me. And I had always done well in school. I was in, you know, accelerated classes. I felt like I was capable of problem solving. And yet in math, I just felt like I had all of this evidence saying that I didn’t belong there. And so when I went to college, I took whatever two math classes were—you know, I was in performing arts and then I did ethnic studies as well. And I remember you had to take two math classes that were GEs. There were these classes that if you don’t wanna deal with math, you go take those classes. And I was like, “Oh yeah, I’ll take that. I’ll take that.” The gulf widened, you know? <Laugh> And I didn’t feel like anxiety when I had to do things like balance my checkbook or navigate math in everyday spaces. It was just, it would never occur to me that I would like seek out opportunities to engage with math or think about it or talk about it.

Dan Meyer (29:35):

That is—yeah, that’s just so wild, how, I don’t know, like it’s often, from the student’s perspective, it is them in a vacuum with math, and the two of them interact and decide if, you know, if they’re right for each other. But from the grown-up perspective, it’s just, you know, it’s a little bit clearer that your story with math was not just you in math, but you with, you know, various external things happening. With family, various teachers playing their different roles—sometimes, you know, really tragic and horrible roles—and then like the compounding mathematical debt that it feels like you were kind of building up, as challenges in one year didn’t get resolved and moved into the next year and so on. And all that makes me wonder—it makes me, like really, really scared, first of all, because I would bet that your teacher might not even remember that moment, that for you is part of just a pivotal moment in your math story, and how many kids have I played—have I been a part of their story in that way and wouldn’t even recall? You know what I’m saying? So that’s a scary part. And then also I’m just wondering, like, how can we, how can we help kids who are in those moments recognize that, “Oh, this kid is like absent a bunch,” and give them more resources to be successful rather than say, “Well, you just gotta try harder now.” Those are things I’m wondering, hearing your story. Thank you for sharing that. I’d love to know more about how you then became a teacher and what all that did for you as you helped students.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (31:06):

Well, but to answer what you were saying, it wasn’t that I wasn’t—I was always absent physically, but at least like mentally at that point, because it had become so difficult. It didn’t make sense to me. So I was just really checked out in math class, you know? So in hindsight, you know, as a teacher, for sure I can look back, and especially hearing these stories and these experiences my friend had with this teacher and just like chalks up as one of like her most favorite teachers ever! And you know, he clearly did a great job for so many students. But for me, and I think for some people, they would’ve taken those challenges and, you know, it would have fortified them in a different way or something. But for me, I took it upon myself to mean certain things about myself and about my ability and what I was capable of. And so I think, I think in some ways, you know, yeah, it’s all, it’s all interconnected. You know, when your students walk in the door, they’re not this—the things that are impacting them in their life are coming into the room with them. And I don’t think we can take that for granted and think, “Well, if they just focus hard enough…”

Dan Meyer (32:21):

Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (32:23):

So let’s go back to my love of Oprah. You know, Oprah talks about living your best life. And something I really appreciate about Oprah is that she encourages you to examine, like, sticking points, right? Like she doesn’t just say, “Well, this…just pretend nothing ever happened, and everything’s fine!” You know, she really talks about making time for reflection. And I kind of got mad that anytime I thought about math, or math schooling came up. Or, you know, whatever, any time that came up that I just felt UGH about it. And I felt like a failure. And I’m like, “You know what, what if I took a math class? And I’m an adult at this point. I’ve graduated. I have—I’ve left college. I have my degrees. But I said, “What if I took a math class?” So I went down to, the city college and I found out that you have to take this exam, like a placement exam. And I went and took the placement exam. And I remember it’s one of the responsive tests where if you get it right, the next question’s a little harder. And so I’m taking it, panicking, because it’s getting more like…I just, you know. And I remember it placed me in like, whatever, Algebra Something, this class that was far more advanced than I thought I should be in. And I was like, there’s been a mistake! You know, and I went to the counselor and said, you know, “I got these results, but I couldn’t answer a lot of the questions on the test.” She’s like, “No, no, no, that’s how it works.” So I go take this class and the class was hard. And I decided that I was just gonna keep showing up. And every day before class, I kid you not, they had a little math…it was like a math center where you could go in and they had a bunch of tables and you’d sit at the table and you could sit and do your work or whatever. If you had a question, you walked up and put your name on a clipboard and then somebody would come and help you. So I did that, every single—like before every single class I would go in. I’d sit there. I’d do the work. I’d go. And I’d get help. Like somebody would walk over and you know, some kid for whom they’re like this…you know, they’re math—it might be you, Dan! It could be you! It could have been you! You know, would walk over and be like—

Dan Meyer (34:38):

Yeah, I was in Help like that. Naw, it’s awesome. Love, love those people. Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (34:42):

And you know, I did it. And I did so well in the class. I did exceedingly well in the class. And I said—

Dan Meyer (34:50):

Take that! Take that, everything! Every other math experience!

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (34:53):

I said, what?

Dan Meyer (34:55):

Yeah!

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (34:55):

Wait a second.

Dan Meyer (34:56):

Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (34:57):

And it was that I was present. I was not afraid to look at what didn’t make sense. And if something didn’t make sense, it didn’t mean there was something wrong with me. Whaaaaat?

Dan Meyer (35:10):

Yeah. Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (35:10):

So I was just in such a different space. And then I took another math class and that class was even harder. And I did the same thing where I went to the little lab and, you know, and it just buoyed me. And it made me realize that, like, this story, that my experience with it was very powerful and that was a real lived experience, but that it didn’t have to define my relationship with math. But then! I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a classroom teacher. And I totally—this was a couple years after that math class experience. So now, you know, I’m healing my relationship with math through basic positive experiences, da, da, da, you know, doing other work. But fast-forward, for a whole number of reasons, decided to become a classroom teacher. And I freaked out. All of my—like, I’m studying for the GRE and the CSET and all the things you have to the hoops you have to jump through to apply to the masters program and the credential program. And I freaked out. I was so close to quitting, Dan. Because I was convinced that the reason I couldn’t be a classroom teacher is because I wasn’t capable in math. Like I was—it was all that resurfaced. And even though I now had evidence to say something different, to the contrary, it was still so visceral. And I was so scared. But I passed that Math CSET.

Dan Meyer (36:47):

Get it.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (36:47):

I did well enough on the GRE—

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (36:50):

Yes!

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (36:50):

You know, I finished my credential. I worked really, really hard. I had to work so hard in my student placement, when I was student teaching for a fifth-grade class, ’cause I felt like, “Oh my God!” I mean, now I could do the mathematics, but I couldn’t TEACH it to someone, you know? But I had amazing professors at UCI, and my math professors really like just—and my mentor teacher! shout out to Jennifer! shout out to Phil!—these amazing mentor teachers who just loved teaching and who loved—like you said, you have these teachers in your life who you got to see the way that they listened to students. They taught me about that love of listening to students. And then I fell in love with, you know, CGI, cognitively guided instruction, and started learning all about all of these educators who just wanna learn from students’ thinking. And it was just so powerful. And I realize as a kindergarten teacher that I have this really special role in helping to create space for a positive school experience. Like we get to talk about—I talk about my students as mathematicians; they’re writers; they’re thinkers; they’re problem-solvers. And I also want to make space for parents. Some of them, this is their first kid in kindergarten, and they brought all of their experiences, a lot of it negative, that they had had with mathematics. So I felt like it was such an exciting opportunity to help show parents how they could have conversations about math with their students. That also, I hope helped heal their own anxiety with mathematics.

Dan Meyer (38:41):

Right, right.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (38:42):

Like, I’ve not even scratched the surface of math learning. But I just have such a changed perspective and relationship with math. And I just fell in love with the sense-making. And I fell in love with the journey of it. I still experience math anxiety about a wide variety of things, but I do love it. And I feel like there’s a space for me in relationship with math. And that really excites me.

Dan Meyer (39:09):

Yeah. Wow. Listen to that folks. We, we don’t deserve her! Bethany Lockhart Johnson! She got some math game and could have gone off there and, you know, become an accountant or something. And she chose to hang with kids and their parents. That’s so wild that you’re like rehabbing parents and their self-conception about mathematics at the same time. I think that is so cool.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (39:32):

Well, thanks Dan Meyer. I gotta tell you, I don’t know when or if I’ve ever shared that much of my math story. So there is a certain amount of vulnerability there. But thanks for listening. And I’m glad that, you know—I think there’s space for us to talk about these things that we care deeply about, but that can be really complicated.

Dan Meyer (39:56):

Yes. Yes. And I love how you you’ve really sharpened the point on what I feel like I know in my brain, but not my body all the time: That individual teachers are huge. Like, individual teachers, and individual moments of teaching, are just not something to play with. You know, like that kid that’s in fifth grade having a tough time, like there could be a month or a day-long period where all of a sudden, like, you’re just like, “Oh yeah, I’m back in the mix; like, me and math are still buddies.” And there’s also like moments that you had, where like one casual word from a teacher can just really put a huge wedge between you and a discipline that needs and wants you and your intellect in it.That’s a really powerful testimonial. Not just for math, but for teaching, your teaching bio.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (40:43):

I agree with you. And I also, I also…you know, I think we can’t put this—we are human. Teachers are human. And so I’m sure there’s things I’ve said to students. Twenty-second story: a student stapled his finger in my class. <Laugh> And I remember holding his hand and saying, “Why did you do that?” And I wasn’t yelling at him, but it was like, I am sure the panic in my face…like, that’s what he’s gonna remember about kindergarten. Right? <Laugh>.

Dan Meyer (41:19):

Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (41:20):

That. He will remember that. He won’t remember the really cool city project we did. He’s gonna remember his teacher holding his hand, in his face: “Why did you do that?”

Dan Meyer (41:30):

Yeah. Yeah.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (41:30):

You know, so we’re human. And yes, it was awful that that teacher said that to me. There were a thousand other ways that he could have said whatever it was he was thinking. And that did deeply wound me. But despite his influence—because teachers do have a lot of power and I think they need to examine that power, ongoing—it still doesn’t have to define us. So I don’t wanna put this pressure, like—

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (41:55):

Sure.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (41:56):

“So never ever say anything negative!” You know, we’re human.

Dan Meyer (42:00):

I feel like that kid is currently on some office-supply podcast talking about “your office-supply bio” and saying, “Let me tell you how I first got really freaked out by staples. Here’s the deal: I only use paper clips. And here’s why.”

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (42:15):

“Here’s why.” But then—callback!—he’s going to stumble upon THIS podcast and think, “And because I’m so adept with paper clips, I can beat that record!”

Dan Meyer (42:30):

Though—aaay! whoa! Settle down!

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (42:31):

BOOM.

Dan Meyer (42:31):

Don’t get any ideas, kid. No way. Uh-uh. I don’t like that at all. That’s not what—that’s not what I want to have happen here. No, thank you.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (42:41):

Well, I’m spent, Dan. I need a nap.

Dan Meyer (42:45):

Yeah. I need a box of Kleenex. I need a nap. I need a—yeah, for sure, a baba. Uh-huh. Definitely. Hey, so look, I’m not expecting you folks out there in the lounge to kind of give us the same depth or breadth. You know, we are here, of course, for your entertainment. Feast on our stories and dramas. But I would love to know at some point, like, what are a few, a few moments that really came to define you mathematically? Came to influence you as a teacher? I think we would do really well for each other to understand that about all of our processes. So yeah, I would just toss in a plug in for Twitter, @MTLShow, or Facebook, Math Teacher Lounge; it would be fantastic to hear from you.

Bethany Lockhart Johnson (43:24):

Thanks so much for listening.

Dan Meyer (43:25):

Thanks, folks. Bye now.

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What Dan Meyer says about math teaching

“Teaching, more than other professions, is a generational profession. The kinds of joyful experiences we offer, or don’t offer, now affect the experiences students that haven’t even been born yet will have years later.”

– Dan Meyer

Meet the guests

Dan Meyer

Bethany Lockhart Johnson

Bethany Lockhart Johnson is an elementary school educator and author. Prior to serving as a multiple-subject teacher, she taught theater and dance and now loves incorporating movement and creative play into her classroom. Bethany is committed to helping students find joy in discovering their identities as mathematicians. In addition to her role as a full-time classroom teacher, Bethany is a Student Achievement Partners California Core Advocate and is active in national and local mathematics organizations. Bethany is a member of the Illustrative Mathematics Elementary Curriculum Steering Committee and serves as a consultant, creating materials to support families during distance learning.

A graphic with the text "Math Teacher Lounge with Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer" on colored overlapping circles.

About Math Teacher Lounge: The podcast

Math Teacher Lounge is a biweekly podcast created specifically for K–12 math educators. In each episode co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson (@lockhartedu) and Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) chat with guests, taking a deep dive into the math and educational topics you care about.

Join the Math Teacher Lounge Facebook group to continue the conversation, view exclusive content, interact with fellow educators, participate in giveaways, and more!

Amplify Texas, K–5

Built on a systematic scope and sequence, Amplify Texas, K–5 programs offer the explicit instruction needed in today’s classrooms. Amplify Texas includes both English and Spanish curriculums. The print version of the English curriculum is titled Amplify Texas ELAR (English Language Arts and Reading). The digital version of the English curriculum is titled Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program. The print version of the Spanish curriculum is titled Amplify Texas SLAR (Spanish Language Arts and Reading). The digital version of the Spanish curriculum is titled Amplify Texas Lectoescritura.

We’ve created a wide suite of professional development offerings that will help you meet your unique needs this school year. Find out more below!

Professional Learning Partner Guide Certified Provider

Amplify CKLA, ELA, and Science professional development has been vetted by Rivet Education’s team through a rigorous three-step process and is listed in the Professional Learning Partner Guide.

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Plan your professional development

We’re excited to partner with you on your Amplify journey. Flexible professional development pathways have been designed to meet your needs.

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Recommended Professional Development Plan

Our team has curated a recommended professional learning path from initial launch to continuous support. Use the Professional Development Planning Guide below to discuss the plan that best meets your school or district needs with your Account Executive.

ELAR

View the Professional Development Planning Guide

SLAR

View the Professional Development Planning Guide

Session overview

Recommended sessions are highlighted below.

Audience	Title	Duration	Modality	Available
Launch
K–5 instructional leaders	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training	1 day	Onsite	Yes
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training	2 half days	Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Skills Strand initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Skills Strand program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) Knowledge Strand initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) Knowledge Strand program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	10/1/22
	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Conocimiento) initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Conocimiento) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training	1 day or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy program (digital) and ELAR (print) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) initial training	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) program overview	Half day	Onsite/Remote	5/1/22
Strengthen
K–5 leaders	Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing observations for leaders	Half day	Onsite/Remote	9/1/22
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & practice for K–2 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
K–2 teachers	Amplify Texas ELAR writing for K–2 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR enhancing planning & practice for K–2 teachers	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR writing for K–2 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	12/1/22
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & practice for 3–5 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
3–5 teachers	Amplify Texas ELAR writing for 3–5 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR enhancing planning & practice for 3–5 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR writing for 3–5 teachers	Half day	Onsite/Remote	12/1/22
K–5 teachers	Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & instruction for English language learners	Half day	Onsite/Remote	9/1/22
	Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & instruction for students with special needs	Half day	Onsite/Remote	9/1/22
	Amplify Texas ELAR Strengthening consultation session	1 hour or 3 1-hour sessions	Remote	2/1/22
	Amplify Texas SLAR Strengthening consultation session	1 hour or 3 1-hour sessions	Remote	2/1/22
Coaching sessions
K–5 educators (leaders, principals, coaches, and teachers)	Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching session	2 days consecutive	Onsite	Yes
K–5 educators (leaders, principals, coaches, and teachers)	Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching session	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching session	Half day	Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching session	2 days consecutive	Onsite	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching session	1 day onsite or 2 half days remote	Onsite/Remote	Yes
	Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching session	Half day	Remote	Yes

Launch

K–5 instructional leaders

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training for K–5 instructional leaders

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement and support Amplify Texas instruction in your schools! Learn how Amplify Texas supports students as they build literacy skills in the early grades and move among reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language activities in the upper grades. Understand the purpose of the Amplify Texas program (Skills, Knowledge, and Integrated Strands) and identify components of the Amplify Texas design principles within lessons. Participants will begin creating an action plan to support communication and change management related to Amplify Texas to staff, parents, and other stakeholders.

Audience: Instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

K–2 teachers

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas K–2 program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas K–2 program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Skills Strand initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas Skills Strand program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully. Participants will begin planning for the first unit and lessons.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Skills Strand program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas Skills Strand in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Knowledge Strand initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas Knowledge Strand program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully. Participants will begin planning for the first unit and lessons.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) Knowledge Strand program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas Knowledge Strand in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully. Participants will begin planning for the first unit and lessons.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully. Participants will begin planning for the first unit and lessons.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas Skills Strand (Habilidades y destrezas) in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Knowledge Strand (Conocimiento) initial training for K–2 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas Knowledge Strand (Conocimiento) program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully. Participants will begin planning for the first unit and lessons.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) Knowledge Strand (Conocimiento) program overview for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement Amplify Texas Knowledge Strand (Conocimiento) in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

3-5 Teachers

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) initial training for 3–5 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas 3–5 program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of Amplify Texas, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (digital) and ELAR (print) program overview for 3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prepare to implement the Amplify Texas 3–5 program in your classroom! Learn the foundational elements of the curriculum, including the structure of materials, key lesson elements, and how to deliver specific lesson types successfully.

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) initial training for 3–5 teachers

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas Lectoescritura (digital) and SLAR (print) program overview for 3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Audience: Teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Strengthen

K–5 leaders

Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing observations for K–5 leaders

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for instructional leaders

Elevate program knowledge to support colleagues with effective Amplify Texas implementation! Practice analyzing Amplify Texas lessons and identify key instructional elements and next steps. Participants will be prepared to collect data and enhance classroom observations.

Audience: Instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

K–2 teachers

Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & practice for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers

Elevate program knowledge to strengthen your Amplify Texas K–2 implementation! Understand the progression of foundational skills and focus on high-quality questioning and discussion techniques through lesson study and practice. Participants will practice implementing key instructional elements and leave with annotated lessons.

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas ELAR writing for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers and 2–3 months of Amplify Texas instruction

Dig into Amplify Texas writing instruction and student work in grades K–2! Identify writing opportunities in the Amplify Texas Skills and Knowledge Strand through analysis of a unit and daily lessons and analyze student writing using a program-aligned rubric. Participants will leave with an annotated unit highlighting the writing opportunities and student grouping suggestions.

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR enhancing planning & practice for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR writing for K–2 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers and 2–3 months of Amplify Texas instruction

Dig into Amplify Texas writing instruction and student work in grades K–2! Identify writing opportunities in the Amplify Texas curriculum through analysis of a unit and daily lessons and analyze student writing using a program-aligned rubric. Participants will leave with an annotated unit highlighting the writing opportunities and student grouping suggestions.

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

3–5 teachers

Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & practice for
3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for 3–5 teachers

Elevate program knowledge to strengthen your Amplify Texas 3–5 implementation! Understand the progression of foundational skills and focus on high-quality questioning and discussion techniques through lesson study and practice. Participants will practice implementing key instructional elements and leave with annotated lessons.

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas ELAR writing for 3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers and 2–3 months of Amplify Texas instruction

Dig into Amplify Texas writing instruction and student work in grades 3–5! Identify writing opportunities in the Amplify Texas curriculum through analysis of a unit and daily lessons and analyze student writing using a program-aligned rubric. Participants will leave with an annotated unit highlighting the writing opportunities and student grouping suggestions.

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR enhancing planning & practice for
3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for 3–5 teachers

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR writing for 3–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)
Prerequisite training: Initial training for K–2 teachers and 2–3 months of Amplify Texas instruction

Audience: K–2 teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

K–5 teachers

Amplify Texas ELAR enhancing planning & instruction for English language learners for K–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Develop a strong understanding of how to support English language learners (ELLs) with Amplify Texas instruction! Identify program-embedded instructional supports and strategies for ELL students of varying proficiency levels and plan how to adjust instruction based on formative check points. Participants will begin to develop a plan for using program supports and strategies for ELL instruction.

Audience: K–5 classroom teachers and ELL specialists (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas enhancing planning & instruction for students with special needs for K–5 teachers

Half day (3 hours)

Develop a strong understanding of how to support students with special needs! Identify program-embedded instructional supports and strategies for students with special needs, including connections to IEP goals, and plan how to adjust instruction. Participants will leave with an accommodation plan aligned to Amplify Texas instruction and IEP goals.

Audience: K–5 classroom teachers and special education specialists (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas ELAR Strengthening consultation session

1 hour or 3 1-hour sessions

These 60-minute sessions will focus on a specific topic that will deepen educators’ understanding of Amplify Texas and equip them with the support they need to drive toward stronger student outcomes. An Amplify facilitator will align with the school or district leadership team in advance of the session on the topic (chosen from a menu of options) that will best meet educators’ unique needs. The menu includes sessions on engagement, pacing, and supporting all learners.

Audience: K–5 classroom teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR Strengthening consultation session

1 hour or 3 1-hour sessions

Audience: K–5 classroom teachers (instructional leaders welcome), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Remote

Coach

K–5 educators (leaders, principals, coaches, teachers)

Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching for K–5 educators

2 days consecutive (6 hours per day, 12 total)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Strengthen your implementation of Amplify Texas with a Coaching onsite visit for your teachers and/or leaders! An Amplify facilitator will visit 1–4 school sites for two days. Participants can choose from a variety of topics that include, but are not limited to: lesson modeling (conducted by an Amplify Texas facilitator) and debriefing, grade-level planning, classroom observations, and leadership consultation. The flexible onsite coaching design allows for a collaborative approach to support effective program implementation.

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite

Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching for K–5 educators

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Strengthen your implementation of Amplify Texas with a Coaching onsite visit for your teachers and/or leaders! An Amplify facilitator will visit 1–2 school sites for one day. Participants can choose from a variety of topics that include, but are not limited to: lesson modeling (conducted by an Amplify Texas facilitator) and debriefing, grade-level planning, classroom observations, and leadership consultation. The flexible onsite coaching design allows for a collaborative approach to support effective program implementation.

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas ELAR Coaching for K–5 educators

Half day (3 hours)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Strengthen your implementation of Amplify Texas with a Coaching onsite visit for your teachers and/or leaders! An Amplify facilitator will virtually visit for a half day. Participants can choose from a variety of topics that include, but are not limited to: lesson modeling (conducted by an Amplify Texas facilitator) and debriefing, grade-level planning, classroom observations, and leadership consultation.

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches)
Modality: Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching for K–5 educators

2 days consecutive (6 hours per day, 12 total)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite

Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching for K–5 educators

1 day onsite (6 hours) or 2 half days remote (6 hours)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches), maximum 30 participants
Modality: Onsite/Remote

Amplify Texas SLAR Coaching for K–5 educators

Half day (3 hours)

Prerequisite training: Initial training

Audience: Teachers and/or instructional leaders (principals and coaches)
Modality: Remote

Pricing

We offer the following pricing for training sessions and packages:

Session type	Pricing
2-day onsite session	$4,800
1-day onsite session	$3,200
1-day remote session	$1,200
Half day onsite session	$2,500
Half day remote session	$750
1-hour Strengthening consultation session	$350
3 1-hour Strengthening consultation sessions	$1000
Customized onsite or remote session	Price will vary

Please note that the prices are general ranges and may be subject to change.

Contact

Amplify welcomes the opportunity to partner with schools and districts to design professional development plans and answer your questions.

If you would like to order any of our professional development services, please contact your local Amplify sales representative or call (800) 823-1969.

Amplify Desmos Math California

Welcome, Algebra 1 Reviewers!

Your Review Samples

Print Samples

Your print samples should have arrived in grade-specific tubs with a copy of your Reviewer Binder contained within the Algebra 1 shipping box. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside the tub as well as within your Reviewer Binder.

Digital Samples

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Access Flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation Tips

Click the links below to read about navigating program features including:

Built for California

Focus on the Big Ideas: Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. Big Ideas, like standards, are not considered in isolation. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons.
Center on open and engaging tasks: Amplify Desmos Math California is grounded in engaging tasks meant to address students’ often-asked question: “Why am I learning this?” Students are invited into learning with low-floor, high-ceiling tasks that provide an entry point for all. Open tasks in Amplify Desmos Math California provide the space for students to try on multiple strategies and represent their thinking in different ways, and allow student explanation and discussion to serve as the center of the classroom. All lessons offer both print and digital representations of lessons.
Provide enhanced digital experiences: Amplify Desmos Math California includes digitally-enhanced lesson activities, incorporating interactive digital tools alongside print materials. These purposefully-placed resources allow students to visualize mathematical concepts, receive actionable feedback while practicing, encounter personalized learning support from an onscreen tutor, and engage in discussions about their thinking and approaches.
Treat core instruction and differentiation as integral partners: The Amplify Desmos Math California curriculum provides teachers with lessons, strategies, and resources to eliminate barriers and increase access to grade-level content without reducing the mathematical demand of tasks. Every activity has multiple entry points to ensure that all students are supported and challenged. Intervention and personalized learning activities are directly connected to lesson content and offer students the individualized support as they dive into the mathematics.

Category 1: Mathematics Content/Alignment with the Standards

Standards Map

Linked here is the Standards Map for Amplify Desmos Math California for Algebra 1.

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked here is the Evaluation Criteria Map Algebra 1. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

Linked here is the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the Standards for Mathematical Practice at Algebra 1.

Drivers of Investigation and Content Connections

California English Language Development Standards

Linked here is the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the California English Language Development Standards for Algebra 1.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts

Select lessons, performance tasks, and investigations across grade levels in Amplify Desmos Math California are aligned to one or more of the California Environmental Principles and Concepts. Click this link to view how the California Environmental Principles and Concepts are represented in Amplify Desmos Math California Algebra 1.

Category 2: Program Organization

Big Ideas

Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. Big Ideas, like standards, are not considered in isolation. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons. Please refer to Keeping the Big Ideas at the Center, linked here, for the Amplify Desmos Math California Algebra 1 lesson design and alignment to the Big Ideas.

Program Structure

Amplify Desmos Math California combines the best of problem-based lessons, intervention, personalized practice, and assessments into a coherent and engaging experience for both students and teachers.

Scope and Sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence for Amplify Desmos Math California Algebra 1.

A chart showing Algebra 1 units across two volumes, detailing instructional days, assessment days, and optional days for each unit, totaling 180 days plus 40 optional days.

Lesson Design and Structure

Launch: The launch is a short, whole-class conversation that creates a need or excitement, provides clarity, or helps students connect their prior knowledge or personal experience, which ensures that everyone has access to the upcoming work.

Monitor: As students work individually, in pairs, or in groups, teachers explore student thinking, ask questions, and provide support to help move the conversations closer to the intended math learning goal.

Connect: Teachers connect students’ ideas to the key learning goals of the lesson, facilitating class discussions that help synthesize and solidify the Big Ideas.

Each lesson within Amplify Desmos Math California follows the same structure.

Warm-Up: Every Amplify Desmos Math California lesson begins with a whole class Warm-Up. Warm-Ups are an invitational Instructional Routine intended to provide a social moment at the start of the lesson in which every student has an opportunity to contribute. Warm-Ups may build fluency or highlight a strategy that may be helpful in the current lesson or act as an invitation into the math of the lesson.

Lesson Activities: Each lesson includes one or two activities. These activities are the heart of each lesson. Students notice, wonder, explore, calculate, predict, measure, explain their thinking, use math to settle disputes, create challenges for their classmates, and more. Guidance is provided to help teachers launch, monitor, and connect student thinking over the course of the activity.

Synthesis and Show What You Know: The Synthesis is an opportunity for the teacher and students to pull all the learning of the lesson together into a lesson takeaway. Students engage in a facilitated discussion to consolidate and refine their ideas about the learning goals, and the teacher synthesizes students’ learning. Show What You Know is a daily assessment opportunity for students to show what they know about the learning goals and what they are still learning.

Practice and Differentiation: Daily practice problems for the day’s lesson are included both online and in the print Student Edition, including fluency, test practice, and spiral review.

Flowchart showing classroom activity timing: Warm-Up (5 min), Lesson Activities (30 min), Synthesis and Show What You Know (10 min), Practice and Differentiation (time varies).

Routines

Math Language Routines

MLR1: Stronger and Clearer Each Time
MLR2: Collect and Display
MLR3: Critique, Correct, Clarify
MLR5: Co-Craft Questions
MLR6: Three Reads
MLR7: Compare and Connect
MLR 8: Discussion Supports

Instructional Routines

Decide and Defend
Notice and Wonder
Number Talk
Tell a Story
Think-Pair-Share
Which One Doesn’t Belong?

Category 3: Assessments

A variety of performance data in Amplify Desmos Math California provides evidence of student learning, while helping students bolster their skills and understanding.

Unit-Level Assessment

Pre-Unit Check: Each unit begins with a formative assessment designed to identify the student skills that will be particularly relevant to the upcoming unit. This check is agnostic to the standards covered in the following unit and serves not as a deficit-based acknowledgment of what students do not know, but rather as an affirmation of the knowledge and skills with which students come in.

End-of-Unit Assessment: Students engage with rigorous grade-level mathematics through a variety of formats and tasks in the summative End-of-Unit Assessment. A combination of auto-scored (when completed digitally) and rubric-scored items provides deep insights into student thinking. All Amplify Desmos Math California End-of-Unit Assessments include two forms.

Sub-Unit Quizzes: Sub-Unit Quizzes are formative assessments embedded regularly in Algebra 1. In these checks, students are assessed on a subset of conceptual understandings from the unit, with rubrics that help illuminate students’ current understanding and provide guidance for responding to student thinking.

Performance Tasks: At the end of each unit there is a summative assessment performance task provided to evaluate students’ proficiency with the concepts and skills addressed in the unit.

Lesson-Level Assessments

Show What You Know: Each lesson has a daily formative assessment focused on one of the key concepts in the lesson. Show What You Know moments are carefully designed to minimize completion time for students while maximizing daily teacher insights to attend to student needs during the following class.

Responsive Feedback™: Teachers have the ability to see and provide in-the-moment feedback as students progress through a digital lesson. Responsive Feedback motivates students and engages them in the learning process.

Diagnostic Assessment

CAASPP-Aligned Assessment Preparation

Data and Reporting

Amplify Desmos Math California provides teachers and administrators with unified reporting and insights so that educators have visibility into what students know about grade-level math—and can plan instruction accordingly for the whole class, small groups, and individual students. Reporting functionality integrates unit assessments, lesson assessments, diagnostic data and progress monitoring for a comprehensive look at student learning. Program reports show proficiency and growth by domain, cluster, standard, and priority concept using performance data from unit assessments, then highlight areas of potential student need to allow teachers to modify their instruction and target differentiated support.

Administrator reporting provides a complete picture of student, class, and district performance, allowing administrators to implement instructional and intervention plans.

Category 4: Access and Equity

Universal Design for Learning

Each lesson in the program incorporates opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Multiple Means of Engagement: Students engage in both print and digital learning, and are regularly participating in discussions and hands-on activities. Students are invited to build their own challenge for other students to solve, which provides opportunities for choice and autonomy, as well as joy and play.
Multiple Means of Representation: Students are encouraged to demonstrate their learning using mathematical representations, both print and digital, and regularly engage with their peers in analyzing multiple possible solutions. Classes engage in open-ended discussions about what individual students notice and wonder about mathematical concepts.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Learners differ in how they navigate learning environments and express what they know. Students can communicate their ideas in multiple ways, including in print, sketching, uploading photos, or recording an audio response.

Accessibility

Lesson facilitation supports

Conceptual Processing
Visual-Spatial Processing
Executive Functioning
Memory and Attention
Fine Motor Skills

Accessibility tools

Text to speech: Reads text instructions to students in multiple languages
Enlarged font: Increases the size of all text on screen
Braille mode: Includes narration of digital interactions
Language selection: Toggles between languages

Differentiation: In-Lesson Teacher Moves

A chart outlines three differentiation strategies—Support, Strengthen, and Stretch—with specific actions for each. A Math Language Development box is shown at the bottom.

Differentiation: Beyond the Lesson

Mini-Lessons: 15-minute, small-group direct instruction lessons targeted to a specific concept or skill
Item Banks: Space for teachers to create practice and assessments by using filters and searching for standards, summative-style items, and more
Fluency Practice: Adaptive, personalized practice built out for basic operations and more
Extensions: Lesson-embedded Teacher Moves including possible stretch questions and activities for students
Lesson Practice: Additional practice problems support every lesson
Math Adventures: Strategy-based math games where students engage with math concepts and practice skills in a fun digital environment
Lesson Summary Support: Support for students and caregivers that provides efficient explanation of the learning goal with clear examples

Math Identity and Community

I can be all of me in math class. You will work with partners every day in math class. What do you want your partners to know about you?
We are a math community. What does good listening look like and sound like in a math community?
I am a doer of math. What math strengths did you use today?

Math Language Development

Vocabulary: Units and lessons start by surfacing students’ language for new concepts, then building connections between their language and the new vocabulary for that unit. This honors the language assets that students bring into their learning.
Language Goals: Language goals attend to the mathematics students are learning, and are written through the lens of one or more of four language modalities: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Math Language Routines: Math Language Routines are used within lessons to highlight student-developed language and ideas, cultivate conversation, support mathematical sense-making, and promote meta-cognition.
Multilingual/English Learner Supports: Supports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentional points within each lesson. These specific, targeted suggestions support ML/ELs with modifications that increase access to a task, or through development of contextual or mathematical language (both of which can be supportive of all learners).

Multilingual and English Learner Supports

Partnership with English Learner Success Forum

Math Language Development Resource

Multilingual glossary

Amplify Desmos Math California includes a digital glossary for languages other than Spanish. Translations will be provided for up to nine languages.

Spanish version

Amplify Desmos Math California will include Spanish student-facing materials beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Support

Grade-level concepts

Within the Teacher Edition front matter:

Scope and sequence
Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Unit and Sub-Unit Overview:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Math that Matters Most
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Lesson:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

How to implement the program

At the course level (within the Teacher Edition front matter):

Navigating the Program (both print and digital)
Facilitating Lesson Activities with Launch, Monitor and Connect
Overview of the Digital Facilitation Tools

At the lesson level:

Suggestions for timing
What materials to prep
How to organize and group students
Key lesson takeaways with the Synthesis
Recommendations for Differentiation
Strategies for intervention and extensions (in the Intervention, Extensions, and Investigation Resources book)

At the activity level:

Differentiation recommendations
Accessibility tips
ML / EL tips
Teacher look-fors
Recommended Teacher Moves
Prompts for guiding student thinking
Sample student responses

Development of Math Language

A variety of language development supports are provided within the Student and Teacher Editions and Math Language Development Resources book.

At the lesson level:

Diagrams and visuals
Sentence frames and word banks
Graphic organizers, including Frayer models
Vocabulary routines
Embedded language supports aligned to the CA ELDs
Lesson-specific strategies for Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging

At the unit level:

Words With Multiple Meanings
Contextual vocabulary

At the course level:

English/Spanish cognates
Multilingual Glossary

Other Curriculum Guidance

Additional Practice Resources book
Assessment Resources book
Assess and Respond guidance paired with each assessment opportunity
Show-What-You-Know activities
Answer keys and rubrics
Performance tasks

Amplify Desmos Math California

Welcome, Math 1 Reviewers!

Your Review Samples

Print Samples

Your print samples should have arrived in grade-specific tubs with a copy of your Reviewer Binder contained within the Math 1 shipping box. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside the tub as well as within your Reviewer Binder.

Digital Samples

In order to access your digital samples, you’ll need to log into our platform using your unique login credentials found on a Digital Access Flyer inside of your Reviewer Binder. Once you have located the flyer:
- Click the orange button below to access the platform.
- Click “Log in with Amplify.”
- Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Access Flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation Tips

Click the links below to read about navigating program features including:

Built for California

Focus on the Big Ideas: Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. Big Ideas, like standards, are not considered in isolation. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons.
Center on open and engaging tasks: Amplify Desmos Math California is grounded in engaging tasks meant to address students’ often-asked question: “Why am I learning this?” Students are invited into learning with low-floor, high-ceiling tasks that provide an entry point for all. Open tasks in Amplify Desmos Math California provide the space for students to try on multiple strategies and represent their thinking in different ways, and allow student explanation and discussion to serve as the center of the classroom. All lessons offer both print and digital representations of lessons.
Provide enhanced digital experiences: Amplify Desmos Math California includes digitally-enhanced lesson activities, incorporating interactive digital tools alongside print materials. These purposefully-placed resources allow students to visualize mathematical concepts, receive actionable feedback while practicing, encounter personalized learning support from an onscreen tutor, and engage in discussions about their thinking and approaches.
Treat core instruction and differentiation as integral partners: The Amplify Desmos Math California curriculum provides teachers with lessons, strategies, and resources to eliminate barriers and increase access to grade-level content without reducing the mathematical demand of tasks. Every activity has multiple entry points to ensure that all students are supported and challenged. Intervention and personalized learning activities are directly connected to lesson content and offer students the individualized support as they dive into the mathematics.

Category 1: Mathematics Content/Alignment with the Standards

Standards Map

Linked here is the Standards Map for Amplify for Math 1.

Evaluation Criteria Map

Linked here is the Evaluation Criteria Map for Math 1. Please note that you will need to be logged into the digital platform to access the links in the Evaluation Criteria Map.

Standards of Mathematical Practice

Linked here is the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the Standards for Mathematical Practice at Math 1.

Drivers of Investigation and Content Connections

A chart with three columns: Drivers of Investigation, Standards for Mathematical Practice, and Content Connections. Each column lists related activities and skills.

California English Language Development Standards

Linked here is the alignment of Amplify Desmos Math California to the California English Language Development Standards for Math 1.

California Environmental Principles and Concepts

Select lessons, performance tasks, and investigations across grade levels in Amplify Desmos Math California are aligned to one or more of the California Environmental Principles and Concepts. Click this link to view how the California Environmental Principles and Concepts are represented in Amplify Desmos Math California Math 1.

Category 2: Program Organization

Big Ideas

Amplify Desmos Math California’s courses, units, and lessons are centered around the Big Ideas. Big Ideas, like standards, are not considered in isolation. In addition to each unit and lesson’s focal Big Ideas, Amplify Desmos Math California also provides connections among the Big Ideas across units and lessons. Please refer to Keeping the Big Ideas at the Center, linked here, for the Amplify Desmos Math California Math 1 lesson design and alignment to the Big Ideas.

Program Structure

Amplify Desmos Math combines the best of problem-based lessons, intervention, personalized practice, and assessments into a coherent and engaging experience for both students and teachers.

A flowchart diagram showing "Screening and progress monitoring" linked to three phases: Core instruction, Integrated personalized learning, and Embedded Intervention, with daily support noted.

Scope and Sequence

Below you can view the scope and sequence for Amplify Desmos Math California Math 1.

Mathematics I syllabus: Unit 1 to Unit 7 across two volumes, covering various math topics with instructional, assessment, and optional days detailed for each unit.

Lesson Design and Structure

Infographic showing a learning process: Warm-Up, Activities, Synthesis, and Reinforcement. Activities aim to increase student understanding over time.

Connect: Teachers connect students’ ideas to the key learning goals of the lesson, facilitating class discussions that help synthesize and solidify the Big Ideas.

Each lesson within Amplify Desmos Math California follows the same structure.

Practice and Differentiation: Daily practice problems for the day’s lesson are included both online and in the print Student Edition, including fluency, test practice, and spiral review.

Routines

Math Language Routines

MLR1: Stronger and Clearer Each Time
MLR2: Collect and Display
MLR3: Critique, Correct, Clarify
MLR5: Co-Craft Questions
MLR6: Three Reads
MLR7: Compare and Connect
MLR 8: Discussion Supports

Instructional Routines

Decide and Defend
Notice and Wonder
Number Talk
Tell a Story
Think-Pair-Share
Which One Doesn’t Belong?

Category 3: Assessments

A variety of performance data in Amplify Desmos Math California provides evidence of student learning, while helping students bolster their skills and understanding.

Unit-Level Assessment

Sub-Unit Quizzes: Sub-Unit Quizzes are formative assessments embedded regularly in Math 1. In these checks, students are assessed on a subset of conceptual understandings from the unit, with rubrics that help illuminate students’ current understanding and provide guidance for responding to student thinking.

Performance Tasks: At the end of each unit there is a summative assessment performance task provided to evaluate students’ proficiency with the concepts and skills addressed in the unit.

Lesson-Level Assessments

Diagnostic Assessment

CAASPP-Aligned Assessment Preparation

Data and Reporting

Administrator reporting provides a complete picture of student, class, and district performance, allowing administrators to implement instructional and intervention plans.

Category 4: Access and Equity

Universal Design for Learning

Each lesson in the program incorporates opportunities for engagement, representation, action, and expression based on the guidelines of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Multiple Means of Engagement: Students engage in both print and digital learning, and are regularly participating in discussions and hands-on activities. Students are invited to build their own challenge for other students to solve, which provides opportunities for choice and
autonomy, as well as joy and play.
Multiple Means of Representation: Students are encouraged to demonstrate their learning using mathematical representations, both print and digital, and regularly engage with their peers in analyzing multiple possible solutions. Classes engage in open-ended discussions about what individual students notice and wonder about mathematical concepts.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Learners differ in how they navigate learning environments and express what they know. Students can communicate their ideas in multiple ways, including in print, sketching, uploading photos, or recording an audio response.

Accessibility

Lesson Facilitation Supports

Conceptual Processing
Visual-Spatial Processing
Executive Functioning
Memory and Attention
Fine Motor Skills

Accessibility Tools

Text to speech: Reads text instructions to students in multiple languages
Enlarged font: Increases the size of all text on screen
Braille mode: Includes narration of digital interactions
Language selection: Toggles between languages

Differentiation: In-Lesson Teacher Moves

A differentiation guide for Lesson 3 showing strategies for support, strengthen, and stretch, plus a section on math language development resources, all in a structured layout.

Differentiation: Beyond the Lesson

Mini-Lessons: 15-minute, small-group direct instruction lessons targeted to a specific concept or skill
Item Banks: Space for teachers to create practice and assessments by using filters and searching for standards, summative-style items, and more
Fluency Practice: Adaptive, personalized practice built out for basic operations and more
Extensions: Lesson-embedded Teacher Moves including possible stretch questions and activities for students
Lesson Practice: Additional practice problems support every lesson
Math Adventures: Strategy-based math games where students engage with math concepts and practice skills in a fun digital environment
Lesson Summary Support: Support for students and caregivers that provides efficient explanation of the learning goal with clear examples

Math Identity and Community

I can be all of me in math class. You will work with partners every day in math class. What do you want your partners to know about you?
We are a math community. What does good listening look like and sound like in a math community?
I am a doer of math. What math strengths did you use today?

Math Language Development

Vocabulary: Units and lessons start by surfacing students’ language for new concepts, then building connections between their language and the new vocabulary for that unit. This honors the language assets that students bring into their learning.
Language Goals: Language goals attend to the mathematics students are learning, and are written through the lens of one or more of four language modalities: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Math Language Routines: Math Language Routines are used within lessons to highlight student-developed language and ideas, cultivate conversation, support mathematical sense-making, and promote meta-cognition.
Multilingual/English Learner Supports: Supports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentional points within each lesson. These specific, targeted suggestions support ML/ELs with modifications that increase access to a task, or through development of contextual or mathematical language (both of which can be supportive of all learners).

Multilingual and English Learner Supports

Partnership with English Learner Success Forum

Math Language Development Resource

Multilingual Glossary

Amplify Desmos Math California includes a digital glossary for languages other than Spanish. Translations will be provided for up to nine languages.

Spanish Version

Amplify Desmos Math California will include Spanish student-facing materials beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Support

Grade-level concepts

Within the Teacher Edition front matter:

Scope and sequence
Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Unit and Sub-Unit Overview:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Math that Matters Most
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

Within each Lesson:

Big Ideas, Drivers of Investigation, and Content Connections
Grade level standards
Standards for Mathematical Practice
English Language Development Standards
Environmental Principals and Concepts

How to implement the program

At the course level (within the Teacher Edition front matter):

Navigating the Program (both print and digital)
Facilitating Lesson Activities with Launch, Monitor and Connect
Overview of the Digital Facilitation Tools

At the lesson level:

Suggestions for timing
What materials to prep
How to organize and group students
Key lesson takeaways with the Synthesis
Recommendations for Differentiation
Strategies for intervention and extensions (in the Intervention, Extensions, and Investigation Resources book)

At the activity level:

Differentiation recommendations
Accessibility tips
ML / EL tips
Teacher look-fors
Recommended Teacher Moves
Prompts for guiding student thinking
Sample student responses

Development of Math Language

A variety of language development supports are provided within the Student and Teacher Editions and Math Language Development Resources book.

At the lesson level:

Diagrams and visuals
Sentence frames and word banks
Graphic organizers, including Frayer models
Vocabulary routines
Embedded language supports aligned to the CA ELDs
Lesson-specific strategies for Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging

At the unit level:

Words With Multiple Meanings
Contextual vocabulary

At the course level:

English/Spanish cognates
Multilingual Glossary

Other Curriculum Guidance

Additional Practice Resources book
Assessment Resources book
Assess and Respond guidance paired with each assessment opportunity
Show-What-You-Know activities
Answer keys and rubrics
Performance tasks

Featured blog post

What my wedding taught me about choosing curriculum

The right curriculum choice isn’t only about the product—it’s about who’s by your side from start to finish. Here’s how one district found that with Amplify CKLA.

By Kelly Pruitt, Instructional Facilitator, Peninsula School District | May 28, 2026

Read post

A teacher leans over a group of elementary students who are working together at a classroom table under a "CKLA Skills" sign, guiding them through successful CKLA implementation.

Explore more posts.

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Texas SLAR Literacy Adoption

Amplify Desmos Math updates are coming!

As we look ahead to the upcoming school year, we’re continuing to enhance Amplify Demos Math. From time-saving platform enhancements to new features, these updates are designed to help you deliver engaging math instruction while making planning, assigning, and differentiation easier than ever.

Whether you’re using Amplify Desmos Math on its own or alongside Personalized Learning, Boost Math^®, or mCLASS^® Math, this page highlights what’s already available and what’s coming next.

Two children place number and variable tiles on a balance scale, surrounded by math symbols, a protractor, floating balloons, and the engaging world of Amplify Desmos Math.

Updates coming for the 2026–27 school year

To help you plan for the year ahead with confidence, we’re previewing some of the exciting enhancements coming your way.

Platform updates

We’re improving the overall classroom experience with platform enhancements that make lessons easier to navigate and instruction easier to manage.

Activity pages are being redesigned to feature a left sidebar, informational tabs, and lesson screens at the top of the page. This optional reconfiguration will allow you to immediately see each lesson and more easily access relevant resources and tools. You will be able to turn on the new design – or turn it off to return to the original design – with a toggle located on the page.
We’re making updates to our Recently Visited section on Educator Home. You’ll see both activity and units reflected there, and have the ability to star a unit or lesson to pin it to the front of your list
Presentation tools are also expanding, making it easier to facilitate lessons, annotate in real time, and manage instruction from anywhere in the room.
You will be able to assign Teacher Presentation Screens to individual students who need access on their own devices for reference or accessibility purposes.

Administrator Report improvements

The existing Administrator Reports for Unit Performance will be replaced with a new and improved Student Performance report that will provide school and district administrators with aggregated views of student performance on end-of-unit assessments as well as standards. The report will support grouping this data by school and class without having to access reporting for individual classrooms.

AI-powered teacher tools

We’ve developed new tools to enhance your ability to connect and collaborate with families! These will be available when you opt in through Amplify Labs.

Discussion Moments, launching for grades 6–8 in 2026–27, will support rich classroom conversations by highlighting student ideas directly within lessons, making it easier to pause, reflect, and discuss mathematical thinking.
Newsletter Generator, for grades K–5, allows you to create your own customizable communication to share out with families.

Using mCLASS Math? Explore upcoming updates and noteworthy features for assessment, progress monitoring, and reporting on the mCLASS Math Program Highlights page.

A laptop screen shows a Spanish math lesson on place value. Behind the laptop sit four colorful educational booklets labeled Amplify Desmos Math, Grade 5, supporting engaging and interactive learning.

New offerings

Amplify Desmos Math continues to grow to support more learners across grade levels and instructional pathways.

Expanded Spanish student and teacher materials will better serve multilingual classrooms by providing access to high-quality math instruction in both print and digital formats.
New PreK and Transitional Kindergarten offerings emphasize hands-on, developmentally appropriate learning.
For middle school, Accelerated 6 and Accelerated 7 will be available for full release soon, offering a two-year pathway that condenses grades 6–8.
At the high school level, Amplify Desmos Math will soon be commercially available as complete high school course sequences, including Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Integrated Math pathways.

Note: Some offerings and enhancements may require an additional purchase.

Noteworthy features

These features are already available or rolling out soon to help you plan, teach, and support students more efficiently.

Screenshot of an online class dashboard for Amplify Desmos Math, featuring filters for programs, classes, and students, plus options to go to a lesson or dashboard.

Use Stream filtering tools to search by student name and quickly view everything assigned to a particular learner.
Assign work to individual students, create and reuse named groups, or assign multiple Personalized Learning activities at once using batch assign, making it easier to differentiate instruction and support small groups without extra setup time.
Preview student work directly from the Stream to check progress and decide on next steps more efficiently.
Individual Student Reports provide a unified view of student progress across math products, offering a clear, shareable snapshot to support caregiver communication and student conferencing.
Download and print screens of any lesson or activity by selecting the three-dot menu to the right of the activity (or lesson) title and selecting View PDF.

A completion screen in Amplify Desmos Math displays a target with an arrow and star, a “Let’s Celebrate!” banner, and a message about practicing counting groups of 11-20 objects. A blue Done button is highlighted.

Personalized Learning activities are now clearer and easier for students to manage.

Personalized Learning activities now include a clear Done button, helping students understand when their work is complete.

Once an activity is finished, it moves out of the To Do list and into Past Work, reducing confusion and supporting student organization.
You also have improved visibility and guidance for addressing unfinished work, redoing activities, and when Personalized Learning data appears in reporting.

A computer screen displays the "Browse by Core Program" page for Boost Math, listing various math curriculum scope and sequence resources, including Amplify Desmos Math.

Easier planning and navigation across resources

Planning instruction is simpler with an improved Browse Instructional Resources experience designed to reduce clicks and help you quickly find the materials you need.

Locate resources more easily for small-group instruction, practice, or extension.
Get more control over the student experience, including the option to remove Math Adventures from Student Home when those activities aren’t part of their instructional plan.

Using Boost Math as part of your math solution? Learn more about recent enhancements to Boost Math, including updates to instructional pathways and more options to further the impact of your Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

Exciting updates are coming for mCLASS Math!

As we plan for the upcoming school year, we’re continuing to enhance mCLASS^® Math—finding ways to provide you with clearer insights, stronger reporting, and more flexible support for assessment and progress monitoring activities. These updates are designed to help educators better understand student performance and take action with confidence.

Whether you’re using mCLASS Math on its own or alongside Boost Math^® or Amplify Desmos Math, this page highlights what’s already available and what’s coming next.

A young boy uses a laptop in a classroom, working on mCLASS Math while other students and desks are visible in the background.

Updates coming for the 2026–27 school year

To help you plan for the year ahead with confidence, we’re previewing some of the exciting enhancements coming your way.

Expanded mCLASS Math for grades K–8

mCLASS Math is expanding into grades 6–8! Reporting for grades 6–8 will align with the K–5 experience, ensuring consistency across grade levels. Interested in samples? Check out our sample mCLASS Math items for grades K–8.

mCLASS Math K–5 Spanish

Spanish translations will be available for K–5 assessments, helping educators broaden their reach and serve more students effectively.

Boost Math driven by mCLASS Math data

We’re also excited to announce Boost Math product enhancements that are designed to streamline your Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Beginning July 1, 2026, Boost Math will be powered by mCLASS Math Benchmark data, using both performance results and student thinking insights to inform instruction. Interested in learning more about how you can use Boost Math alongside mCLASS Math? Reach out to your rep or admin to get started!

Already using Boost Math as part of your math solution? Learn more about upcoming enhancements to Boost Math, including new Learning Pathways to support your MTSS implementation.

Noteworthy mCLASS Math feature enhancements

These features are already available or will be rolling out soon to help you plan lessons, target learning, and support students more efficiently.

Stronger mCLASS Math reporting and visibility into student learning

We’ve made reporting easier to understand and more actionable, so you can spend less time searching for information and more time responding to student needs.

A classroom assessment dashboard for mCLASS Math displays key insights for a fractions benchmark, including student response analysis and instructional recommendations in a highlighted box.

Student Thinking Reports now include direct links to recommended activities, so you can move from insight to action more quickly.

Screenshot of the “Download your data” page for mCLASS Math, showing options to select assessment, view data dictionary, set reporting period and population, and download a CSV file of your mCLASS Math Reports.

Admin reports are available for download to support school- and district-level analysis.

A screen in mCLASS Math displays the question "Is the equation true or false? 5 + 3 = 3 + 5" with selectable "True" (thumbs up) and "False" (thumbs down) options.

K–1 progress bars clearly indicate skipped questions for greater clarity.

A pop-up window displays options to select students and download mCLASS Math Home Connect Letters as PDFs in English or Spanish, with a button to combine all letters into one PDF.

Home Connect letters can be batch-downloaded, making family communication easier to manage.
Benchmark assessments align to district-defined benchmark windows, with flexible date management in the Admin Portal. Learn more.

Using Amplify Desmos Math? Explore upcoming updates and noteworthy features on the Amplify Desmos Math Program Highlights page.

New and noteworthy updates to mCLASS, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!

mCLASS^®, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the rigorous and riveting learning experiences your students deserve.

Updates

Enhanced mCLASS enrollment

Amplify’s enrollment improvements will provide mCLASS users with a quicker and more efficient set up this back-to-school season. These enhancements will also provide a consistent experience across your Amplify programs. Please note that our current mCLASS enrollment system will be retired, and customers who are affected have been contacted.

Additional benefits include the ability to set benchmark windows through Amplify’s Admin Portal and to create groups of students to which you can assign assessments.

More information can be found at https://start.amplify.com/24-25-mclass-enrollment/.

New mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura Admin Reports

We are excited to announce that changes to the Admin Reports for mCLASS are coming next school year. With these updates, you will experience a new admin reporting suite, replacing the previous Reporting and Analysis Suite (RAS), that delivers a more robust and user-friendly experience. This update includes several enhancements, including:

Faster performance: Spend less time waiting and more time making decisions with significantly reduced load and refresh times.
Improved user interface: Enjoy a cleaner, more intuitive design that makes navigation and data analysis even easier.
Saved filters between reports: Enjoy seamless transitions with the ability to maintain your filters across various reports.
National reference data analysis: Compare your school or district’s performance with the national data of all students assessed with mCLASS.
Enhanced assessment tracking: Complete data analysis for all students, including those with partial or no assessment results, through Benchmark Download Your Data (DYD) updates.
Improved student list for reports: Access better-organized student lists within the benchmark completion reports for more efficient monitoring.
Custom demographics in reports: Tailor your benchmark and progress monitoring DYDs using custom demographics for a more personalized analysis.
New monitoring capabilities: Track progress monitoring fidelity and download details about students who participate in mCLASS Intervention groups.

Former Acadience and IDEL users, please note: As a result of the transition to new Admin Reports, historical data for Acadience Reading (formerly DIBELS^® Next), and IDEL will not be available next year. Please be sure to download any data from these programs for your records.

Learn how to download historical data for teachers and admin.

A dashboard displaying mCLASS Literacy Reports with benchmark performance data for DIBELS 8th Edition, filtering options, and color-coded score levels.

mCLASS Intervention updates

mCLASS Intervention’s Decode assessment will have a new look and feel, resembling the DIBELS 8th Edition measures. mCLASS Intervention will also be integrated with Amplify’s global navigation menu, giving educators quicker access to Classroom Reporting, the teacher-facing Assessment app and more.

Progress monitoring interface showing a list of words with checkboxes for correct, incorrect, and not recorded responses for a student named Sebastien Grone.

Enhancements to student-led assessments

Students and educators will notice helpful updates to the student-facing platform:

The owl animations in the student-facing mCLASS assessments will be replaced with a familiar character from the Boost Reading and Boost Lectura program, Alyx!

There will also be additional accessibility updates, including an in-app magnification tool that will allow for the size of all on-screen text to increase, and an option to turn off animations to reduce distractions.

Improved navigation

This year, we’re rolling out a more user-friendly navigation experience with:

An accessible sidebar menu for quick access to key educator resources within sections like Content, PD Library, and Apps.
A new Apps menu organized by subject.

A dashboard interface showing program recommendations, each with a title, description, and “GO” button, along with illustrated icons for lightbulb, book, and people.

Free content for you to explore

Explore a growing library of free math, science, and literacy content using the Discover button. You can even assign these activities to students through the digital platform, giving them more ways than ever to explore, engage, and learn!

Screenshot showing a user navigating from the Amplify Classroom dashboard to the Discover Content library, with interface elements for browsing educational resources by subject and grade.

Noteworthy features

PD Library

You’ll find helpful professional development (PD) resources in the PD Library to ensure your mCLASS implementation runs smoothly. The PD Library can be accessed through the Programs & Apps menu in the top navigation bar when you’re logged into mCLASS.

Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting

mCLASS English Classroom Reporting features a demo mode that guides teachers through sample classroom and student reports, highlighting realistic student data within the complete set of mCLASS instructional tools. This demo mode is especially helpful for onboarding purposes with teachers new to using mCLASS.

A demo mode dashboard for a classroom report tool, with a yellow pop-up instruction and highlighted "Benchmark" tab at the bottom.

Welcome Reviewers, to Amplify Desmos Math!

Amplify Desmos Math thoughtfully combines conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application. Each lesson is designed to tell a story by posing problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to synthesize their understanding of the learning goals.

Scroll to learn more about the program and explore sample materials.

About the program

We believe in math that motivates. Our structured approach to problem-based learning builds on students’ curiosity to develop lasting grade-level understandings for all students.

The program thoughtfully combines conceptual understanding, fluency, and application, motivating students with interesting problems they are eager to solve. Teachers can spend more time where it’s most impactful: creating a collaborative classroom of learners.

A powerful suite of math resources

Amplify Desmos Math combines the best of problem-based lessons, intervention, personalized practice, and assessments into a coherent and engaging experience for both students and teachers.

A digital interface displays a math screener report on the left and a math problem involving division, alongside a visual representation of students lined up on the right, integrating rich math resources from Amplify Desmos Math.

Screening and progress monitoring

mCLASS® Assessments, along with daily formative checks, measure not only what students know, but also how they think. The asset-based assessment system provides teachers with targeted, actionable insights, linked to core instruction and intervention resources.

Two side-by-side math activities for children: on the left, a caterpillar-themed block challenge, and on the right, a worksheet for finding pairs that sum to 10. These exercises are fantastic ways to amplify children's engagement with math concepts.

Core instruction

Amplify Desmos Math lessons provide a structured approach to problem-based learning, helping teachers create a collaborative math community with students at its center. Each lesson systematically builds on students’ curiosity to develop lasting grade-level understandings for all students.

Two pages from a New York math textbook on determining coordinates after a rotation. Includes sections on modeled review, guided practice, and teacher's notes, with diagrams and examples that amplify the learning experience.

Differentiation and intervention

Integrated resources like Mini-Lessons, Fluency Practice, and Math Adventures provide targeted intervention on a specific concept or skill connected to daily instruction. Extensions are also available to stretch students’ understanding.
Boost™ Personalized Learning activities help students access grade-level math through engaging, independent digital practice. Responsive Feedback™ adjusts to students’ work, providing item-level adaptivity to further support their learning.

An approach that supports teachers

Clear, step-by-step instructional moves help teachers plan and teach student-centered lessons that use student thinking to differentiate instruction and guide to grade-level understanding. They include:

Guidance on what to listen for and how to respond.
Clear learning objectives to keep learning on track for each activity and lesson.
Daily reinforcement activities to provide direct instruction when needed.

A structured approach to problem-based learning

Problem-based learning asks students to make sense of and think strategically about mathematically interesting problems. This approach allows students’ ideas to take
center stage, so they are active and engaged in their learning process. Teachers are able to hear and respond to student thinking in real time, guiding and differentiating instruction right in the moment.

Moving from “I do, We do, You do” to “You do, We do, I do”
Lessons begin by activating student’s prior knowledge and curiosity, inviting them to explore the math, collaborate, and refine their thinking. By focusing on developing student thinking first, teachers can better connect ideas, guide learning, and synthesize learning objectives.

Lessons that are rigorous and delightful

Every lesson in Amplify Desmos Math is designed to put students at the center of their learning. Utilizing research-based best practices, students engage in meaningful work based on rich problems and real-world experiences.

Two young girls build with colorful blocks at a table while an adult woman observes and assists them in a classroom setting.

Warm-Up

Lessons begin by inviting every student to contribute to the mathematical discussion. Instructional routines are often used to build fluency, set the context, activate prior knowledge, or highlight a strategy that may be helpful in the lesson.

Rich learning activities

Math knowledge is built through experiences and meaningful interactions. Students notice, wonder, explore, calculate, predict, measure, explain their thinking, use math to settle disputes, create challenges for their classmates, and more. Teachers serve as a guide, using a Launch, Monitor, Connect framework:

Launch: Teachers offer a short introduction to the problem or challenge
Monitor: As students work individually, in pairs, or in groups, teachers ask questions and provide support to move student thinking closer to the intended math goal.
Connect: Teachers connect student ideas to the Key Takeaway of the activity to help students synthesize and solidify the big ideas.

Synthesis

Teachers ensure that students end the lesson with accurate and enduring understandings of the math goal through synthesis of student ideas, explicit instruction, and reflection.

A short Show What You Know assessment allows students to show what they know about the learning goals of the lesson and reveal what they are still learning.

Differentiation and practice

Lasting understanding requires reinforcement. Every lesson offers Lesson Practice instructional recommendations to Support, Strengthen, and Stretch learning.

Print for every lesson with engaging digital experiences

Whether in print or digital form, engaging interactions enable students and teachers to openly exchange ideas. Each lesson includes student print materials, interactive teacher Presentation Screens, and digital resources for practice and differentiation. Some lessons also use manipulatives or provide options for students to use devices individually or in pairs. Device recommendations for student use are age-appropriate, with more frequent usage in middle and high school.

Demo access

Please login to the digital platform to experience our full program as part of your review. In order to access the digital platform, you’ll need to log into using your unique login credentials below.

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password:
- Username:
- Password:
View the video for helpful platform navigation tips.

Digital Access

Assessments

By starting with what students already know, Amplify Desmos Math helps build a strong foundation for success to guide and support future learning. Teachers are empowered to transform every classroom into an engaged math community that invites, values, and develops student thinking. With explicit guidance on what to look for and how to respond, teachers can effectively support students as they develop their understanding.

Open math workbook showing an End-of-Unit Assessment with multiple-choice and written response questions on fractions and equivalent values.

Program assessments

A variety of performance data in Amplify Desmos Math provides evidence of student learning while helping students bolster their skills and understanding.

Unit-Level Assessments

Our embedded unit assessments offer key insights into students’ conceptual understanding of math. These assessments provide regular, actionable information about how students are thinking about and processing math, with both auto-scoring and in-depth rubrics that help teachers anticipate and respond to students’ learning needs.

Lesson-Level Assessments

Amplify Desmos Math lessons are centered around sense-making and in-the-moment feedback. Daily moments of assessment provide valuable evidence of learning for both the teacher and student.

Learn more

Data and reporting

Amplify Desmos Math provides teachers and administrators with unified reporting and insights so that educators have visibility into what students know about grade-level math—and can plan instruction accordingly for the whole class, small groups, and individual students.

A table displays students' performance levels across various items, with a detailed score distribution for a specific assessment shown in a separate overlay. Geometric design elements accented the background, providing an engaging visual touch ideal for any math classroom using Amplify Desmos Math.

Assessment reports

Reporting functionality integrates unit assessments, lesson assessments, personalized learning, Benchmark assessments, and Progress Monitoring for a comprehensive look at student learning.

Our reports show proficiency and growth by domain, cluster, standard, and priority concept using performance data from unit assessments. Then our reports highlight areas of potential student need to allow teachers to modify their instruction and target differentiated support.

At-a-glance views of unit-level assessment results inform your instructional planning, and you can also drill down to item-level analysis.

Standards reports

Our standards report allows you to monitor proficiency at the class and individual student levels. Proficiency and growth are shown by domain, cluster, standard, and priority concepts. Areas of potential student need are highlighted to allow teachers to modify their instruction and target differentiated support.

Administrator reports

Amplify Desmos Math provides a complete picture of student, class, and district performance, allowing administrators to implement instructional and intervention plans.

Track student, class, and district performance with usage, completion, and assessment data.
Accurately group students and classes with the Benchmark and Progress Monitoring data of mCLASS Assessments and allow teachers to reliably implement and track the progress of Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention.
Provide one data-driven solution that educators can rely on for high-quality math instruction.

Differentiation and intervention

Amplify Desmos Math views differentiation as an ongoing process where teachers are both reactive and proactive to student needs, ensuring that all students have clear pathways to proficiency. Through rich data and teacher support, Amplify Desmos Math uses flexible categories of intervention and enrichment that adjust daily according to student thinking.

In-the-moment differentiation supports are available for every lesson, both digitally and in the print Teacher Edition.

Learn more

A teacher sits at a table with two students, using small objects and a workbook to provide individualized instruction during a Boost Math lesson in a classroom with large windows.

In-lesson differentiation

Differentiation: Beyond the Lesson

Mini-Lessons: 15-minute, small-group direct instruction lessons targeted to a specific concept or skill
Item Banks: Space for teachers to create practice and assessments by using filters and searching for standards, summative-style items, and more
Fluency Practice: Adaptive, personalized practice built out for basic operations and more
Centers (K–5): Lesson-embedded routines and practice for students that are vertically aligned across grade levels
Extensions: Lesson-embedded Teacher Moves including possible stretch questions and activities for students
Lesson Practice: Additional practice problems support every lesson
Math Adventures: Strategy-based math games where students engage with math concepts and practice skills in a fun digital environment

Two pages from a math workbook on determining coordinates after a rotation, with diagrams, problem sets, and instructional text, displayed on a yellow and gray background.

A classroom teaching guide displays strategies for discussing pre-image and image in math, goals for a parallelogram lesson, and tips for supporting multilingual learners.

Multilingual/English Learner supports

Supports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentiSupports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentional points within each lesson. These suggested supports are specific, targeted actions that are beneficial for ML/ELs. They often describe a modification to increase access to the task or provide support with contextual or mathematical language development that can often be helpful to all learners. ML/EL supports may also be attached to Math Language Routines.onal points within each lesson. These suggested supports are specific, targeted actions that are beneficial for ML/ELs. They often describe a modification to increase access to the task or provide support with contextual or mathematical language development that can often be helpful to all learners. ML/EL supports may also be attached to Math Language Routines.

Math Language Development

Every lesson in Amplify Desmos Math includes opportunities for all students to develop mathematical language as they experience the content. Amplify Desmos Math purposefully progresses language development from lesson to lesson and across units by supporting students in making their arguments and explanations stronger, clearer, and more precise. This systematic approach to the development of math language can be broken down into the following four categories of support:

Vocabulary: Units and lessons start by surfacing students’ language for new concepts, then building connections between their language and the new vocabulary for that unit.
Language goals: Language goals attend to the mathematics students are learning, and are written through the lens of one or more of four language modalities: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Math Language Routines: Math Language Routines are used within lessons to highlight student-developed language and ideas, cultivate conversation, support mathematical sense-making, and promote meta-cognition.
Multilingual/English learner supports: Supports for multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) are called out at intentional points within each lesson.

Two girls sit at a table with open books, one making hand gestures while smiling, the other looking at her and giving a thumbs up. Behind them are shelves filled with books, capturing the lively atmosphere of a math classroom.

Digital educational material showing an activity named "Hamster Homes" involving tube length and platform heights for a hamster cage. Includes a diagram with platforms measuring 9 inches.

K-5 sample materials

Click the links in the drop-down sections below to explore sample materials from each grade. For a full program review, please login to the digital platform or request physical samples.

For helpful navigation tips and more program information, download the Amplify Desmos Math Program Guide.

You can also watch a product expert walk through a lesson and the available program components.

Teacher Edition

Planning and instructional guidance is visual, organized, and easy-to-follow. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from a complete sub-unit on this site: Unit 2, Sub-Unit 2: Counting and Comparing Images.

Student Edition

Motivate students with mathematics that is both rigorous and delightful. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from a complete sub-unit on this site: Unit 2, Sub-Unit 2: Counting and Comparing Images.

Cover of "Amplify Desmos Math Grade K Centers Resources" featuring a large, stylized red and pink "C" on a light pink background with simple geometric designs. This distinctive cover complements New York math curriculums with its engaging visual elements.

Ancillary sampler

Included in the ancillary sampler are examples from the program Assessment Resources, Intervention and Extension Resources, Centers Resources, Additional Practice, and Math Language Development Resources.

A digital activity screen, crafted in the style of Amplify Desmos Math, shows two paths with different quantities of mushrooms. The user is prompted to choose the path with more mushrooms. A bear is on the left side of the screen.

Featured digital lesson: Forest Friends

In this lesson, students apply their understanding of how to compare groups of images as they determine which group has more or fewer and then compare their strategies by guiding a bear through a path that has more mushrooms than the other.

Children interact with math activities on a large tablet while observing fish illustrations. The text reads "Amplify Desmos Math Grade 1 Teacher Edition, aligned with New York Math standards.

Skills Unit 2 Teacher Guide

Student Edition

Motivate students with mathematics that is both rigorous and delightful. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from a complete sub-unit on this site: Unit 1, Sub-Unit 1: Adding and Subtracting Within 10.

Cover of "Amplify Desmos Math Centers Resources" for Grade 1, featuring a yellow and white 3D letter "C" on a light background.

Ancillary sampler

An educational game screen, inspired by New York math standards, shows a subtraction problem, "4 - 1," with a frog moving along numbered lily pads to reveal the answer "3.

Featured digital lesson: Leaping Lily Pads!

In this lesson, students find differences when subtracting 1 and 2 from the same number by helping a frog reach a lily pad where it can eat a bug.

Teacher Edition

Planning and instructional guidance is visual, organized, and easy-to-follow. To help you review the program, we have included samples from a complete sub-unit on this site: Unit 1, Sub-Unit 1: Adding and Subtracting.

Student Edition

Cover of an educational book titled "Amplify Desmos Math Grade 2 Centers Resources" featuring a green "C" on a light green background, perfect for enhancing New York math education.

Ancillary sampler

An educational activity where users must select the block with the correct number to make a total of 10 using the given block numbers. The UI, inspired by New York math standards, features a caterpillar and two tree stumps to amplify engagement with Desmos Math tools.

Featured digital lesson: Ways to Make 10

Students continue to develop fluency by finding the number that makes 10 by helping a millipede reach its favorite food – a clump of leaves!

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Cover of the Amplify Desmos Math Grade 3 Centers Resources book, featuring a 3D letter "C" in blue and white on a minimalistic background, perfect for aligning with New York math standards.

Ancillary sampler

A page titled "Activity 2" features a table showing counts of rabbits, raccoons, and foxes, an image of animal stickers, and a bar graph representing the number of each animal, designed to amplify your New York math lesson with engaging visual data.

Featured digital lesson: Puppy Pile

Students compare data represented on bar graphs with different scales by using animal stickers to create scaled bar graphs.

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Cover of the "Amplify Desmos Math" Grade 4 Centers Resources book, featuring a large, stylized blue letter "C" on a light blue background. This essential resource for New York math educators ensures engaging and effective instruction.

Ancillary sampler

Interactive educational activity asking users to determine platform heights using a 3-inch tube. The interface, inspired by Desmos math tools, features a dragging function and feedback system with a checkbox and "Try another" option, amplifying the learning experience.

Featured digital lesson: Hamster Homes

Students choose tube lengths to connect to platform heights for hamster homes, identifying possible heights using what they know about multiples.

Illustration of three students engaging with various math activities outdoors and around large blocks. Text at the top reads "Amplify Desmos Math, Grade 5, Teacher Edition" - a perfect resource for New York math educators.

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Cover image of "Amplify Desmos Math Grade 5 Centers Resources" featuring a large purple letter C on a light purple background, showcasing the innovative approach of Amplify Desmos Math that's making waves in New York math education.

Ancillary sampler

An interactive screen showing an activity about decomposing a figure into prisms, with a touch of Desmos Math integration. The user is asked to drag points to demonstrate the decomposition. Two prism illustrations are displayed, offering a glimpse of New York Math's approach.

Featured digital lesson: Figures Made of Prisms

Students decompose a figure into rectangular prisms and determine the volume of the figure by adding the volumes of the individual prisms.

6-A1 sample materials

Click the links in the drop-down sections below to explore sample materials from each grade. For a full program review, please login to the digital platform or request physical samples.

For helpful navigation tips and more program information, download the Amplify Desmos Math Program Guide.

You can also watch a product expert walk through a lesson and the available program components.

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Motivate students with mathematics that is both rigorous and delightful. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from a complete sub-unit on this site: Unit 6, Sub-Unit 1: Solving Equations.

Cover image of "Amplify Desmos Math" for Grade 6, featuring a 3D pink letter "I" and the text "Intervention and Extension Resources." This New York math edition supports students with comprehensive resources.

Ancillary sampler

Included in the ancillary sampler are examples from the program Assessment Resources, Intervention and Extension Resources, Additional Practice, and Math Language Development Resources.

A digital math activity shows foxes on a seesaw balanced with 18-pound weights. A multiple-choice question and text box ask for the weight of a fox in pounds.

Featured digital lesson: Weight for It

Students use equations and tape diagrams to represent seesaw situations and to determine unknown animal weights, helping them make connections between diagrams that represent equations of the form `x+p=q` or `px=q`.

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Cover of "Amplify Desmos Math: Grade 7 – Intervention and Extension Resources" featuring a stylized 3D "I" on a light purple background, ideal for both New York math and national curricula.

Ancillary sampler

Included in the ancillary sampler are examples from the program Assessment Resources, Intervention and Extension Resources, Additional Practice, and Math Language Development Resources.

A digital math activity screen shows a character above a number line and a box with the inequality "x > -10" entered. A cursor points to the "Edit my response" button.

Featured digital lesson: Shira the Sheep

Students solve inequalities with positive and negative coefficients to solve a variety of challenges featuring a fictional sheep who eats grass according to an inequality.

Teacher Edition

Student Edition

Cover of "Amplify Desmos Math Grade 8: Intervention and Extension Resources" featuring a stylized "I" on a gray background, tailored for New York math standards.

Ancillary sampler

Included in the ancillary sampler are examples from the program Assessment Resources, Intervention and Extension Resources, Additional Practice, and Math Language Development Resources.

A graph plots four robot colors by height and eye distance; on the right, matching colored robots stand side by side, labeled Red, Purple, Blue, and Green.

Featured digital lesson: Robots

Students connect points on a scatter plot with individuals in a population and rows of data in a table. The analysis of scatter plots continues with data about the eye distances and heights of robots.

Teacher Edition

Planning and instructional guidance is visual, organized, and easy-to-follow. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from two complete sub-units on this site: Unit 2, Sub-Units 1–2: One-Variable Equations and Multi-Variable Equations.

Student Edition

Motivate students with mathematics that is both rigorous and delightful. To help you preview the program, we have included samples from two complete sub-units on this site: Unit 2, Sub-Units 1–2: One-Variable Equations and Multi-Variable Equations.

Ancillary sampler

Included in the ancillary sampler are examples from the program Assessment Resources, Intervention and Extension Resources, Additional Practice, and Math Language Development Resources.

A math activity screen shows a cartoon snail, purple blocks, and a table comparing blocks and a math equation; a cursor hovers over the "Edit my response" button.

Featured digital lesson: Shelley the Snail

Students represent the solutions of a situation using a table, a graph, and multiple forms of an equation to identify multiple combinations of blocks that can help Shelley the Snail cross a gap.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY UPDATES

mCLASS Texas Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!

mCLASS® Texas Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS® Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the learning experiences your students deserve.

Updates

mCLASS Texas Edition expands to support grades 7–8.

This expansion supports a full K–8 literacy model (alongside Amplify Texas ELAR 6–8), to help you identify where both elementary and middle school students need support and to guide you on the next steps. With mCLASS Texas Edition for grades 7–8, you can support middle school students with reading fundamentals, monitor progress for grade-level and below-grade-level skills, and find instructional guidance based on best practices for middle school.

mCLASS Texas Edition Home Connect available in 15 additional languages

Starting Sept. 1, all mCLASS Texas Edition customers can generate Home Connect letters in 15 additional languages: Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Traditional Chinese (Cantonese), Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Filipino, Armenian, Korean, Hmong, Japanese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, and Pashto.

These translated letters include all essential features of our English and Spanish versions, ensuring every family receives their student’s complete mCLASS Texas Edition results, including: Vocabulary, Spelling, RAN, and Oral Language scores, plus targeted activities to support their child’s learning at home.

A student reading assessment report for Alex Phan shows overall DIBELS score, test details, decoding accuracy and fluency scores, explanations of each reading skill assessed, and notes that mCLASS Lectura is coming soon.

Enhanced district-level insights: New mCLASS Texas Edition progress monitoring data columns launch July 1.

Starting July 1, the mCLASS Texas Edition Progress Monitoring Download Your Data (DYD) Report will include three new columns that bring student growth insights to school and district leadership:

Aimline Status—Description of the progress monitoring result’s position in relation to the aimline

Aimline Value By Date—Score on the aimline on the day that the progress monitoring test is administered

Growth Goal Set—Score the student is striving to achieve by the start date of the next benchmark period

School and district leaders will gain the same detailed progress monitoring visibility teachers have relied on, now scaled across the entire district. This means data-driven decisions can be made faster, and students who need additional support will be identified as soon as possible.

A spreadsheet displays student assessment data with columns for score, aimline status, aimline value by date, growth goal set, and date of birth. Stay tuned—mCLASS coming soon will enhance these insights even further.

mCLASS Reading becomes mCLASS Literacy.

Starting July 10, 2026, the brand name in our platform will shift from mCLASS Reading to mCLASS Literacy. This change is intended to reflect the importance of both reading and comprehension.

Dashboard interface showing a navigation menu on the left, user welcome message, recently visited modules, recommendations, and program options—including mCLASS Lectura and a preview of mCLASS coming soon—for an education platform.

Updated Zones of Growth framework

On Sept. 1, 2026, the Zones of Growth framework will be updated using a recent national data set. Predictive growth rates will be based on students with the exact same scores, ensuring prediction accuracy is even more precise. Zones of Growth will also be updated for DIBELS Data System users.

A student performance report displays growth outcomes, benchmark scores, and progress monitoring data for Marco Acosta in multiple literacy skill areas using mCLASS Lectura.

New mCLASS Intervention Demo Mode available

We’ve also launched Demo Mode in mCLASS Intervention, which will help you explore the grouping and lesson generation platform through either self-guided exploration or a guided tour. To access the demo, log into your mCLASS program, navigate to the Intervention tab, and select “Try Demo.”

A pop-up message explains how to start forming mCLASS Intervention groups, with a highlighted “Create Groups” button below it. Look out for mCLASS Lectura, coming soon to further enhance your intervention experience.

mCLASS Lectura update: phonemic awareness measure option for kindergarten and grade 1

Fluidez en la segmentación de fonemas (FSF) will be added to mCLASS Lectura as an optional measure for kindergarten and grade 1. FSF is a standardized, individually-administered phonemic awareness assessment that measures students’ ability to fluently segment words, a skill which is predictive of Spanish reading proficiency and is also transferable to support the development of English phonemic awareness.

FSF does not impact the overall mCLASS Lectura Composite Score.

Instructional card showing a speech bubble with a Spanish phonemic awareness activity from mCLASS Lectura, and "Incorrecto" and "Correcto" buttons at the bottom.

Noteworthy features

PD Library

You’ll find helpful professional development (PD) resources in the PD Library to ensure your mCLASS implementation runs smoothly. When you’re logged into mCLASS, the PD Library can be accessed by clicking the PD Library button on the left navigation bar.

Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY UPDATES

mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!

mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS® Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the learning experiences your students deserve.

Updates

mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition expands to support grades 7–8.

This expansion supports a full K–8 literacy model (alongside Amplify ELA), to help you identify where both elementary and middle school students need support and to guide you on the next steps. With mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition for grades 7–8, you can support middle school students with reading fundamentals, monitor progress for grade-level and below-grade-level skills, and find instructional guidance based on best practices for middle school.

mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition Home Connect available in 15 additional languages

Starting Sept. 1, all mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition customers can generate Home Connect letters in 15 additional languages: Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Traditional Chinese (Cantonese), Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Filipino, Armenian, Korean, Hmong, Japanese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, and Pashto.

These translated letters include all essential features of our English and Spanish versions, ensuring every family receives their student’s complete mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition results, including: Vocabulary, Spelling, RAN, and Oral Language scores, plus targeted activities to support their child’s learning at home.

A student progress report showing name, school, scores, and colored bar graphs for literacy skills: Letter Naming Fluency and Phonemic Awareness—including mCLASS Lectura—with some text in English and Persian. mCLASS coming soon.

Enhanced district-level insights: New mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition progress monitoring data columns launch July 1.

Starting July 1, the mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition Progress Monitoring Download Your Data (DYD) Report will include three new columns that bring student growth insights to school and district leadership:

Aimline Status—Description of the progress monitoring result’s position in relation to the aimline

Aimline Value By Date—Score on the aimline on the day that the progress monitoring test is administered

Growth Goal Set—Score the student is striving to achieve by the start date of the next benchmark period

mCLASS Reading becomes mCLASS Literacy.

Starting July 10, 2026, the brand name in our platform will shift from mCLASS Reading to mCLASS Literacy. This change is intended to reflect the importance of both reading and comprehension.

Screenshot of an educational dashboard showing recent activity, recommended tasks, and a navigation menu on the left side, with a highlight for mCLASS Lectura and an announcement that mCLASS coming soon.

Updated Zones of Growth framework

New mCLASS Intervention Demo Mode available

mCLASS Lectura update: phonemic awareness measure option for kindergarten and grade 1

FSF does not impact the overall mCLASS Lectura Composite Score.

Revised print materials for two mCLASS Lectura progress monitoring forms

We’ve corrected typos in the print materials for two Fluidez en Palabras (FEP) student progress monitoring forms. Beginning July 1, 2026, you will see a pop-up when you begin assessing students for these two forms which will provide instructions on how to find and print updated student materials.

Noteworthy features

PD Library

Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting

Boost Reading sample site

Welcome, Program 6 reviewers, to Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten!

We’re honored to introduce you to Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) California Transitional Kindergarten (TK). We’re confident you’ll find this comprehensive program to be a powerful tool for bringing the vision of the California ELA/ELD Framework and the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) to life in classrooms across the state.

Your review samples

Print samples

You will receive three boxes of physical samples as part of your review. Box 1 will contain your Reviewer Binder. This binder contains logistical information and printed copies of the Evaluation Criteria Map and Foundations Alignment Map. Boxes 2 and 3 will contain physical samples. As you begin the process of organizing your materials, please refer to the inventory checklist found inside each box as well as within your Reviewer Binder.

Digital samples

In order to access your digital samples, you’ll need to log in to our platform using your unique login credentials found on a Digital Access Flyer inside of your Reviewer Binder. Once you have located the flyer:

Click the orange button below to access the platform.
Click “Log in with Amplify.”
Enter the username and password provided on your Digital Review Credential flyer.

Digital Access

Navigation tips

Before you get started, please review these important functionality notes:

[Reviewer navigation video] Amplify CKLA California TK

Category 1: English Language Arts (ELA) content/alignment with Foundations

Alignment documents

The links below provide the alignment documents for Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten.

Category 2: Program Organization

Program structure

Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten is a comprehensive English language arts curriculum designed to prepare young children for later reading success by building foundational language and literacy skills. Amplify CKLA California TK materials and instruction provide explicit, systematic support for developing young children’s language, literacy, and content knowledge within the context of developmentally-appropriate early childhood settings, incorporating and reflecting the key themes and practices of the CA PTKLF and Framework.

[Reviewer highlight video] Program organization

The flexible pacing recommendations of the program provide teachers with options to decide how best to keep students engaged while completing Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten instruction (e.g., wiggle breaks, hands-on participation, singing songs, brain breaks, etc.).

[Reviewer highlight video] Lesson organization

The literacy skills, vocabulary, and content knowledge developed in Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten are explicitly designed to provide a foundation for the skills and content taught in TK classrooms. The teacher-directed and student-led activities in Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten reflect all strands of the CA PTKLF foundational language sub-domains:

Listening and speaking
Foundational literacy skills
Reading and writing

Amplify CKLA California TK domains of instruction are carefully chosen and sequenced to build prerequisite knowledge so that students can use that knowledge as they assimilate new, more complex information. The seven domains in Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten are:

Important People in American History
All About Me
Families and Communities
Classic Tales
Plants
Animals
Habitats

Amplify CKLA California TK empowers teachers to deliver effective instruction and keeps students engaged with with the following resources:

Teacher Guides
Flip Books
Image Cards
Center Cards
Activity Pages and Take-Home Pages
Nursery Rhymes and Songs Posters
Big Book: Classic Tales
Trade Books

Activities are play-based, engaging, challenging, and adaptive for the full range of TK learners. Teacher materials also support teachers and aides in facilitating activities, establishing routines, and identifying effective procedures.

Scope and sequence

Click here to view the scope and sequence for Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten.

Category 3: Assessments

Amplify CKLA California TK assessments are designed to provide a snapshot of whether or not each student is mastering specific Core Content and Language Arts Objectives. The program incorporates multiple methods of assessing what students know and are able to do in each domain. Methods of assessments include:

Observational/anecdotal assessments.
Reteaching moments with aligned progress monitoring.
Portfolio Collections (student work samples).
Task assessments.
Developmental progression monitoring.

Amplify CKLA California TK provides tools to facilitate collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on student progress and development. These include:

Ready-made data collection forms with scoring guidelines (Not Yet, Progressing, Ready).
Caregiver communication letters.

[Reviewer highlight video] Program alignment to Category 3

Category 4: Universal Access

Amplify CKLA California Transitional Kindergarten materials provide students with a range of skills and abilities, with opportunities for participation across all contexts of differentiated instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language.

Examples include the following:

Teacher Guides feature sidebar differentiation tips.
Classroom routines, such as taking attendance, rely on both visual and verbal prompts that can be individually tailored to students’ needs.
Small-group activities often include suggested rounds of play that increase with difficulty and give teachers the choice to move forward to increase the level of challenge or repeat levels of play that prove challenging.
Extension activities involve materials that can be adapted to scaffold students in a variety of ways; teachers can provide more or less structure and input depending on the needs of the students.
Differentiation supports grounded in UDL include visuals, realia, multimodal instruction, and other materials relevant to all students.

Category 5: Instructional Planning and Teacher Support

Amplify CKLA California TK empowers teachers to deliver effective instruction with various resources. The program provides comprehensive planning and support materials designed to help teachers prepare for and execute lessons effectively and fulfill the requirements of Category 5.

Teacher materials

Planning and preparation resources

Each Teacher Guide contains all the information needed for each day of instruction. The following sections are included in each Teacher Guide:

Assessments
Introduction
Learning Centers
Transitions
Starting the Day
Skills Instruction
Listening & Learning Instruction
Pausing Points

The Domain Calendar shows the titles of activities and read-alouds taught on each day of instruction throughout the entire domain during the three main contexts for instruction:

Starting the Day
Skills
Listening & Learning

Caregiver supports

The home-school connection letter template provides an easy way to share important information and set expectations with caregivers at the beginning of the school year.

Caregiver letters suggest ways parents and caregivers can support and reinforce learning at home through everyday activities. They also include high-quality texts and nursery rhymes and songs that parents can use to support students’ learning.

Welcome to the Amplify Science classroom showcase!

The Amplify Science K–8 curriculum blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists.

Discover inspiring classroom examples and teacher resources from educators nationwide who are bringing Amplify Science to life.

Want to showcase your classroom?

We love seeing how you bring learning to life! Share photos to inspire fellow educators.

A collage of three classroom science boards on animal adaptations, rainforests, and force & motion—each featuring small cartoon animals—brightens the Classroom Wall and highlights hands-on activities inspired by Amplify Science.

Classroom Wall

Every Amplify Science unit includes a Classroom Wall that grows and evolves as students build understanding. Here are a few examples from real Amplify Science classrooms!

Grades K–5

Classroom Wall bulletin board displays science posters, handwritten notes, diagrams, and teacher resources about matter, solutions, and properties of substances on a gray wall.

Credit: Shannon Cox, Sabine Parish School District, LA

Classroom with tables, chairs, a hanging solar system model, and educational posters on the doors and Classroom Wall; inset graphics show Earth orbiting the Sun and a close-up of the Sun—perfect for hands-on activities inspired by Amplify Science.

Credit: Rebecca Steindler O’Brien, P.S. 051 The Elias Howe School, NY

A whiteboard in a science classroom displays science vocabulary and a predator-prey diagram with drawings of a shark, turtle, and fish—perfect for Amplify Science hands-on activities. Two aquatic animal icons appear on a beige background.

Credit: Veeh Nguyen, Belle Chasse Academy, LA

A science bulletin board displays vocabulary and questions about light and surfaces. An inset shows a hand holding a flashlight, projecting a sailboat shadow—perfect for hands-on activities inspired by Amplify Science.

Credit: Brittney Gooden, LaSalle Parish, LA

A Classroom Wall features a weather-themed unit with questions, images of animals, chapter prompts about predicting weather for orangutans, and hands-on activities—perfect teacher resources to engage students.

Credit: Buffy Scott Marcantel, Maplewood Elementary, LA

Classroom Wall display titled "Let's meet the Tokay Gecko!" features student drawings, Amplify Science facts, and rainforest info about Tokay geckos on a vibrant yellow background—perfect for teacher resources and classroom learning.

Credit: Chrissy Campenni, Wyoming Area School District, PA

Classroom bulletin board features Amplify Science learning objectives, vocabulary charts, student work, and colorful educational posters against a teal wall—perfect for showcasing hands-on activities and valuable teacher resources.

Credit: Christy Flynn, Grant Parish School Board, LA

Classroom Wall bulletin board displays vocabulary words about plant and animal survival, inspired by Amplify Science; adjacent images show a butterfly on a flowerpot and a caterpillar on grass.

Credit: William Howard Taft Elementary School, OH

Classroom bulletin board with science vocabulary words, key concepts, unit questions, and student artwork related to mixtures and substances—perfect for teacher resources or supporting Amplify Science hands-on activities.

Credit: Cristina Cullen, Glendora Unified School District, CA

Grades 6–8

A science classroom whiteboard displays a science lesson schedule, key concepts, and unit questions—organized with columns and color-coded markings to support hands-on activities inspired by Amplify Science.

Credit: Erica Fernandez, Elsinore Middle School, CA

Classroom Wall display featuring four grade-level posters with unit questions, vocabulary words, and key concepts organized in columns—an essential teacher resource for engaging lessons.

Credit: Sheyenne Cahalan, Knox County R-1 School District, MO

A science classroom whiteboard displays handwritten notes, charts, and diagrams from Amplify Science, with papers and folders scattered on a nearby table and three red chairs in front.

Credit: Joshua Ryan Abellera, Fertitta Middle School, NV

Classroom whiteboard displays key concepts, unit question, and vocabulary related to climate change, featuring Amplify Science materials and a colorful "Welcome" banner with posters above.

Credit: Karen Wynne, Portola Middle School, CA

A classroom whiteboard displays handwritten notes on metabolism, with unit questions, key concepts, and vocabulary related to cells, energy, and biomolecules—perfect teacher resources for engaging lessons.

Credit: Crystal Cuaron Baker, Las Cruces Public Schools, NM

A science classroom bulletin board displays information, diagrams, and questions about force and motion, featuring neatly arranged printed sheets on a green background to inspire hands-on activities.

Credit: Natalia Seoane, Heritage Intermediate School, CA

A Classroom Wall bulletin board displays an 8th grade Amplify Science unit with vocabulary words, key concepts, questions, and a brown bear head wall decoration.

Credit: Lisa Anglim, Elizabeth Ustach Middle School, CA

A classroom whiteboard displays science notes about energy, with "SCIENCE" spelled out in large black balloons above the board—a vibrant example of a science classroom using creative teacher resources.

Credit: Maria Katsanos, New York City Public Schools, NY

A science classroom bulletin board displays information about atoms, chemical reactions, and the periodic table, with diagrams, definitions, and question prompts pinned to a blue background as useful teacher resources.

Credit: Lindsey Hampf, Upper Township School District, NJ

Posters with handwritten notes and diagrams are displayed on a Classroom Wall, with colorful educational earth science charts in the background, creating an inspiring science classroom atmosphere.

Credit: Anna Radef, Cadwallader Middle School, NV

A classroom bulletin board displays a "Science Has All The Solutions" banner with student artwork and Amplify Science assignments clipped below it—an inspiring showcase of teacher resources for any science classroom.

Credit: Jessica Kruger, Gardner International, MI

A Classroom Wall blackboard displays a science lesson with printed papers, handwritten notes, diagrams, and images about Mars, landforms, lava, water, geologic processes, and planetary habitability—perfect for teacher resources and hands-on activities.

Credit: Albert Hutchful, Clark County School District, NV

The classroom whiteboard in this science classroom displays a unit question, key concepts, vocabulary words with definitions, and various colorful drawings related to planetary habitability.

Credit: Kim Eich, Anoka-Hennepin Public School District 1, MN

Credit: Shannon Cox, Sabine Parish School District, LA

Classroom bulletin board showcases maps, printed questions, key concept cards, and vocabulary words from Amplify Science, supporting plate tectonics and fossil units with engaging teacher resources.

Credit: Anna Radef, Clark County School District, NV

Hands-on science activities

Students engage in hands-on science activities throughout Amplify Science. These photos capture curiosity in action and showcase real students exploring, building, testing, and investigating in Amplify Science classrooms.

Students engage in hands-on activities and experiments with liquids and solids, reading, and preparing materials, enhanced by illustrations and abstract art around the photos, supporting the Amplify Science curriculum.

Grades K–5

A person sits at a classroom desk holding a blue and white craft project; their face is covered by a large orange heart. Two aquatic-themed illustrations appear on the right, perfect for hands-on activities in the science classroom.

Grade 1: Animal and Plant Defenses
Designing animal defenses during the Animal and Plant Defenses unit
Credit: Veeh Nguyen, Belle Chasse Academy, LA

A group of young students sit at a table in a science classroom, engaging in hands-on activities with flashlights and paper screens. Their faces are covered with orange heart icons.

Grade 1: Light and Sound
Exploring shadows for the Light and Sound unit
Credit: Brittney Gooden, LaSalle Parish, LA

Students sit at a desk in a science classroom working on Amplify Science worksheets and a hands-on experiment, while two smaller images show shadow experiments with shapes under a light source.

Grade 1: Light and Sound
Investigating vibrations during the Light and Sound unit
Credit: Jennifer Baker, Rapides Parish School Board, LA

A woman and two children use flashlights to create shadows on a science classroom wall; an inset shows a close-up of a paper cutout used for making shadow shapes, perfect for teacher resources.

Grade 1: Light and Sound
Puppet show for the Light and Sound unit
Credit: Anna Dardar, Rapides Parish School Board, LA

Children are seated around a table working on a card activity with trays and plastic bags; two illustrated images, one of a village and one of a shoreline, are shown on the right, perfect for displaying on the Classroom Wall in any science classroom.

Grade 2: Changing Landforms
Exploring sand samples for the Changing Landforms unit
Credit: Rebecca Steindler O’Brien, P.S. 051 The Elias Howe School, NY

A simple homemade maglev train model using a plastic cup, cardboard, tape, a paperclip, and a piece of string—perfect for hands-on activities in the science classroom—with related train and track illustrations on the right.

Grade 3: Balancing Forces
Exploring forces with magnet tricks for the Balancing Forces unit
Credit: Maureen Patt, Broad Street Elementary School, NH

Children sit at a classroom table working on hands-on activities with notebooks and pencils; large orange hearts cover their faces. An illustrated wolf sticker appears in the bottom right corner, with a vibrant classroom wall in the background.

Grade 3: Inheritance and Traits
Imaginary clay creatures to investigate traits in real organisms for the Inheritance and Traits unit
Credit: Maribel Ramos, Esperanza Academy Charter School, PA

Four children are drawing and coloring pictures of animals at a table, surrounded by markers, books, worksheets, and other teacher resources for creative hands-on activities.

Grade 3: Inheritance and Traits
Students showing off their knowledge for the Inheritance and Traits unit by creating their own drawings.
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Two children sit at a wooden table working on bird identification worksheets, surrounded by books and clear plastic bags—engaged in hands-on activities inspired by Amplify Science.

Grade 3: Inheritance and Traits
Determining which offspring belong to which set of parent pigeons based on similar traits for the Inheritance and Traits unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Four children work on assignments at a table with laptops and papers in a science classroom. Two illustrations of wolves in nature scenes are displayed on the Classroom Wall to the right.

Grade 3: Inheritance and Traits
Using celery as a real-life example of how the environment can impact traits, during the Inheritance and Traits unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Students in a science classroom conduct a hands-on experiment with lab materials while taking notes; two animal illustrations appear on the right side, enhancing this engaging scene for your Classroom Wall.

Grade 3: Environments and Survival
Modeling how ruby-throated hummingbirds with different traits meet their need for food during the Environments and Survival unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Students conduct a science experiment with clear cups of water on a table in a vibrant science classroom, surrounded by worksheets and nature-themed drawings; perfect for Amplify Science teacher resources.

Grade 3: Weather and Climate
Learning the best ways to collect, measure, and compare rainfall data for the Weather and Climate unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Five children stand indoors by a window, engaged in hands-on activities as they draw or paint on the glass. Their faces are obscured with orange heart shapes. An illustration of a building is overlaid in the corner, resembling a decorated classroom wall.

Grade 4: Energy Conversions
Students created their own simple systems using a solar panel, alligator clips, wires, an LED light, and a buzzer during the Energy Conversions unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

A bulletin board labeled "SCIENCE" displays paper windmill projects, highlighting hands-on activities; two small digital illustrations of buildings at night decorate the right side of this vibrant Classroom Wall.

Grade 4: Energy Conversions
Designing wind turbines during the Energy Conversions unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

A cardboard box with a hole sits on a classroom table with papers, tape, markers, a water bottle, and students in the background; two Amplify Science diagrams are on the side—perfect for teacher resources or display on the Classroom Wall.

Grade 4: Vision and Light
Planning vision models for the Vision and Light unit
Credit: Maribel Ramos, Esperanza Academy Charter School, PA

Five students sit at desks engaged in hands-on activities with papers and pencils; a small inset shows a digital illustration of a night scene with a laser beam, perfect for inspiring new ideas for your Classroom Wall.

Grade 4: Vision and Light
Writing a scientific explanation for the Vision and Light unit
Credit: Chrissy Campenni, Wyoming Area School District, PA

Four children are in a dimly lit room; three engage with a box on the floor while one stands by a shelf, possibly exploring teacher resources for Amplify Science. Faces are obscured with orange shapes.

Grade 5: Patterns of Earth and Sky
Investigating daytime and nighttime during the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

A photo of orange clay with blue shapes arranged on top, shown alongside illustrations of Earth from space and a yellow planet—perfect for hands-on activities in the science classroom or for bringing Amplify Science lessons to life.

Grade 5: Patterns of Earth and Sky
Hands-On Flextension: Making artifacts for the Patterns of Earth and Sky unit
Credit: Adriana Barrera, J.W. Bishop Elementary School, TX

Two children sit at a science classroom table working on a hands-on project with tape, foil, and other materials. Their faces are covered with orange heart shapes.

Grade 5: Modeling Matter
Flavor ingredients test for the Modeling Matter unit
Credit: Kevin Butters, Grand Island Public Schools, NE

A group of students stand around a table mixing ingredients into bowls, with several small orange containers on a tray in the foreground—engaged in hands-on activities perfect for teacher resources or display on a Classroom Wall.

Grade 5: Modeling Matter
Testing ingredients to make salad dressing during the Modeling Matter unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Students engage in hands-on activities with geometric shape worksheets at a table stocked with colored pencils, rulers, and scissors; two scientific illustrations of molecules and red blood cells enhance the science classroom setting.

Grade 5: Modeling Matter
Discussing solubility and attraction during the Modeling Matter unit
Credit: Cristina Cullen, Glendora Unified School District, CA

Plastic cups and containers covered with plastic wrap and labeled, set on trays atop a science classroom table, likely part of a science experiment.

Grade 5: The Earth System
Designing freshwater systems for The Earth System unit
Credit: Sandi O’Brien, Parkmead Elementary School, CA

Three children in red shirts hold a container with grass and soil in a hallway, engaging in hands-on activities; two small illustrations of soil with worms and jungle animals decorate the Classroom Wall nearby.

Grade 5: Ecosystem Restoration
Building terrariums for the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Children are seated on the floor working with colored beads and activity sheets about leaves and seeds; two small illustrations of leaves and a sloth are overlaid on the image, highlighting Amplify Science teacher resources in use.

Grade 5: Ecosystem Restoration
Leaves and Roots game board from the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Credit: Cyndi Thompson Crouch, Smithville School District, MO

Children sit at desks using laptops in a science classroom, holding plush animals. An illustrated leopard image appears in the bottom right corner. Faces are covered with orange heart shapes.

Grade 5: Ecosystem Restoration
Food web models with students’ favorite stuffed animals for the Ecosystem Restoration unit
Credit: Halli Trinker, Boonton Township School District, NJ

Grades 6–8

Students wearing red uniforms work together at a desk with a laptop in a classroom; inset shows a close-up of a floral-patterned fabric.

Grade 6: Microbiome
Drawing scale models of microorganisms for the Microbiome unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

A person in a red shirt looks into a microscope at a table with plastic trays and containers; a heart graphic covers their face.

Grade 6: Microbiome
Hands-On Flextension: Investigating microscopic evidence of life for the Microbiome unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Two students sit at a table in a classroom, measuring liquid with a graduated cylinder as part of hands-on activities; an Amplify Science kit and supplies are nearby. An illustration is shown in a smaller overlay.

Grade 6: Metabolism
Investigating chemical reactions with water, phenol red, baking soda, and calcium chloride for the Metabolism unit
Credit: Jessica Kruger, Gardner International Magnet School, MI

Students wearing red shirts participate in a classroom activity involving labeled diagrams at their desks. Faces are covered for privacy.

Grade 6: Metabolism
Introducing the classroom body systems model for the Metabolism unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Nine granola or snack bars of various shapes and textures are arranged in a grid on a table covered with white paper. A small inset image shows a colorful artwork.

Grade 6: Metabolism Engineering Internship
Healthy bars for the Metabolism Engineering Internship
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Three students sit at a classroom table with beakers, conducting a science experiment. Faces are covered with orange heart shapes.

Grade 6: Thermal Energy
Simulating hot and cold water during the Thermal Energy unit
Credit: Whitney Stewart, Rapides Parish School Board, LA

Two students in red shirts sit at a desk playing an educational board game; their faces are covered with orange heart shapes.

Grade 6: Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
Playing the Ocean Currents game for the Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Four people in red shirts hold and inflate a large clear plastic bag in a science classroom decorated with a brick wall and paper leaf display. Faces are covered with orange heart shapes, creating an engaging scene for teacher resources or displays.

Grade 6: Weather Patterns
Modeling a warm air parcel for the Weather Patterns unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

A rectangular tray filled with sand displays branching patterns resembling river channels; a painting of a desert landscape is shown in the top right corner.

Grade 7: Geology on Mars
The Flowing Water Model for the Geology on Mars unit
Credit: Kim Eich, Anoka-Hennepin Public School District 1, MN

Several students in red sweaters work together at a classroom table, focusing on hands-on activities. Two graphic icons—a satellite and a puzzle piece—appear near the Classroom Wall on the right side of the image.

Grade 7: Plate Motion Engineering Internship
Modeling a tsunami wave for Plate Motion Engineering Internship
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Four children are seated around a classroom table conducting hands-on activities with water and plastic bottles. Two small inset images show energy sources and colored particles, adding to the engaging classroom wall display.

Grade 7: Chemical Reactions
Investigating substance changes for the Chemical Reactions unit
Credit: Ashlie Beals Arkwright, SCAPA at Bluegrass, KY

Three students sit at a classroom table with science experiment materials in front of them, engaging in hands-on activities; their faces are covered with orange heart shapes. Two small images show a parrot and scientific equipment on the Classroom Wall.

Grade 7: Populations and Resources
Conducting a yeast experiment during the Populations and Resources unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Three students work on a science experiment with wires, batteries, and lightbulbs in a lively science classroom, surrounded by open books and colored pencils. Two illustrated inserts display engaging science-themed graphics.

Grade 8: Harnessing Human Energy
Investigating energy systems for the Harnessing Human Energy unit
Credit: Lisa Anglim, Elizabeth Ustach Middle School, CA

Two students in red shirts collaborate on a hands-on activity at a table in a science classroom; two smaller images feature a spacecraft and a graphic with bicycles, highlighting engaging Amplify Science lessons.

Grade 8: Force and Motion
Investigating forces on different objects for the Force and Motion unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Two people in red sweaters hold a wrapped gift together, their faces covered with orange heart shapes. This image is perfect for classroom wall displays or teacher resources focused on hands-on activities. Two smaller inset images appear on the right.

Grade 8: Force and Motion Engineering Internship
Designing an Egg Drop Model during the Force and Motion Engineering Internship
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

A person pouring liquid on a pink balloon, a hand holding a green balloon over styrofoam pieces, and two small illustrations of balloons and a satellite dish—perfect visuals for hands-on activities in the science classroom.

Grade 8: Magnetic Fields
Hands-On Flextension: Exploring electrostatic force for the Magnetic Fields unit
Credit: Melanie Wenger, Lincoln Park Middle School, NJ

Students are seated at a table writing in notebooks, with a microscope and worksheets on the table; a graphic of colorful waveforms is shown to the right.

Grade 8: Light Waves
Students observing that light can cause materials to heat up, change color, and move for the Light Waves unit
Credit: Gloria Davis, Panama-Buena Vista Unified School District, CA

Two students conduct a science experiment with red laser light and lenses on a desk surrounded by open textbooks and notebooks.

Grade 8: Light Waves
Students discover what happens to light as it travels for the Light Waves unit
Credit: Gloria Davis, Panama-Buena Vista Unified School District, CA

A group of students sit around a table working on papers in a classroom; an illustration of a snowboarder is shown in the corner.

Grade 8: Light Waves
Students participating in a fishbowl discussion to share observations and evidence for the Light Waves unit
Credit: Gloria Davis, Panama-Buena Vista Unified School District, CA

Two students in red sweaters sit on the floor near a ruler, with a night cityscape and a painted solar system illustration overlayed on the right—perfect inspiration for any science classroom or Classroom Wall.

Grade 8: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Paper model of the Moon’s phases for Earth, Moon, and Sun unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

A student wearing gloves uses a stick to work on a project at a classroom table; face is covered by a heart shape.

Grade 8: Evolutionary History
Hands-On Flextension: Reconstructing owl pellet skeletons for the Evolutionary History unit
Credit: Elizabeth DeBoo, St. Frances Cabrini Academy, MO

Welcome to Amplify Desmos Math California!

California educators, welcome to math that motivates. Introducing Amplify Desmos Math California, a curiosity-driven TK–12 program that builds lifelong math proficiency. Each lesson poses problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to synthesize their understanding of the learning goals. Students encounter math problems they’re eager to solve, while teachers spend more time where it’s most impactful—creating a collaborative classroom of learners.

Keep reading to learn more about the program and explore sample materials.

About the program

Amplify Desmos Math California is a TK–12 core math program designed to meet the CA Math Framework and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Amplify Desmos Math California thoughtfully combines conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application through a structured approach to problem-based learning. Through engaging activities, Amplify Desmos Math California invites curiosity and math discourse into the classroom to create lifelong math proficiency.

Continue reading to learn more about the K–8, Algebra 1, and Math 1 programs and to explore sample materials. (Spanish, TK and high school materials are in development and will be available in the 2026–27 school year. Geometry and Algebra 2 beta pilots will be available in the 2025–26 school year.)

A powerful math suite

Amplify Desmos Math California combines the best of assessment, problem-based core lessons, personalized practice, and intervention into a coherent and engaging experience for both students and teachers.

Laptop displaying a math problem interface with student assessment reports in the background.

Screening and progress monitoring

mCLASS^Ⓡ Math benchmark assessments, along with the embedded program assessments, measure not just what students know, but how they think. The asset-based assessment system provides teachers with targeted, actionable insights, linked to core instruction and intervention resources. Unit- and lesson-level core assessments give teachers data at their fingertips to guide and differentiate instruction. In grades 3–8, core assessments and performance tasks are designed to prepare students for success on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) testing.

Core instruction

Amplify Desmos Math California core lessons pair problems students are eager to solve with clear instructional moves for teachers. Each lesson is designed to tell a story by posing problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to synthesize their understanding of the learning goals. With built-in differentiation and multilingual/English learner support, Amplify Desmos Math California enables every student to find success in the math classroom.

A digital math activity asks users to choose a block that makes 10 with a given number; a worksheet shows a similar "make 10" math exercise with blank spaces to fill in.

A digital educational screen showing a math problem about converting meters to centimeters. It involves a diving toy sinking 5 meters into a pool. Text prompts users to input the conversion.

Personalized Learning

Boost Personalized Learning activities help students access grade-level math through engaging, independent digital practice. Responsive Feedback adjusts to students’ work, providing item-level adaptivity to further support their learning.

Differentiation and intervention

In-the-moment differentiation supports are available for every lesson, both digitally and in the print Teacher Edition.

Learn more

Two pages of a math worksheet and teacher’s guide about determining coordinates after a rotation, featuring diagrams, tables, and step-by-step problem-solving instructions.

An approach that supports teachers

Clear, step-by-step instructional moves help teachers plan and teach student-centered lessons that use
student thinking to differentiate instruction and guide to grade-level understanding. They include:

Guidance on what to listen for and how
to respond.
Clear learning objectives to keep learning on
track for each activity and lesson.
Daily reinforcement activities to provide direct
instruction when needed.

A woman writes on a whiteboard using math teaching resources while a man sits at a desk, smiling. There are books and papers on the desk.

Network diagram with interconnected nodes labeled: Measure and Compare Objects, Represent Data, Dollars and Cents, Problem Solving with Measure, Skip Counting to 100, Number Strategies, Squares in an Array, Seeing Fraction in Shapes.

Big Ideas

The CA Mathematics Framework encourages a shift from power standards to thinking about math as a series of connected Big Ideas. Each Amplify Desmos Math California lesson supports one or more Big Ideas and the connections between them. The grade-level diagram changes through the course based on the math concepts addressed within.

Please refer to the following Keeping the Big Ideas at the Center documents to review specific lesson designs and alignments with the Big Ideas for each grade level.

Click here to see how the Big Ideas are represented within the K–8 core lessons.

Focus, coherence, and rigor

Amplify Desmos Math California incorporates the Drivers of Investigation (DIs) and Content Connection (CCs) throughout the program. Throughout the year, students engage with open and authentic tasks of varying durations—from lesson activities to unit-level Explore lessons and longer course-level Investigations. Every lesson and investigation opportunity is grounded in the why, how, and what of the learning experience, and helps teachers bring mathematical concepts to life.

An educational slide on addition story problems, detailing goals for solving problems, language goals, and strategies using equal expressions, tens and ones, and number sense.

Please refer to the following Amplify Desmos Math California alignments to the Standards for Mathematical Practice, provided by grade level.

A screen titled "Match the Score" with a 2D target graph showing various scores. Instructions request four ordered pairs to total 400. Four pairs are listed: (4, 2), (7, 4), (7, 6), (10, 6). A "Try again" button is shown.

Built-in authentic tasks

Mathematics is not learning in isolation. Students are connected to each other’s thinking and can use math to understand the world. With accessible invitations to authentic tasks, all students can experience mathematical success. Amplify Desmos Math California provides these authentic invitations in a variety of ways:

Each unit begins with an “Explore” lesson, which allows students to engage with authentic exploration in low-floor, high-ceiling tasks. These tasks are designed to promote an inclusive and differentiated learning environment—allowing all students to access basic mathematical concepts, while offering advanced exploration and problem-solving for those ready for more complex work.

Our innovative course-level investigations are designed to facilitate multi-part exploration. Students grapple with Big Ideas, diving deep into key concepts that encourage comprehensive understanding. Data science is infused into the approach, giving students a solid foundation from which to interpret and apply data-driven solutions. They’re also encouraged to understand and appreciate the interrelatedness of Earth’s environmental systems via our lesson’s focus on the Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs).

Explicit support for multilingual/English learners

Three overlapping educational worksheets for first grade math, including a cover page, a list of learning goals, and a lesson plan with bilingual English and Spanish text.

Amplify partnered with the English Learner Success Forum (ELSF), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for high-quality instructional materials that are inclusive of multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs). ELSF reviewed Amplify Desmos Math California, and provided directional guidance and feedback to ensure that the program reflects their research-based instructional strategies for multilingual/English learners.

Amplify Desmos Math California recognizes the diverse language needs of our students and is designed to be inclusive. Each lesson in the program features a parallel language activity, designed to be available to all students, in the form of teacher guidance and student activities. The activities in the Math Language Development Resources have level ELD differentiation to support all levels of ML/ELs. This approach ensures that all students, regardless of their language skills, can participate fully, grasp the material, and excel in their mathematical journey.

Our Multilingual Glossary includes, in addition to Spanish, nine languages: Simplified Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, European French, Russian, Brazilian-Portuguese, Haitian-Creole, and Urdu.

Amplify Desmos Math California will include Spanish student-facing materials beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

Assessments

Program assessments

A variety of performance data in Amplify Desmos Math provides evidence of student learning while helping students bolster their skills and understanding.

Unit-Level Assessments

Lesson-Level Assessments

Amplify Desmos Math lessons are centered around sense-making and in-the-moment feedback. Daily moments of assessment provide valuable evidence of learning for both the teacher and student.

Learn more

Data and reporting

Assessment reports

Reporting functionality integrates unit assessments, lesson assessments, personalized learning, Benchmark assessments, and Progress Monitoring for a comprehensive look at student learning.

At-a-glance views of unit-level assessment results inform your instructional planning, and you can also drill down to item-level analysis.

Standards reports

Administrator reports

Amplify Desmos Math provides a complete picture of student, class, and district performance, allowing administrators to implement instructional and intervention plans.

Track student, class, and district performance with usage, completion, and assessment data.
Accurately group students and classes with the Benchmark and Progress Monitoring data of mCLASS Assessments and allow teachers to reliably implement and track the progress of Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention.
Provide one data-driven solution that educators can rely on for high-quality math instruction.

Elementary review resources

To learn about the elementary program, please start by watching the Amplify Desmos Math California Elementary Program Overview video.

For additional program information and helpful navigation tips, download the Amplify Desmos Math California Elementary Program Guide.

View the Elementary Program Components Guide here.

View the Hands-on manipulatives brochure here.

Middle School review resources

To learn about the middle school program, please start by watching the Amplify Desmos Math California Middle School Program Overview video.

For additional program information and helpful navigation tips, download the Amplify Desmos Math California Middle School Program Guide.

View the Middle School Program Components Guide here.

View the middle school manipulative kit components here.

The digital experience

In Amplify Desmos Math, embedded interactions and animations allow students to test predictions, get feedback, share ideas, and connect representations.

The digital interactions included in lesson activities are designed to elicit student thinking in a way that feels fun and inviting. As students play and explore math concepts, teachers can highlight the ideas that students share, connect those ideas to other students’ ideas, and build on their thinking through productive class discussion.

Watch the video to preview the digital experience and for helpful platform navigation tips.

A laptop displays a math activity about platform heights and tube length, while a worksheet titled "Hamster Homes" is visible in the background.

Explore grade level samples

All lessons in Amplify Desmos Math California include print materials and rich digital experiences. Every lesson is supported with Student Edition pages, teacher presentation screens, and interactive digital resources for practice and differentiation. Some lessons also enable students to use devices to interact with lesson content.

You’ll find sample materials by grade level in the following drop-downs. Please refer to your physical samples and the digital platform (accessed through the demo account provided by your account executive) for a comprehensive program review.