For Immediate Release
Contact:
Chad Colby: Chad.Colby@greatminds.org
Wednesday, June 2, 2021— Eureka Math®, the most widely used K-5 math curriculum in the United States, is now approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as a core mathematics curriculum to accelerate student learning in Grades K–12 during the 2021–2022 school year.
“Unfinished learning looks different for every student,” said Lynne Munson, CEO and founder of Great Minds®, which produces Eureka Math and other curricula. “Students need just-in-time supports to ensure they remain working on grade-level content and bridge any learning gaps rather than going back to cover the prior year’s content. Kudos to Massachusetts for focusing on math acceleration by including Eureka Math on their list of high-quality materials for schools.”
Great Minds set up a web page to assist educators in reviewing Eureka Math and will hold a series of free webinars on accelerated math instruction.
Independent reviewers, including EdReports.org, have given Eureka Math high scores for alignment with standards and usability in the classroom. Eureka Math has also earned exemplary reviews given by the Massachusetts DESE project CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers (CURATE).
Educators currently implementing Eureka Math in Massachusetts agree.
“Eureka Math is really the first program I have seen that combines conceptual math learning with the need for math fact fluency, and it does so in a way to really advance the math application skills of students,” said Brent Conway, assistant superintendent, Pentucket Regional School District in West Newbury, Massachusetts. “Implementing Eureka [Math] gave our district an opportunity to address math fact fluency while also supporting the teachers and students with the Math Practices and application of math concepts.”
“A major strength of Eureka Math has been the level of rigor it provides to our students. It would be easy to succumb to the temptation to focus on a state assessment or lower our expectations, but the Eureka Math content is strong in that it aligns with our state standards as well as provides a depth of understanding that prepares our students for more rigorous work in successive years,” said Douglas Dias, director of STEM for Grades K–12, Malden Public Schools in Malden, Massachusetts. “One of the things that has impressed us about Eureka Math is the quality of the teacher professional development—each component provides thoughtful training not to only those new to the curriculum but also to those who have experience.”
Eureka Math began as an open educational resource in 2013. A 2016 RAND Corporation report found Eureka Math and its original version, EngageNY Math, to be the most widely used elementary school math curricula in the nation.
Great Minds also provides Eureka Math Equip®, a premodule assessment tool that’s especially helpful for teachers planning summer learning and developing personalized acceleration plans, and Eureka Math in Sync™, the digital version of the curriculum that allows students to switch seamlessly from classroom to at-home learning. Schools can also add Eureka Math Affirm®, a digital post-module assessment and practice tool, and digital Homework Helpers.
Great Minds provides math materials in six languages in addition to English: Armenian, Arabic, French, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.
###
About Great Minds: Great Minds PBC is a public benefit corporation and a subsidiary of Great Minds, a nonprofit organization. Teachers and scholars write Great Minds curricula, applying their experience to create materials that resonate with students, teachers, and families. Great Minds is the only curriculum creator to have earned three Tier 1 ratings, the highest possible, from the respected Louisiana Department of Education, for curricula including Eureka Math.
In addition to Eureka Math, the company offers PhD Science®, Wit & Wisdom® (an English language arts curriculum), and Geodes® books for emerging readers, developed in collaboration with Wilson Language Training. Learn more at greatminds.org.
