BACK TO MARKET SIGNALS
Using ELSF’s Math Must-Haves to Guide District Curriculum Decisions
As California districts begin a major cycle of math curriculum adoption, the English Learners’ Success Forum introduces the Math Must-Haves—a set of equity-centered criteria to help districts prioritize language development, student monitoring, and meaningful connections to students’ lives.
The Center for Education Market Dynamics • February 03, 2026
Guest Author: Dr. Alma Castro, Director of California Initiatives, English Learners Success Forum
In 2023, the California State Board of Education adopted a new Mathematics Framework for California public schools. This Framework represents a new vision for math teaching and learning—one where students are engaged deeply in culturally-relevant learning, applicable to their everyday lives, and prepared with the content, skills, and habits of mind to enter the career of their choosing upon graduation.
One area of particular focus in the new Framework is instruction informed by the California English Language Development Standards, adopted in 2012, and the English Learner Roadmap, approved in 2017. This shift from the previous framework represents an increased focus on language supports—not only for multilingual learners (MLLs), but for all students. This is especially pertinent in California: California has one of the largest multilingual learner populations in the country.
However, CEMD data shows that 94% of California districts report selection of materials with a copyright year of 2022 or earlier in academic year 2024–25¹—materials that don’t incorporate the updated Framework.
Because so many districts are currently using aging materials, the current state adoption of math instructional materials in California holds great significance. In fact, CEMD estimates that up to 650 districts are poised to select new curriculum materials within the coming two years. Districts look to the state for guidance during this process, and many are beginning their adoption process by using the recently released State Board of Education adopted math materials. While districts can feel confident that the products on this list align with California state standards, there is still work ahead for districts—the list includes 64 unique products, representing 29 distinct product families.
As districts look to the winnowing task ahead, the English Learners’ Success Forum (ELSF) has created a framework to help districts keep equity at the forefront of their decision making: the Math Must-Haves. These must-haves center the core criteria districts can use during material selection—ensuring that language development is a priority for not only multilingual learners, but for all students. The must-haves are as follows:
- Mapping: Materials must map both language and content learning goals.
- Monitoring: Materials must include built-in supports for teachers to monitor and respond to students’ progress in real time.
- Making Connections: Lessons must intentionally connect concepts to students’ lives and call for authentic student collaboration and dialogue.
Importantly, these must-haves represent the baseline—the most essential, non-negotiable features that must exist for materials to be inclusive of multilingual learners’ language and content development. They provide a starting point that districts can use, either as standalone criteria or incorporated into existing rubric indicators, to begin the process of further investigation. Scoring each product or product family based upon the level of inclusion can help districts narrow the large list into a more manageable size for further review or piloting.
As California districts enter a major cycle of math curriculum adoptions, choosing materials that align with the state’s updated, language-rich, and culturally responsive vision is critical. The Math Must-Haves provide districts with a clear, equity-centered framework to narrow options and focus on what matters most: integrating language and content goals, monitoring student progress in real time, and connecting instruction to students’ lived experiences. Used on their own or embedded within existing evaluation tools, these criteria help districts make confident, research-aligned decisions that turn the 2023 Mathematics Framework from policy to practice in classrooms across California.
¹ Figure represents percentage of California districts in CEMD curriculum selection database with selections of products copyrighted 2022 and earlier
