Who Gets Access to Quality: Webinar Panel Recap

As the state prepares to officially adopt the 2025 California math instructional materials list, districts are laying the groundwork for their own curriculum adoptions. CEMD recently spoke with four leaders in the California curriculum space—Alllison Carter from UnboundEd, Crystal Gonzales from the English Learner Success Forum, Jody Guarino from the Orange County Department of Education, and Annie Morrison from Rivet Education—to hear what they’re observing in their work with district leaders across the state.

From these conversations, four key themes emerged.

1. The importance of winnowing, followed by deep review

With so many products on the state list, district leaders will need to narrow their options—often to around four programs—to allow for the kind of deep review that real implementation demands. Many programs come with polished checklists of features that look appealing on paper, but these often mask deeper challenges. A rigorous, up-front examination—before any formal piloting—helps districts identify potential pitfalls early.

As Jody Guarino cautioned,

“There’s also things that are kind of you might say, a wolf in sheep’s clothes. Like, it seems like it [has a certain feature], but without a deep lens, we might miss some of the things that are in materials.”

2. A student focus—both in crafting an instructional vision and in material selection

That “deep lens” often comes from keeping students at the center—examining the kinds of tasks materials ask students to do, and how well those tasks align with a district’s instructional vision. Many districts are grounding their decisions in the state’s updated math framework, which places students firmly at the heart of learning.

As Jody explained,

“A lot of people are leaning into the framework and thinking about, you know, what are the experiences that the framework calls for students? So, positioning students as sense makers, engaging deeply with mathematical ideas, explaining their thinking. Discourse has come up already here, conjecturing, justifying…”

3. Equity at the center

A focus on students must also mean a focus on equity. CEMD’s own data shows that historically underserved students often lack access to high-quality instructional materials—a pattern the 2025 adoption presents a chance to change. But that change requires deliberate action, not just aspiration.

As Crystal Gonzales emphasized,

“Equity isn’t achieved through just good intentions. It’s achieved when we think about our students that need this the most. In this case, I would advocate for our multilingual learners as the non-negotiable part of this step.”

4. Curriculum adoption as systems change

Embedding equity into the adoption process doesn’t stop at material selection—it must extend to how districts design and sustain the systems that support instruction.
As Allison Carter noted,

“Adoption and implementation of instructional materials is a systems change, and obviously if it’s leveraged effectively…it could positively reset the direction of teaching, learning, and impact student achievement in the district for years, if not decades.”

Realizing that potential, however, requires systemic alignment—policies, practices, and structures must evolve alongside the new materials.

As Annie Morrison underscored,

“You cannot force a, you know, a square peg into a round hole. So if you’ve always had a lesson planning policy, I don’t care. Get rid of it, use the lesson plans in this new curriculum, right? It is designed with an intentional scope and sequence. If you have grading policies that don’t meet the needs of this curriculum, change them. If you have assessment policies, right? Like, all of these things, school schedules, all of that has to shift. You’re about to invest millions of dollars in this new curriculum. Don’t let things like a school schedule or a, you know, an antiquated policy be the roadblock for its, like, true success.”

The 2025 math adoption offers California districts a rare opportunity—not just to choose new instructional materials, but to reimagine the systems that support teaching and learning. The experts agree: success will depend on focus, depth, and courage. Districts that center students, prioritize equity, and align their systems accordingly can turn this moment into a long-term leap forward for math education in California.

To hear more from these leaders, watch the “Who Gets Access to Quality” webinar on demand.