Damakant Jayshi

The Wausau School Board on Monday approved a two-year rollout plan for new integrated secondary level mathematics curriculum beginning in the fall of 2024.

The special meeting of the school board, coming a week after math faculty and educators unveiled the new math sequencing, approved the new roadmap unanimously. Last week, several board members sought at least a week’s time before taking a vote on the new curriculum and said they wanted to hear feedback from math teachers, students and parents about the new plan.

One of the biggest changes in the new math sequencing is combining algebra and geometry instead of teaching them as separate courses. The board approved several courses, including curriculum devised for students who are “not at high school readiness in Math.”

Board President James Bouche said he received positive feedback from other districts and some university experts. He thanked the presenters for clarity, adding he was pleased the new curriculum meets where the students are, then puts them on accelerated path. Lance Trollop, who was among those expressing concern about the aggressive timeline, said he too is satisfied.

Board Clerk Karen Vandenberg said the integrated curriculum could mean extra work for teachers because of the new content changes and new books. She asked the district’s math curriculum leaders how the workload would be managed, especially given that there are a lot more staff at Wausau West High School compared to Wausau East.

Dist. Math Coordinator Strand said he will prepare a rubric and sit with a small group of high school leaders for review over the next three to four months. High-impact professional development with teachers is also in the works with more professional days as well.

Board member Pat McKee last week had asked if the integrated curriculum could be introduced as a pilot program to gauge success instead of making wholesale changes before gauging the effectiveness. District Math Coordinator Scott Strand said the rollout would have to be done for two years, in freshman and sophomore years. McKee was absent from the meeting on Monday.