Central Unified adopts Imagine I Am California as K–12 math materials, plans multi-year rollout

The Central Unified Board of Trustees voted April 28 to adopt Imagine I Am California as the district’s K–12 mathematics instructional materials after a Professional Consultation Committee (PCC) pilot and districtwide input.

Assistant Director Greg Cheperian described a months-long PCC process that included 35 teachers and 13 administrators, pilot lessons in K–8 and 9–12 classrooms, public displays for two months, translated outreach and a review of programs against district priorities for standards alignment, conceptual depth and equity. "This creates for the first time in Central a K–12 math program," Cheperian said, adding that the program scored highly in independent reviews and offers both print and digital resources and embedded language supports.

Trustees discussed procurement costs (staff flagged a not-to-exceed planning estimate in board discussion), the need for a multi-year professional-development plan, classroom-embedded coaching, and measures to monitor eighth-grade preparedness for Algebra I. Staff said they are negotiating pricing, will return contracts over the board threshold for approval, and plan early summer professional development followed by sustained support during implementation.

The board voted to adopt the materials and directed staff to finalize purchase agreements, present a financing plan and a detailed PD schedule, and share baseline measures to track student progress during the first implementation year.