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What’s included in our Spanish language arts curriculum
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is available in both English and Spanish. Amplify Caminos al Conocimiento Esencial, our robust Spanish language arts companion for grades K–5, supports multiple teaching models, including dual language immersion and transitional classrooms.
Year at a glance
The program’s intentional Knowledge Sequence from K–5 connects knowledge and vocabulary within a grade level and across grade levels, for deeper reading comprehension and preparation for college, career, and life. Instead of “activating prior knowledge,” Amplify Caminos helps you build it in the classroom from day one, for every child, expanding each student’s knowledge base long before they transition to reading to learn.
Units & domains at a glance
Each Knowledge Domain in grades K–2 and Unit in grades 3–5 varies in the number of days based on instructional purpose. Just as with our top-rated Amplify CKLA program, the Amplify Caminos materials engage and delight young learners with resources that are both appealing and original.
Domain
Nursery Rhymes and Fables/Rimas y fábulas infantiles
Start learning about literature with these classic Mother Goose rhymes.
Domain
The Five Senses/Los cinco sentidos
Learning about the body starts with learning about how we experience the world.
Domain
Stories/Cuentos
Learn about the parts of a book and some of the stories that go in one.
Domain
Plants/Plantas
Discover the lifecycle of plants and the history of George Washington Carver.
Domain
Farms/Granjas
Now we know how plants make their food… but what about animals?
Domain
Native Americans/Los nativos americanos
Who were the first people in America? A look at the Lenape, Wampanoag, and Lakota Sioux.
Domain
Kings and Queens/Reyes y reinas
To understand fairy tales, it’s best to first understand royalty.
Domain
Seasons and Weather/Las estaciones y el tiempo
The study of natural cycles continues with the weather and why it happens.
Domain
Columbus and the Pilgrims/Colón y los peregrinos
A look at the first contact between Europe and the Americas, and some of its results.
Domain
Colonial Towns and Townspeople/Las colonias y sus habitantes
Before the War for Independence, how did the town and country depend on one another?
Domain
Taking Care of the Earth/Cuidar el planeta Tierra
We only have one Earth—here are some ways to help care for it.
Domain
Presidents and American Symbols/Presidentes y símbolos de los Estados Unidos
Start learning about government through the lives of five presidents.
Domain
Fables and Stories/Fábulas y cuentos
Learn some of the key elements of a story through classic fables.
Domain
The Human Body/El cuerpo humano
What are germs? What are the organs? And what does it all have to do with health?
Domain
Different Lands, Similar Stories/Tierras diferentes, cuentos similares
A world tour of storytelling, and the stories that stay the same across the world.
Domain
Early World Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones del mundo
Rivers, farming, writing, and laws: just what does it take to build a civilization?
Domain
Early American Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones de América
What will we find in the great temples of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations?
Domain
Astronomy/Astronomía
How the Earth relates to the moon, the sun, and the rest of the planets.
Domain
The History of the Earth/La historia de la Tierra
Just what lies beneath the Earth’s surface, and what can it teach us about the past?
Domain
Animals and Habitats/Los animales y sus hábitats
A look at the connection between how animals live and where they make their homes.
Domain
Fairy Tales/Cuentos de hadas
What do fairy tales have to teach us about how stories are told?
Domain
A New Nation: American Independence/Una nueva nación: la independencia de los Estados Unidos
The story of the birth of the United States out of the 13 Colonies.
Domain
Frontier Explorers/Exploradores de la Frontera
The story of the journey west from the newborn U.S.A. to find the Pacific Ocean.
Domain
Fairy Tales and Tall Tales/Cuentos de hadas y cuentos exagerados
Learn about exaggeration and characterization on the frontier.
Domain
Early Asian Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones de Asia
Tour the world of classical civilization, starting with India and China.
Domain
Ancient Greek Civilization/La civilización griega antigua
The tour continues with the philosophy and politics of Greece.
Domain
Greek Myths/Mitos griegos
Dive deep into the characters and storytelling of classic myths.
Domain
The War of 1812/La guerra de 1812
Learn about America’s “Second War for Independence.”
Domain
Cycles in Nature/Los ciclos de la naturaleza
Introducing the natural cycles that make our lives possible.
Domain
Westward Expansion/La expansión hacia el oeste
Why did pioneers go west? What happened to the people who were there?
Domain
Insects/Los insectos
Lay the grounds for animal classification by looking at solitary and social insects.
Domain
The U.S. Civil War/La Guerra Civil de los Estados Unidos
Begin to grapple with U.S. history’s central crisis over slavery.
Domain
Human Body: Building Blocks and Nutrition/El cuerpo humano: componentes básicos y nutrición
A deeper dive into the digestive system and the nutrition process.
Domain
Immigration/La inmigración
Why did people immigrate to the United States, and what did they find here?
Domain
Fighting for a Cause/Luchar por una causa
How people can do extraordinary things to make the world better for everyone.
Unit 1
Classic Tales: The Wind in the Willows/Cuentos Clásicos: El viento en los sauces
A deep dive into character, theme, and POV in classic stories from around the world.
Unit 2
Animal Classification/La clasificación de los animales
How do we classify different animals by their appearance and behavior?
Unit 3
The Human Body: Systems and Senses/El cuerpo humano: sistemas y sentidos
Let’s take a closer look at how the skeleton, muscles, and nervous system all work.
Unit 4
The Ancient Roman Civilization/La civilización romana antigua
What is Rome’s greatest cultural contribution? In this unit, your students decide.
Unit 5
Light and Sound/La luz y el sonido
The science behind all the ways we see and hear the world.
Unit 6
The Viking Age/La era vikinga
An immersive narrative experience about what life was like in Viking communities.
Unit 7
Astronomy: Our Solar System and Beyond/Astronomía: nuestro sistema solar y más allá
More about our universe, including a writing project about daily life on a space station.
Unit 8
Native Americans: Regions and Cultures/Los nativos americanos: regiones y culturas
How did Native American nations change their way of life in different parts of the world?
Unit 9
Early Explorations of North America/La exploración europea de América del Norte
What was it like to sail to North America with the early European explorers?
Unit 10
Colonial America/La época colonial en los Estados Unidos
A study of the very different ways of life in the different pre-U.S. colonies.
Unit 11
Ecology/Ecología
Students keep ecologist’s journals to learn about our world and how best to protect it.
Unit 1
Personal Narratives/Narrativas personales
Read stories of personal experience… and learn to reflect on your own.
Unit 2
Empires in the Middle Ages/Los imperios en la Edad Media, parte 1 & Los imperios en la Edad Media, parte 2
Explore the medieval history of Europe and the Middle East.
Unit 3
Poetry/Poesía
Study the poetry of many nations using licensed text anthologies, and begin to write your own.
Unit 4
Eureka! Student Inventor/¡Eureka! Estudiante inventor
Transform the class into a lab for students to build and present inventions.
Unit 5
Geology/Geología
Plate tectonics, volcanoes, erosion: all the forces that shape the Earth.
Unit 6
Contemporary Fiction with excerpts from The House on Mango Street/Ficción Contemporánea con Fragmentos de La Casa en Mango Street
Explore The House on Mango Street… and write a book while doing it.
Unit 7
American Revolution/La Revolución estadounidense
Why did America seek independence? Let’s investigate the causes and effects.
Unit 8
Treasure Island/La Isla del Tesoro
How dSeek the treasure of plot in this detailed study of a classic fiction adventure.
Unit 1
Personal Narratives/Narrativas personales
Through writing and sharing their writing, students begin to identify themselves as writers.
Unit 2
Early American Civilizations/Las primeras civilizaciones americanas
Students craft a codex to explain the rise and fall of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca people.
Unit 3
Poetry/Poesía
Students close read many forms of poetry… and learn to write them.
Unit 4
Adventures of Don Quixote/Las Aventuras de Don Quijote
Was Don Quixote right to fight the windmill? In this full-length novel study, students decide.
Unit 5
The Renaissance/El Renacimiento
Exploring the art and literature of the Renaissance through the works of its masters.
Unit 6
The Reformation/La Reforma
How did the printing press transform the religion and society of Europe?
Unit 7
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Sueño de Una Noche de Verano de William Shakespeare
Students enter the world of Shakespeare by reading, designing, and acting out his work.
Unit 8
Native Americans/Los nativos americanos
How did the policies of the U.S. government impact Native American culture and lives?
Unit 9
Chemical Matter/Química
Students use knowledge of chemistry to solve a mystery.
Print & digital components
The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge (Conocimientos) Teacher Guides (K–2)
Knowledge Strand Teacher Guides contain Amplify CKLA’s cross-curricular read-alouds and application activities, all of which are standards-based to build mastery of content knowledge and literacy skills. There is one Teacher Guide per Knowledge Domain.
Print and digital
Knowledge Image Cards (K–2)
Amplify Caminos includes Image Cards for each Knowledge Domain to bring each topic to life through vivid visuals.
Print and digital
Knowledge Flip Books (K–2)
Projectable Flip Books are provided to accompany the read-alouds in each Knowledge Domain.
Digital
Teacher Guides (3–5)
Teacher Guides for grades 3–5 units are based on content-rich topics and incorporate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in the context of background knowledge. There is one Teacher Guide per unit.
Print or digital
Teacher Resource Site (K–5)
The program includes a one-stop-shop website for lesson projections, digital versions of all Amplify Caminos materials, lesson planning resources, multimedia (such as eBooks), and more.
Digital
Professional Learning Site (K–5)
The Professional Learning site includes training materials, best practices, and other resources to develop program expertise. Access professional development anywhere, anytime.
Digital
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge (Conocimiento) Activity Books (K–2)
Activity Books provide students with the opportunity to deepen world and word knowledge by responding to text in a diversity of ways.
Student Readers (3–5)
Student Readers serve as content-rich anchor texts for each unit. Units such as Poetry and Contemporary Fiction feature authentic texts originally written in Spanish.
Activity Books (3–5)
Activity Books in grades 3–5 provide daily opportunities for students to hone reading and writing skills within the context of each unit.
Print and digital
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Shifting to problem-based learning in K–5 math
Math is all about getting the right answer. Right?
Wrong! Getting the correct answer matters, of course—accuracy is part of proficiency—but when math instruction focuses primarily on correctness, students can miss something essential: the opportunity to think deeply, share ideas, and make sense of problems for themselves.
Many K–5 math classrooms follow a familiar and well-established rhythm: The teacher demonstrates a strategy, students practice it, and the class moves on. This approach is widely used for good reason—it can feel clear, efficient, and reassuring. But over time, it can leave fewer opportunities for students to reason, deepen problem-solving skills, explore different approaches, and develop understanding that lasts.
This is where problem-based learning comes in.
What problem-based learning means in K–5 math
Problem-based learning places rich mathematical problems at the center of instruction. Instead of starting with a demonstrated method, students encounter a problem first, then draw on what they already know, try strategies, and make sense of the math through discussion and reflection.
As students tackle complex problems, they explain their thought processes, compare approaches, and revise ideas. The right answer still matters, but it emerges through critical thinking and sense-making, not just following steps. The result is learning that feels purposeful, engaging, and durable.
This approach reflects how math works beyond the classroom. People begin by understanding a situation, not by choosing a procedure. Problem-based learning helps students build that habit early.
Why shifting to problem-based learning matters
When student thinking stays private, happening only in heads or notebooks, it’s hard to assess understanding or guide learning in the moment. Problem-based learning brings thinking into the open.
As students share strategies, representations, and explanations, teachers gain insight into how they’re reasoning. Instruction can respond to real understanding rather than relying solely on correct or incorrect answers. And students benefit, too, by seeing that their ideas matter and math is something they can actively participate in.
Over time, this approach supports deeper understanding, stronger engagement, and lasting mathematical proficiency.
Three practices that support problem-based learning
Shifting to problem-based learning doesn’t require a complete overhaul all at once. A few core practices can help math teachers support the transition in K–5 classrooms.
- Establish norms for learning math together. Productive problem-solving depends on a classroom culture where students feel comfortable sharing ideas, even when those ideas are unfinished. Norms that emphasize listening, explaining reasoning, and revising thinking help create a collaborative learning community.
- Use tasks that invite curiosity and access. Effective problems allow all students to get started while still offering opportunities to extend thinking. Open prompts such as “What do you notice?” or “What do you wonder?” encourage students to connect prior knowledge to new situations and engage meaningfully with the math at hand.
- Make learning goals explicit at the right moments. Problem-based learning includes purposeful instructional moments. Synthesizing student ideas near the end of a lesson helps students see how their thinking connects to the mathematical goal, bringing clarity without cutting short exploration.
Rethinking the teacher’s role
Problem-based learning also involves a shift in how teachers support instruction.
In classrooms grounded in problem-based learning, teachers guide learning by selecting meaningful problems, monitoring student thinking, and facilitating discussion. Strategic questioning helps students clarify ideas and make connections. Well-timed synthesis highlights important mathematical relationships and supports accurate understanding.
This approach allows teachers to focus less on delivering steps and more on supporting sense-making—while gaining clearer insight into where students are in their learning.
A gradual, supported shift
Shifting to problem-based learning is a process. Many classrooms begin by adjusting how lessons start, increasing opportunities for discussion, or rethinking how students share their thinking.
Over time, these changes add up. Instruction becomes more student-centered. Students engage more deeply. Fluency develops alongside understanding, and productive struggle becomes part of everyday learning.
When classrooms shift toward problem-based learning, math becomes more than getting the right answer. It becomes a way for students to reason, collaborate, and make sense of the world.
Welcome, Montgomery County educators!
Introducing Amplify Desmos Math, a curiosity-driven program that builds lifelong math proficiency. Each lesson poses problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to synthesize their understanding of the learning goals. Students encounter math problems they’re eager to solve, while teachers spend more time where it’s most impactful—creating a collaborative classroom of learners.
Learn more about the program and begin your review below.
About the program
Taking the IM content further.
Amplify Desmos Math is a curiosity-driven program that builds lifelong math proficiency. Each lesson poses problems that invite a variety of approaches before guiding students to connect their understanding of the learning goals.
Students encounter math problems they’re eager to solve, while teachers spend more time where it’s most impactful: creating a collaborative classroom of learners.
We chose to base our program on the extensively field-tested IM K–12 MathTM authored by Illustrative Mathematics. IM K–12 Math is a problem-based curriculum. It asks students to grapple with well-designed and thoughtfully sequenced real-world mathematical problems to build their understanding of how to efficiently solve them.
Begin your review to see how we’ve taken the IM K–12 Math content further.
Begin your review
Click here to explore samples of print Amplify Desmos Math materials.
To explore the full program and digital lessons, click the orange button below or navigate to learning.amplify.com and select “Log in with Amplify,” then log in with the credentials below.
- Username: t1.mcpsadm@demo.tryamplify.net
- Password: Amplify1-mcpsadm
Resources to get started
Once logged in, check out the PD Library to see teaching tools such as videos of demo lessons and pacing guides.
To learn more about Progress Monitoring with mCLASS Math, view the mCLASS Math program overview walkthrough.
To review parent resources, explore the Amplify Desmos Math Caregiver Hub, which includes caregiver resources for each unit and information on how to support math learning at home.
In addition to the PK-A1 Amplify Desmos Math courses, Amplify has responded to the state’s Request for Information (RFI) for the development of an Integrated Mathematics Algebra 1 course aligned to the new Maryland mathematics standards. We intend to work with the state on their timeline and expectations in support of statewide implementation in school year 2027-2028. We would value an opportunity to collaborate with MCPS as we move forward with exploration on the development of this course, preparation for the transition during school 2026-2027, as well as planning for Integrated Mathematics Algebra 2.
Standards alignment
Click the links below to view a correlation of Amplify Desmos Math to the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics.
Amplify Desmos Math PreK Resources
- PreK Sample Lessons
- Amplify Desmos Math PreK Overview Brochure
- Amplify Desmos Math PreK Scope and Sequence
Amplify Desmos Math Accelerated 6/7 Resources
What’s included in our Spanish language arts curriculum
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is available in both English and Spanish. Amplify Caminos al Conocimiento Esencial, our robust Spanish language arts companion for grades K–5, supports multiple teaching models, including dual language immersion and transitional classrooms.
Year at a glance
The program’s intentional Knowledge Sequence from K–5 connects knowledge and vocabulary within a grade level and across grade levels, for deeper reading comprehension and preparation for college, career, and life. Instead of “activating prior knowledge,” Amplify Caminos helps you build it in the classroom from day one, for every child, expanding each student’s knowledge base long before they transition to reading to learn.
Units & domains at a glance
Each Knowledge Domain in grades K–2 and Unit in grades 3–5 varies in the number of days based on instructional purpose. Just as with our top-rated Amplify CKLA program, the Amplify Caminos materials engage and delight young learners with resources that are both appealing and original.
Domain
Nursery Rhymes and Fables/Rimas y fábulas infantiles
Start learning about literature with these classic Mother Goose rhymes.
Domain
The Five Senses/Los cinco sentidos
Learning about the body starts with learning about how we experience the world.
Domain
Stories/Cuentos
Learn about the parts of a book and some of the stories that go in one.
Domain
Plants/Plantas
Discover the lifecycle of plants and the history of George Washington Carver.
Domain
Farms/Granjas
Now we know how plants make their food… but what about animals?
Domain
Native Americans/Los nativos americanos
Who were the first people in America? A look at the Lenape, Wampanoag, and Lakota Sioux.
Domain
Kings and Queens/Reyes y reinas
To understand fairy tales, it’s best to first understand royalty.
Domain
Seasons and Weather/Las estaciones y el tiempo
The study of natural cycles continues with the weather and why it happens.
Domain
Columbus and the Pilgrims/Colón y los peregrinos
A look at the first contact between Europe and the Americas, and some of its results.
Domain
Colonial Towns and Townspeople/Las colonias y sus habitantes
Before the War for Independence, how did the town and country depend on one another?
Domain
Taking Care of the Earth/Cuidar el planeta Tierra
We only have one Earth—here are some ways to help care for it.
Domain
Presidents and American Symbols/Presidentes y símbolos de los Estados Unidos
Start learning about government through the lives of five presidents.
Domain
Fables and Stories/Fábulas y cuentos
Learn some of the key elements of a story through classic fables.
Domain
The Human Body/El cuerpo humano
What are germs? What are the organs? And what does it all have to do with health?
Domain
Different Lands, Similar Stories/Tierras diferentes, cuentos similares
A world tour of storytelling, and the stories that stay the same across the world.
Domain
Early World Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones del mundo
Rivers, farming, writing, and laws: just what does it take to build a civilization?
Domain
Early American Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones de América
What will we find in the great temples of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations?
Domain
Astronomy/Astronomía
How the Earth relates to the moon, the sun, and the rest of the planets.
Domain
The History of the Earth/La historia de la Tierra
Just what lies beneath the Earth’s surface, and what can it teach us about the past?
Domain
Animals and Habitats/Los animales y sus hábitats
A look at the connection between how animals live and where they make their homes.
Domain
Fairy Tales/Cuentos de hadas
What do fairy tales have to teach us about how stories are told?
Domain
A New Nation: American Independence/Una nueva nación: la independencia de los Estados Unidos
The story of the birth of the United States out of the 13 Colonies.
Domain
Frontier Explorers/Exploradores de la Frontera
The story of the journey west from the newborn U.S.A. to find the Pacific Ocean.
Domain
Fairy Tales and Tall Tales/Cuentos de hadas y cuentos exagerados
Learn about exaggeration and characterization on the frontier.
Domain
Early Asian Civilizations/Antiguas civilizaciones de Asia
Tour the world of classical civilization, starting with India and China.
Domain
Ancient Greek Civilization/La civilización griega antigua
The tour continues with the philosophy and politics of Greece.
Domain
Greek Myths/Mitos griegos
Dive deep into the characters and storytelling of classic myths.
Domain
The War of 1812/La guerra de 1812
Learn about America’s “Second War for Independence.”
Domain
Cycles in Nature/Los ciclos de la naturaleza
Introducing the natural cycles that make our lives possible.
Domain
Westward Expansion/La expansión hacia el oeste
Why did pioneers go west? What happened to the people who were there?
Domain
Insects/Los insectos
Lay the grounds for animal classification by looking at solitary and social insects.
Domain
The U.S. Civil War/La Guerra Civil de los Estados Unidos
Begin to grapple with U.S. history’s central crisis over slavery.
Domain
Human Body: Building Blocks and Nutrition/El cuerpo humano: componentes básicos y nutrición
A deeper dive into the digestive system and the nutrition process.
Domain
Immigration/La inmigración
Why did people immigrate to the United States, and what did they find here?
Domain
Fighting for a Cause/Luchar por una causa
How people can do extraordinary things to make the world better for everyone.
Unit 1
Classic Tales: The Wind in the Willows/Cuentos Clásicos: El viento en los sauces
A deep dive into character, theme, and POV in classic stories from around the world.
Unit 2
Animal Classification/La clasificación de los animales
How do we classify different animals by their appearance and behavior?
Unit 3
The Human Body: Systems and Senses/El cuerpo humano: sistemas y sentidos
Let’s take a closer look at how the skeleton, muscles, and nervous system all work.
Unit 4
The Ancient Roman Civilization/La civilización romana antigua
What is Rome’s greatest cultural contribution? In this unit, your students decide.
Unit 5
Light and Sound/La luz y el sonido
The science behind all the ways we see and hear the world.
Unit 6
The Viking Age/La era vikinga
An immersive narrative experience about what life was like in Viking communities.
Unit 7
Astronomy: Our Solar System and Beyond/Astronomía: nuestro sistema solar y más allá
More about our universe, including a writing project about daily life on a space station.
Unit 8
Native Americans: Regions and Cultures/Los nativos americanos: regiones y culturas
How did Native American nations change their way of life in different parts of the world?
Unit 9
Early Explorations of North America/La exploración europea de América del Norte
What was it like to sail to North America with the early European explorers?
Unit 10
Colonial America/La época colonial en los Estados Unidos
A study of the very different ways of life in the different pre-U.S. colonies.
Unit 11
Ecology/Ecología
Students keep ecologist’s journals to learn about our world and how best to protect it.
Unit 1
Personal Narratives/Narrativas personales
Read stories of personal experience… and learn to reflect on your own.
Unit 2
Empires in the Middle Ages/Los imperios en la Edad Media, parte 1 & Los imperios en la Edad Media, parte 2
Explore the medieval history of Europe and the Middle East.
Unit 3
Poetry/Poesía
Study the poetry of many nations using licensed text anthologies, and begin to write your own.
Unit 4
Eureka! Student Inventor/¡Eureka! Estudiante inventor
Transform the class into a lab for students to build and present inventions.
Unit 5
Geology/Geología
Plate tectonics, volcanoes, erosion: all the forces that shape the Earth.
Unit 6
Contemporary Fiction with excerpts from The House on Mango Street/Ficción Contemporánea con Fragmentos de La Casa en Mango Street
Explore The House on Mango Street… and write a book while doing it.
Unit 7
American Revolution/La Revolución estadounidense
Why did America seek independence? Let’s investigate the causes and effects.
Unit 8
Treasure Island/La Isla del Tesoro
How dSeek the treasure of plot in this detailed study of a classic fiction adventure.
Unit 1
Personal Narratives/Narrativas personales
Through writing and sharing their writing, students begin to identify themselves as writers.
Unit 2
Early American Civilizations/Las primeras civilizaciones americanas
Students craft a codex to explain the rise and fall of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca people.
Unit 3
Poetry/Poesía
Students close read many forms of poetry… and learn to write them.
Unit 4
Adventures of Don Quixote/Las Aventuras de Don Quijote
Was Don Quixote right to fight the windmill? In this full-length novel study, students decide.
Unit 5
The Renaissance/El Renacimiento
Exploring the art and literature of the Renaissance through the works of its masters.
Unit 6
The Reformation/La Reforma
How did the printing press transform the religion and society of Europe?
Unit 7
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Sueño de Una Noche de Verano de William Shakespeare
Students enter the world of Shakespeare by reading, designing, and acting out his work.
Unit 8
Native Americans/Los nativos americanos
How did the policies of the U.S. government impact Native American culture and lives?
Unit 9
Chemical Matter/Química
Students use knowledge of chemistry to solve a mystery.
Print & digital components
The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge (Conocimientos) Teacher Guides (K–2)
Knowledge Strand Teacher Guides contain Amplify CKLA’s cross-curricular read-alouds and application activities, all of which are standards-based to build mastery of content knowledge and literacy skills. There is one Teacher Guide per Knowledge Domain.
Print and digital
Knowledge Image Cards (K–2)
Amplify Caminos includes Image Cards for each Knowledge Domain to bring each topic to life through vivid visuals.
Print and digital
Knowledge Flip Books (K–2)
Projectable Flip Books are provided to accompany the read-alouds in each Knowledge Domain.
Digital
Teacher Guides (3–5)
Teacher Guides for grades 3–5 units are based on content-rich topics and incorporate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in the context of background knowledge. There is one Teacher Guide per unit.
Print or digital
Teacher Resource Site (K–5)
The program includes a one-stop-shop website for lesson projections, digital versions of all Amplify Caminos materials, lesson planning resources, multimedia (such as eBooks), and more.
Digital
Professional Learning Site (K–5)
The Professional Learning site includes training materials, best practices, and other resources to develop program expertise. Access professional development anywhere, anytime.
Digital
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge (Conocimiento) Activity Books (K–2)
Activity Books provide students with the opportunity to deepen world and word knowledge by responding to text in a diversity of ways.
Student Readers (3–5)
Student Readers serve as content-rich anchor texts for each unit. Units such as Poetry and Contemporary Fiction feature authentic texts originally written in Spanish.
Activity Books (3–5)
Activity Books in grades 3–5 provide daily opportunities for students to hone reading and writing skills within the context of each unit.
Print and digital
Explore more programs
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
Welcome to Amplify Desmos Math!
Your Amplify Desmos Math Experience Kit includes teacher and student materials for one sub-unit of instruction to try in your classroom. Click the orange button below to access the digital lessons for your grade.
About the program
Our structured approach to problem-based learning systematically builds on students’ curiosity to develop lasting grade-level understanding.
Amplify Desmos Math combines and connects conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application. Lessons are designed with the Proficiency Progression™, a model that provides teachers with clear instructional moves to build from students’ prior knowledge to grade-level learning.
Structured approach to problem-based learning
- Differentiation and personalized practice
- Easy-to-follow instructional guidance
- Robust assessments and reports
- Spanish student materials
Math that motivates
- Powerful teacher-facilitation supports and tools
- Students talking and building from each other’s ideas
- Every lesson has fully compatible print and digital materials for a collaborative classroom
Student thinking is made evident
- Curiosity-driven lessons that motivate students with interesting problems they are eager to solve
- Explicit guidance for teachers on what to look for and how to respond
- Technology that provides Responsive Feedback and is designed to reveal mathematical thinking
Experience Kit digital lessons
Use the grade-specific links below to explore our interactive digital lessons. Learn more about assigning a lesson to your class using a single-session code.
In addition to the sample lessons below, you can view the Experience Kit brochure, which includes helpful print and digital navigation tips.
Grade 3, Unit 6: Measuring Length, Time, Liquid Volume, and Weight
Grade 4, Unit 6: Multiplying and Dividing Multi-Digit Numbers
Looking for help?
Support is always within reach. Our team is dedicated to supporting you throughout your review and can be reached at any time by emailing or calling us directly.
- Live chat: Click the orange icon while logged in to get immediate help.
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Round-the-clock help resources
Access comprehensive support anytime, anywhere with our 24/7 Help Center. Find articles, answers, and quick links with ease in this collection of resources.
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Continued learning and growth
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Amplify Desmos Math for Washoe County
Welcome, Ohio educators!
Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify’s CKLA resources for K–5.
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is an effective core literacy resource for students in grades K–5 and is aligned to Ohio’s Rule for Phonics. CKLA was developed in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation and was specifically designed to help teachers implement proven evidence-based instructional practices.
Click here for correlations to the Ohio Learning Standards for English Language Arts.
Click here to view Amplify CKLA’s Alignment to Ohio’s “Shifting to the Science of Reading” Framework.
Recognized Quality
Amplify CKLA is one of only a few high-quality, knowledge-building literacy curricula recognized by the Knowledge Matters campaign. Our shared message: Background knowledge is essential to literacy and learning.
Independently and rigorously reviewed
Amplify CKLA not only received an all-green rating from the rigorous evaluators at EdReports, but it was also recently recognized by the Knowledge Matters Campaign as a literacy program that excels in building knowledge.
Intentional knowledge-building
The Science of Reading reveals knowledge as an essential pillar of reading comprehension and lifelong literacy. Hear from author Natalie Wexler and CKLA customers on edWebinar about the importance of knowledge-building in reading instruction.
Designed for Ohio
We know there are several different paths you can take when implementing a Science of Reading program in your district:
- Prekindergarten
- K-2 Core No Foundational Skills
- K-2 Supplemental Foundational Skills
- K-2 Core Comprehensive English Language Arts
- 3-5 English Language Arts
To learn how Amplify CKLA supports each one of these paths, click here.
How it works
Amplify CKLA teaches both foundational skills and background knowledge in K–2 and combines them in 3–5, as required by the science of reading.
- In grades K–2, students complete one full lesson that builds foundational reading skills, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge.
- In grades 3–5, student complete one integrated lesson that combines skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis.
Rich topics
Amplify CKLA builds knowledge coherently across subjects and grades.
Students make connections from year-to-year by exploring grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves.
Diverse text
Amplify CKLA puts a variety of texts in the hands of students every day to build and strengthen background knowledge and vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension, and decoding and fluency skills.
More than that, we ensure the texts students read represent the world around them. With a diverse range of authors, topics, and characters, all students have ample access to both windows and mirrors. Our texts include:
- authentic books.
- authentic text passages.
- student readers.
- novel guides (grades 3–5).
Aligned to LETRS and Orton Gillingham
Amplify CKLA aligns with the instructional principles recommended by Orton Gillingham and LETRS.
- Structured–Concepts are taught through consistent routines
- Sequential–Concepts are taught in a logical, well-planned sequence
- Systematic–Phonemes are taught from simplest to most complex
- Explicit–Decoding and encoding concepts are taught directly and explicitly
- Multi-sensory–Instruction is delivered through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways
- Cumulative–Concepts are applied in decodable, connected texts with constant review and reinforcement
Universal access
We believe we have a responsibility to provide literacy instruction that gives every student the same opportunity to succeed and excel.
We know that early reading affects achievement throughout school and beyond—well into college and career. Yet most literacy programs continue to fall short of supporting early literacy success. That’s why we’re so proud that CKLA is helping close the reading gap between students within diverse communities.
Complete curriculum
A strong literacy program is not just about a reading program or an assessment tool: it brings together curriculum, instruction, regular practice, intervention, and assessments.
Amplify has brought these components together in our early literacy suite of curriculum, ensure that you have what you need for multi-tiered support.
Science of Reading Resources
Watching students learn to read: magic. Knowing how they get there: science.
As you consider your next core ELA program, it’s critically important to understand what the Science of Reading really means and what it tells us about how to teach more effectively. Unlike other programs, Amplify CKLA was built upon these insights and practices, making it easier for teachers to implement this proven approach.
Amplify Desmos Math for San Diego
Hello San Diego math educators,
Welcome to Amplify Desmos Math! We’re confident you’ll find this to be a powerful and effective program for getting all your students talking and thinking about math concepts together.
On this site, you’ll find a variety of resources to guide you in learning more about what Amplify Desmos Math has to offer.
Figuring out Problem-Based Learning
Figuring out how to implement a problem-based learning approach to mathematics can be fun and challenging. Rest assured that you will not be alone on this journey. Amplify will be by your side every step of the way.
In the short videos below, Fawn Nguyen (Amplify Math Specialist, Former Math Coach and Teacher) and John Hoogestraat (Desmos Product Specialist, Former Math Coach and Teacher) share their thoughts about the power of Amplify Desmos Math.
Amplify Desmos Math: Supporting Math Practices
Amplify Desmos Math: Teacher Time-Saving Tools
Amplify Desmos Math: Capturing Student Thinking
Amplify Desmos Math: What a Classroom Looks and Sounds Like
About Amplify Desmos Math
Amplify Desmos Math, based on the highly-rated Illustrative Mathematics curriculum IM K–12 Math™, is designed around the idea that a core math curriculum needs to serve 100 percent of students in accessing grade-level math every day.
By joining forces with Desmos Classroom, Amplify is changing the conversation around math instruction—for both students and teachers.
- Engaging, discourse-rich math lessons that are easier to teach.
- Flexible, collaborative problem-solving experiences both online and off.
- Real-time insights that make student thinking more transparent.
Planning for instruction
To start using Amplify Desmos Math quickly in your classroom, check out the following onboarding videos, guide, and planning resources. They cover what you need to know to get started fast.
Onboarding videos and guides
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math – Remote
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math Accelerated – Remote
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math August Training Participant notebook
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math September Training Participant Notebook
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math November Training Participant Notebook
Standards Correlation
Lesson Sampler
Amplify Desmos Math delivers the instructional power of student-centered learning packaged in a lesson format that is teacher-friendly and manageable.
With easy-to-follow instructional support, implementing a problem-based program becomes more effective and enjoyable for both you and your students. Paired with the Desmos Classroom digital experience, math class becomes fun and dynamic, with plenty of opportunities for students to talk through their reasoning, work with their peers, and gain new understandings.
Additional features
Universal design
Every student is brilliant, and every student has brilliant mathematical ideas worth sharing and cultivating. Incorporating principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into lessons brings their brilliance to the forefront. UDL is a research-based framework designed to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.
Diversity and representation
Helping students develop strong, healthy, and flexible math identities is a cornerstone of our program. Throughout the curriculum, students will be taught that they themselves are mathematicians, that today’s math was largely shaped by a diverse range of mathematicians who deserve to be learned about, and that learning is never finished.
Assessments
Less exciting, but essential for learning—assessments. Amplify Desmos Math will feature a robust variety of formative and summative assessments, including: readiness checks, exit tickets, quizzes, end-of-unit tests, benchmarks, and CAASPP practice.
Reporting
Not only will our reports show progress toward standards mastery, they will include detail on how students performed against the standard in the past and how many more encounters are yet to come. This feature alone helps teachers prioritize instruction and intervene with additional resources when necessary.
Featuring Desmos Math 6–A1
Desmos Math 6–8 is based on the highly rated IM K–12™ curricula from Illustrative Mathematics. It has also earned a perfect all-green rating by EdReports.
Unlike other IM-based lessons, ours require less prep and are easier to teach. Plus, our more visually rich activities and engaging on-ramps to learning make our lessons accessible to all students.
Desmos Classroom digital lessons
Digital lessons should be powerful in their ability to surface student thinking and spark interesting and productive discussions. We’ve joined forces with Desmos Classroom to bring this vision to life with a complete library of interactive, collaborative lessons.
Engaging student experience
Relevant content and interactive math tools create an intuitive and engaging student experience. Plus, working together in real-time allows students to see that communicating their ideas and learning from each other are important parts of math class.
Visibility into student thinking
Imagine having more visibility into your students’ mathematical thinking. Now imagine students have access to this same information. With our collaborative lesson interface and teacher dashboard, students can’t hide. What’s more, they have visibility into the thinking of their peers—exposing them to a wider variety of approaches to solving the same problem.
Ready-to-teach lessons
Each grade-level includes 150 ready-to-teach lessons complete with slides, step-by-step teaching notes, suggested student and teacher responses, tips for incorporating instructional routines, support for developing mathematical language, and links to useful resources. Teachers can also control what slides students see, giving teachers the ability to control the pace of the lesson to suite the needs of the class.
Looking for help?
Our chat agents are standing by to assist you!
Simply log in at learning.amplify.com and click the orange button in the bottom right corner to chat live with our support team.
Important to Note
Our support hours are Monday through Friday, 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT.
Don’t have a login yet?
Email us: help@amplify.com
Call us: +1 (800) 823-1969
Desmos Math for Jordan
Desmos Math 6–8 is based on the highly rated IM K–12™ curricula from Illustrative Mathematics. It also received a perfect, all-green rating by EdReports.
Read the full review on EdReports.
With easy-to-follow instructional supports, implementing a problem-based program becomes more effective and enjoyable for both you and your students. Delivered through the Desmos Classroom digital experience, math class becomes fun and dynamic, with plenty of opportunities for students to talk through their reasoning, work with their peers, and gain new understandings.
About Desmos Math
Desmos Math 6–8 delivers the instructional power of student-centered learning packaged in a lesson format that is teacher-friendly and manageable.
Unlike other IM-based lessons, ours require less prep and are easier to teach. Plus, our more visually rich activities and engaging on-ramps to learning make our lessons accessible to all students.
Desmos Classroom digital lessons
Digital lessons should be powerful in their ability to surface student thinking and spark interesting and productive discussions. We’ve joined forces with Desmos Classroom to bring this vision to life with a complete library of interactive, collaborative lessons.
Engaging student experience
Relevant content and interactive math tools create an intuitive and engaging student experience. Plus, working together in real-time allows students to see that communicating their ideas and learning from each other are important parts of math class.
Visibility into student thinking
Imagine having more visibility into your students’ mathematical thinking. Now imagine students have access to this same information. With our collaborative lesson interface and teacher dashboard, students can’t hide. What’s more, they have visibility into the thinking of their peers—exposing them to a wider variety of approaches to solving the same problem.
Ready-to-teach lessons
Each grade-level includes 150 ready-to-teach lessons complete with slides, step-by-step teaching notes, suggested student and teacher responses, tips for incorporating instructional routines, support for developing mathematical language, and links to useful resources. Teachers can also control what slides students see, giving teachers the ability to control the pace of the lesson to suite the needs of the class.
Access demo
Ready to explore the program? Follow these simple instructions to access your demo account.
- Click the Access demo button.
- Click the Sign In link.
- Enter this email: Jordan+Curriculum@desmos.com
- Enter this password: Desmos4
- Select your grade level.
- Explore any of the eight units.
Contact us
Support is always within reach. Our RFP team can be reached at any time by emailing proposals@amplify.com.
Desmos Math
Desmos Math 6–8 and Algebra 1 is based on the highly rated IM K–12™ curricula from Illustrative Mathematics. What’s more, our 6–8 curriculum also received a perfect, all-green rating by EdReports.
About Desmos Math
Desmos Math 6–A1 delivers the instructional power of student-centered learning packaged in a lesson format that is teacher-friendly and manageable.
With easy-to-follow instructional supports, implementing a problem-based program becomes more effective and enjoyable for both you and your students. Delivered through the Desmos Classroom digital experience, math class becomes fun and dynamic, with plenty of opportunities for students to talk through their reasoning, work with their peers, and gain new understandings.
Desmos Classroom technology
Math lessons should be powerful in their ability to surface student thinking and spark interesting and productive discussions. The Desmos Classroom platform brings this vision to life. It even includes a complete library of interactive, collaborative lessons made by your math colleagues.
Engaging student experience
Relevant content and interactive math tools create an intuitive and engaging student experience. Plus, working together in real-time allows students to see that communicating their ideas and learning from each other are important parts of math class.
Visibility into student thinking
Imagine having more visibility into your students’ mathematical thinking. Now imagine students have access to this same information. With our collaborative lesson interface and teacher dashboard, students can’t hide. What’s more, they have visibility into the thinking of their peers—exposing them to a wider variety of approaches to solving the same problem.
Ready-to-teach lessons
Each grade-level includes 150 ready-to-teach lessons complete with slides, step-by-step teaching notes, suggested student and teacher responses, tips for incorporating instructional routines, support for developing mathematical language, and links to useful resources. Teachers can also control what slides students see, giving teachers the ability to control the pace of the lesson to suite the needs of the class.
A Lesson with Dr. Dan Meyer
Desmos Math has been extensively tested by math educators across the nation…including Dr. Dan Meyer.
In this 8-minute video, Dr. Dan Meyer puts a Desmos Math lessons to the test, and shares how the Desmos Math teacher tools empower all teacher to deliver engaging and interactive lessons.
Access demo
Ready to explore the program? Follow these instructions to access your demo account.
- Click the Access demo button.
- Click the Sign In link.
- Enter the email address and password provided by your Account Executive.
- Select your grade level.
- Explore any of the eight units.
Contact us
Looking to speak directly with your local Account Executive? Get in touch with a California team member to learn more about Desmos Math or to request a demo account.
CENTRAL VALLEY and CENTRAL COAST
Demitri Gonos
Senior Account Executive
(559) 355-3244
ORANGE and L.A. COUNTIES
Lauren Sherman
Senior Account Executive
(949) 397-5766
SAN BERNARDINO and L.A. COUNTIES
Michael Gruber
Senior Account Executive
(951) 520-6542
SAN DIEGO and IMPERIAL COUNTIES
Kirk Van Wagoner
Senior Account Executive
(760) 696-0709
S3 – 06. Bethany and Dan take on Twitter!
In this episode, Bethany and Dan take a look at several tweets that caught the most fire on Twitter during the 2021-2022 school year. The pair answer questions about viral teaching methods, the best teaching advice you can give in three words, and if students should use pencils or pens in class. Join them as they take on those questions and several others in a fast-paced episode.
Explore more from Math Teacher Lounge by visiting our main page.
Dan Meyer (00:02):
Hey folks. Welcome back to the Math Teacher Lounge. I’m your co-host, Dan Meyer.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:07):
And I am Bethany Lockhart Johnson. And I’m your co-host, Dan! Hi!
Dan Meyer (00:12):
We’re co-hosts! Hey! Great to see you.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:13):
Dan, this is the last episode of Season 3. Three seasons!
Dan Meyer (00:19):
It’s gotta have a cliffhanger. What will the cliffhanger be? You know?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (00:22):
The cliffhanger is that we love having guests! It’s one of our most favorite things, because selfishly, we love to talk to all of these amazing folks who are doing this interesting research and thinking about amazing things. But for this last episode, it’s just you and I, Dan. Cliffhanger!
Dan Meyer (00:40):
Yeah. I like this. I like this. So the cliffhanger was last episode, and people are all like, “So who’s the last guest gonna be of the season before we roll out into summer?” And yes, as Bethany said, we love all the fascinating guests we’ve had on throughout these last few seasons. And we realized…who is more fascinating to each other than both of us? You know, let’s talk to each other about things, right? <Laughs> You get that! You get that! Or am I alone here in this? We had this idea about what we should talk about here, and that’s this: I am on Twitter a lot. I’m @DDMeyer on Twitter; throw me a follow; might follow back; who knows? I don’t tweet much. Bethany, what’s your handle on Twitter? Let ’em know.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (01:22):
I’m @LockhartEdu, and I was much more active pre-mamahood. But I’m still up in there. Go ahead.
Dan Meyer (01:30):
Yep. In there. Yeah, great. So I’ve been keeping track of the hottest conversations in math education Twitter, the conversations that the most people who kind of describe themselves as math teachers in their bios and whatnot have been replying to. We’ve got some little things working in the background, keeping track of this sort of thing. And so we are gonna bring you folks some of those extremely hot conversations, and even better than the questions—which we hope you’ll reply to and tag us in your replies—even more than those questions, we’ll bring you our answers—our answers!—to those questions. Can you believe that? We’ll fully settle these questions! Won’t we, Bethany? My gosh, won’t we?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (02:15):
Jeez Louise! No! Dan Meyer, the point is not our final word on it! The point is this episode, we’re furthering the conversation. We wanna hear from listeners about what do you think?
Dan Meyer (02:25):
Right. You’re right. You all need someone in your life like Bethany who will help you become the best version of yourself. So here’s the deal. We have several questions in a few different categories. We’re gonna bust through some quick ones, pretty quick. And, uh, there’s some meaty ones as well. Let’s get into it! The first questions come to you all, and us, courtesy of MTL guest Howie Hua, who has a renowned knack for just creating math memes, but also conversation starters that really capture the curiosity and answers of of a grateful nation. So Howie’s first question, which I’ll pose to Bethany, is, “What’s your favorite number?” Bethany? And why is it your favorite number?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (03:14):
Oh, I love it. OK. Well, the first thing that came to my mind is 12. ‘Cause It’s a highly divisible number. I mean, 2, 6, 3, 4—I love it. And it coincides with the day and month of my birth. Which, like, the double-digit…come on, 12, 12, 12, 12. I dunno, am I giving away, like, my bank security code <laugh> or anything by saying that?
Dan Meyer (03:41):
Yeah. What’s your favorite PIN?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (03:43):
Let me change my PIN. Yeah, it’s just such a happy, happy number. Well, 12 is, you know, 10 and 2. Two more. Anyway. Love it. What about you, Dan? What’s your favorite number and why?
Dan Meyer (03:55):
I’m into it. I’m into it. I think I would choose 16. Because it’s the first number for me when it was like, “Oh, you can keep on making numbers forever!” Where I’m like, OK, 2times 2 is 4. Great. That’s kind of an elemental expression in mathematics. Four times 2 is 8. OK. But then, 8 times 2 is 16, and it’s like, “Oh, you can just keep doubling that thing over and over and over again!” And I can recall feeling pretty excited that numbers are just like, out there for the finding. For the taking. Cool stuff.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (04:33):
I’m sorry. Wait, I have to interrupt. You went 2 times 4 is 8 and you didn’t go 4 times 4 is 16? You went 8 times 2 is 16? You wanted to keep the 2 the same?
Dan Meyer (04:49):
Yup. Yup. You can keep on doubling. You can keep on doubling numbers and it just keeps on going.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (04:53):
More evidence that our brain works very differently.
Dan Meyer (04:56):
We learn more about each other…let me keep this rolling with Howie questions. OK? Howie says, “If you could co-teach with one teacher from Twitter, who would you choose?”
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:06):
Oh, oh, it has to be a teacher?
Dan Meyer (05:11):
Or anybody, I guess. I mean, like, I know you love Oprah.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:15):
Can I co-teach with Oprah?
Dan Meyer (05:16):
Yup, yeah, so there we are. <Laugh> Yup. OK. Fair enough. We have to work Oprah into every single episode.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (05:23):
I’d just love to sit and like, we’d read together, we’d read to the students, and then we’d talk…I mean, obviously it’d be Oprah. But if we’re thinking more of like MTBoS, like math Twitter blogosphere-land, I suppose the person I would wanna co-teach with honestly would probably be Allison Hintz. One of our former guests as well. Her book, Mathematizing Children’s Literature, with Antony Smith, that book—I just love the idea of sitting and doing a read-aloud and then diving into some juicy math that’s inspired by what comes out of that read-aloud. So yes, that’s who I pick. Allison! Let’s co-teach!
Dan Meyer (06:00):
<Laugh> Shout-out to Allison.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:01):
What about you?
Dan Meyer (06:03):
I would choose MTL guest Idil Abdulkadir—because, and this relates to Allison and also Elham Kazemi—they talked about, in our episode about teacher time-outs. And I’m choosing someone who I think is—like I’ve never seen Idil teach, but I work with Idil at Desmos and think she’s fantastic. But what I really want in a co-teacher is someone that I can say, “Whoa, time out, do you see what’s going on here? This is really interesting. What should we do next about this?” And have a little strategy sesh in front of the kids and no one gets freaked out by that. And I think that that’d be a pile of fun. Idil seems like she’d be receptive to that kind of interaction, teacher to teacher. So that’s my vote right there.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:48):
Opportunity for you to grow your own practice, Dan.
Dan Meyer (06:52):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. 100%.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (06:56):
So Dan, I actually have a question for you from Howie. If we’re on the Howie tweet train, I have one from Howie too.
Dan Meyer (07:04):
Howie had some fire tweets, some fire tweets this current year. Yep.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (07:08):
Dan, I wanna know: Do you prefer doing math in pen or pencil?
Dan Meyer (07:16):
Ooh, yeah. Oh, I see that Howie says, “I don’t mean to start any drama, BUT,” and then asks the question–
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (07:23):
But!
Dan Meyer (07:24):
I think that Howie lives for drama. I think he knows he’s messy. He lives for drama. He knows what he’s doing this with this question here. He knows.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (07:32):
DRAAAAMAAAA!
Dan Meyer (07:32):
He knows what he’s doing. Yup. So I would just say it depends. Is that cheating? Like if I’m doing math to learn, or if we are learning in that process, then I want to use pen, actually. I wanna see the tracks of the thinking. And if we’re doing it for presentation, like if I’m presenting something, I wanna…I guess that’s an area where I’d be fine to not erase things. I don’t wanna prep it so it’s, you know…I guess you could use pen for presentation also. Just pen. Period. But I wanna see the tracks of the thinking if we’re doing some learning versus presentation. What about you?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (08:09):
Well, I heard the voice in my head telling one of my kindergartners, “No, you cannot do that in sparkly pen. You need to do it in pencil.” And I was like, “Wait, whose voice is that?” It was one of my math teachers telling me I couldn’t do it in pen! Why couldn’t this kid do it in pen? Sure! Do it in a sparkly pen! So I wanna say do it in pen. And since usually pen is what I have around…I mean, I do crosswords in pen, Dan.
Dan Meyer (08:36):
Wow, wow. With a piece of paper and math, you have lots of room to re-revise and cross off…but those little, little boxes on the crossword, that says a lot about your commitment to pen.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (08:46):
I got really good at making an A into an H or a P or whatever we need. So I would say, “Hey, if you’re in the room with your kiddos and you’re doing math, if somebody wants to do pen, let them do pen.” But I do know that I’ve seen teachers say you need to do pen so that I can see all of your thinking. So I think I hear what you’re saying. But do you think it should be like a classroom rule or something?
Dan Meyer (09:13):
Oh, no, no, no. I mean, I’m gonna ask you like, “How’d you get to this destination?” And I wanna know process somehow, and I think you’ll get tired of having to explain it verbally rather than just, like, showing. Just don’t erase stuff. Don’t scratch stuff off. Let’s let’s see how you’re getting there. That is what I’m into.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (09:30):
Thanks, Howie, for that trio of thought-provoking tweets, because I genuinely wanted to know what Dan thought and what our listeners think. I mean, Dan, I gotta say: Howie, you say you don’t wanna cause drama, but I gotta say I’m with Dan on that—
Dan Meyer (09:50):
Got the gift. Got the gift for drama. We’re still friends though. So I’m happy about that. Our next section, I got a few more questions queued up here and these ones relate to advice for educators, advice for yourself. Good advice, bad advice, that kind of thing. So let’s jump in. I would love to know—this one’s from Pernille Ripp—I’m very curious, Bethany, what is the worst teaching advice you have gotten in your life, ever?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (10:19):
<Laugh> Ooh. OK. Um, worst teaching advice was: “That’s OK, just move on anyway.” And that was in terms of pacing. It was like, students needed to do a deeper dive and the teacher who I was chatting with said, “No, no, it’s fine; it’s fine; just move on. Just move on to the next chapter.” That was probably the worst advice, because no, I don’t think that’s what I should have done at all! <Laugh>
Dan Meyer (10:48):
Right.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (10:48):
But I was a first-year teacher and I was trying to figure it out. And I learned that that was not good advice. And I understand the pressure of pacing. But it was totally antithetical to the type of listening to my students that I want to do in my craft. And this teacher meant well, but that was not good advice, teacher! <Laugh> What about you, Dan? What is the worst teaching advice?
Dan Meyer (11:13):
I dig that. That feels similar to one of the replies to Pernille here. Frances Klein says, “Never let them know you’ve made a mistake” being particularly bad advice. You know, just this like idea of like moving along, covering your tracks, not backtracking or admitting mistakes, those all feel kind of a piece. The worst advice I think I’ve ever received, and I wasn’t given this often, but it’s echoed by a lot of the commenters here on this tweet, which is “Don’t smile until X, Y, or Z,” where X, Y, and Z are like Christmas, October, December, January. Just the idea that you’ve gotta develop—
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (11:54):
Wait, what?
Dan Meyer (11:55):
<Laugh> Did you never hear this from anybody? Don’t smile until Christmas? Perhaps this is more—
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (11:59):
I’m a kindergarten teacher! Can you imagine? If I don’t smile the second they walk in? The tears?! The parents’ tears?! The kids’ tears?! If I’m just like, stoic?
Dan Meyer (12:07):
Yeah. Well.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (12:08):
So explain it to me.
Dan Meyer (12:10):
Well, the idea is, is that, you know, for older kids, they’re scoping you, they’re clocking you for weakness, they’re looking at you, they’re looking to take advantage. And so “don’t smile until Christmas” is like, hey, you can always relax. You can always relax your discipline, but you can’t UN-relax it if you start out, you know, Mr. Happy Pants Meyer. Which—
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (12:33):
Smile perceived as weakness.
Dan Meyer (12:36):
Yeah. Very obviously poor advice. Eventually you come to realize that like having a rapport and a relationship that is trusting and warm and demanding, that has high expectations, that’s the best kind of classroom management. Not some kind of persona built around intimidation or stoicism, that kinda thing. So, terrible, terrible advice!
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (13:01):
I feel like I did have a few of those math classes. Yeah.
Dan Meyer (13:04):
Yeah, exactly. <Laugh> You loved them, right? They were like your favorite math classes. It was a blast, right?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (13:11):
<Laugh> So we have to ask the opposite. Thank you, Daniel Willingham, who said, “What’s the best advice you got?” But hold on, Dan, he didn’t just want the best advice. He wanted the best advice in three words.
Dan Meyer (13:26):
Oh yeah. He doesn’t, he doesn’t want a book or dissertation or even a blog post or even a tweet. He wants just three words.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (13:32):
I think maybe that might have been to me. <Laugh>
Dan Meyer (13:34):
This is someone who’s doesn’t have much time for this advice, wants it distilled down. I’m just obviously stalling here as I try to think about this. I don’t know, there’s just like so much nuance lost here. I would say, listen to students, listen to students. I can’t say more that, I guess. I guess I’m done. I can’t say more than that there. But you’re in a bad place if you’re not listening carefully to students. How about you?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (14:04):
- Mine is “Ask…lots…questions.”
Dan Meyer (14:11):
Nice. ‘Cause I filled in the word! I filled in the word! I was able to kinda infer that. I did that. I got that.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (14:17):
Wait, wait, wait, wait! I could have said many! Wait, I could have said “Ask many questions.”
Dan Meyer (14:22):
Strong, strong.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (14:25):
So yeah. You know, no isolation, like don’t put yourself in a bubble. Ask, not just, not just your students, but the teachers! Ask a lot of questions. You don’t have to have it all figured out.
Dan Meyer (14:34):
Into it. Very much into it.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (14:37):
Thanks. Daniel. Thanks, Pernille.
Dan Meyer (14:40):
Yeah. Daniel and Pernille, Both great questions there about advice, best and worst. Another fire tweet popped up earlier this year from Dr. Khristopher Childs, which was “Name one thing every educator should stop doing.”
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (14:57):
Oh, I don’t know. This kind of ties into my best advice about asking questions.
Dan Meyer (15:03):
Stop not asking questions?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (15:06):
<Laugh> Avoid the isolation. I really love this idea of when we can, popping into each others’ classrooms, co-teaching, building this collaborative nature. Elham Kazemi, in our interview, talked about this idea of, like you said, the teacher time-outs, learning from each other. So I feel like if we could stop isolating ourself…and I don’t mean at lunch—sometimes you need to not be in the teacher lounge at lunch. Like if you need a minute, take the minute! But in general, as a practice, how can we not be isolated and instead be learning with, and from, each other? How can we stop the isolation? That’s what I would hope every educator would stop doing. What about you, Dan?
Dan Meyer (15:54):
I think that educators should…this is gonna require a little bit of elaboration. I think educators should stop taking responsibility for things that are not in their zone of influence. I think that as a society we are asking teachers to do more and more, to become more and more of a central fixture holding together with chewing gum and twine all the various parts of a student’s life. From their health, their fitness, emotional health, that we feed students at school. It becomes very tempting, I think, there’s a lot of pressures to blame outcomes, disparate and unjust outcomes later on in life, on teachers. And teachers should just flatly refuse. And to yeah, understand what the job has been set up to do. What it’s good for. And do that with excellence and intent and a lot of effort. And then not take responsibility for the rest of it.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (16:53):
If I asked five different people about the definition of what a teacher should be doing, I would get five different answers. So I think it’s really interesting that you say that because yeah, many, many hats, which I think, yes, can lead to burnout. Can lead to all sorts of things. We’re asking schools to be all things to all, all people. Interesting. I’m gonna think about that more. I need to hear folks’ response on that, Dan.
Dan Meyer (17:18):
Mm-Hmm. I’m curious too. I mean, yeah, there are definitely things that are in teachers’ responsibility and some that are not. That’s a tough one.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (17:26):
OK, for help, name an example of each. And what’s something that you think every teacher should not and should be doing. ‘Cause I feel like my brain goes to some things like, you know, I had teachers who were saying, “Well, I don’t wanna have my kids have to have breakfast in my classroom in the morning. That shouldn’t be my responsibility to serve breakfast in the morning.” But I’m like, “But then your kids are eating and they’re gonna be able to learn and be more focused.” Should that be the teacher’s responsibility? I’m not saying it necessarily should, but I’m saying…I don’t know. It gets murky for me.
Dan Meyer (18:06):
Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think that we should, as a country, have a really generous social welfare net so that everyone has food at home. Where a school is not the place where some students have to go to in order to receive nutrition and nourishment. That seems sad to me. And uncommon in developed nations. I think that teachers should watch out for, should be responsible for, the mathematical development of the students they teach, up to a point, they should be responsible for learning math and creating relationships in their classes. I don’t think that teachers should accept responsibility for larger kinds of outcomes, like the health of a democracy or international competition, who goes to the moon first. That kind of thing has historically been placed at the feet of teachers. And it’s tempting when you’re a teacher, I think, to take on that responsibility because it kind of develops your social importance. And I just say, we should say no to that. And get compensation, not in terms of social importance, but rather like in spendable dollars and monies.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (19:10):
I’m learning more about you, Dan. And you know, this is what I’ve gotten from that answer: If you’re gonna dream, dream big. Right?
Dan Meyer (19:17):
Is that what you got from that? I don’t know. I think I’m trying to dream realistically.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (19:23):
No, like if we’re gonna say, “Maybe teachers shouldn’t be responsible for serving breakfast in the morning,” well, because we want every child to have access to nutritious and filling food at home and time to eat it in the morning, right? It’s bigger than just, “I don’t want the teacher to have to do this.” So we’re dreaming big. We’re saying this should be the LEAST that students have access to, right?
Dan Meyer (19:53):
Yeah. Yeah. I’m here now. I’m with you. I like that dream. Where we take care of folks in their lives outside of schools. So schools don’t have to be the one linchpin for every kind of social outcome. Like currently a lot of them run through a school ’cause we don’t do a good job of setting up other ways to meet those needs. And we should.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (20:16):
And we’re also recording this in, what, two weeks, a week, after a tragedy where students and teachers were killed in the classroom. And I think both of us are taking some deep breaths and recognizing that there’s a lot of debate that is happening about what teacher’s role should be in preventing this in the future. And I don’t know if you’ve done drills in your classroom that are supposed to help mitigate disaster, but you know—collective deep breaths— <laugh> is where we’re at right now.
Dan Meyer (20:52):
Yep. The idea of “we should arm teachers” is another example of no, we should not do that. We should solve the tendency towards violence outside of the classroom so that teachers and students can teach and learn. That sounds awesome to me.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (21:06):
Collective deep breath. Whew. OK. So what else you got for me, Dan?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (21:33):
Ooh. So I feel like I’ve heard that in many teaching PDs. “I Do, you do, we do.” Actually I feel like I’ve seen like more “I do, we do, you do.” Like graduated release. I do it, then we’ll do it a little bit together, and then now you have permission to do it. And I feel like in directed draw, that’s a hundred percent true. Like I’m gonna show you this and then you draw it. And then you cut here and then you do it. If we’re trying to create this, like I’m teaching this new art technique. But in mathematics, I feel like that’s really not what I want my classroom to look like. I want to support my students and set them up for sense-making, and then I want them to try it out and I don’t want them to solve it the way it first comes to mind for me. I wanna see how they make sense of it and how they solve it. And then I want us to share it with each other so we can grow together. So I think time and place for “I do, you do, we do,” or “I do, we do, you do.” Or shoo-be-doo-be-doo-be. Yeah. You?
Dan Meyer (22:44):
I’ve got nothing. I have nothing to add. I thought that was just an excellent summary of a classroom I would love to be a part in, love to teach. I think it’s a certain tool in the toolbox that I think is overused. But it’s also a tool that can be useful in the case of certain kinds of operations. There are some operations that do benefit from “let me just show you how, like one way you might do this.” I don’t know. I’m like helping my kid whack a nail into a board and there’s a moment where it’s like, “Hey, actually, lemme just show you one way you can do this,” and do it, and then that’s helpful in some moments. But for so much of math, a lot of math does not relate to the operational kinds of fluency. And in those instances, it’s a little bit…it’s not a useful tool, I don’t think, for those kinds of skills and ideas.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (23:34):
I’m thinking of tool talks in my classroom. So in kindergarten, many of the tools that we use in math and just in class in general, are new to the students. And if I tell them, this is exactly how you should use this tool, then I feel like I’m taking a lot of the sense-making away from them. But if I introduce the tool, show them how to use the tool safely, show them this is not a safe way to use the tool, chewing on this is not safe. That’s not how we use this tool. This is how we take care of it, et cetera. But then support different modes of using the tool that are gonna help them use it to solve problems and make sense, I think…but I guess—Dan, have you heard “I do, you do, we do,” or is it “I do, we do, you do”?
Dan Meyer (24:22):
I’m with you. And I think that it got clarified post-tweet. But yeah, it typically is “I do, we do, you do,” the gradual release of responsibility it’s often called. And I, I have heard people do what you described, which is…what is it? It’s “You do, we do, I do”? Like an inversion of that? Like have people do a thing that I can do that’s not too, too abstract for them, and then like “We all do something together, and then I’ll offer a summary of what we learned,” is one way that goes. I like that tool as well.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (24:53):
I think particularly, at least I’ve seen in elementary classrooms, there’s sometimes this fear of letting students just try it out before I’ve really showed them, “but this is how it has to be.” And what I am most excited about is supporting students and creating a classroom environment where students don’t need my permission or need my direct “this is the only way to do it.” Instead, it’s like, yes, there’s lots of things we model. But there’s also like, “Hey, what do you think? How do you think this should be used?” And the joy of that exploration.
Dan Meyer (25:30):
Yeah. There’s a feeling of efficiency that comes from “I do, we do, you do,” for some kinds of math, but it’s undercut in my experience by what it cultivates in the students, which is “I’ve gotta wait until the teacher does before I can do anything.” So it pays off real diminishing returns over time. And it’s, just for me, an exhausting way to teach. Always being the bottleneck for new learning is a total drag.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (25:55):
Ooh, what a great way to describe it. You do not wanna be the bottleneck. You want to be…what’s the other thing? The facilitator? What’s the opposite of a bottleneck? The flowing river? The…The…Help me!
Dan Meyer (26:10):
Hit us up in the replies. I dunno. The opposite of a bottleneck. That’s what you wanna…you wanna not be the opposite? No, you want, yeah. We got this here. We’ll figure it out. We’ll get back to you. <Laugh> OK. Well, folks, those were a few of this year’s fire tweets. It’s been fantastic chatting with you—
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (26:29):
Dan.
Dan Meyer (26:29):
—Bethany, About all those—
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (26:32):
Dan. You know, my favorite thing to do is interrupting you, Dan. I have to interrupt you because we can’t end fire tweets, Dan, without including a tweet from you.
Dan Meyer (26:43):
Oh, that’s true. I do have my moments. Yeah, we should. We really should. <Laugh> Do you have one in mind?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (26:50):
No. Dan. Yes. I loved…you tweeted recently, “How many years have you been teaching?” Which, OK. “What Has been like the most influential? Like, what, OK, blah, blah, blah.” <blathering noises> You tweeted, “How many years have you been teaching? And at this point, what has most influenced how you teach?” And you gave some ideas: A methods course, PD sessions, curriculum, TV and movies, et cetera, et cetera. And I love that you put that out there because this episode is coming out as we’re wrapping up another school year. And it also got me thinking about summer and what teachers sometimes do during the summer, but what we might need to do this summer for self-care. But I’m really curious. I love that tweet. And I’m curious, Dan, what did folks say was the thing that had most influenced their teaching and what’s most influenced your teaching?
Dan Meyer (27:49):
Ooh, yeah. People’s responses to this one were really fantastic. I came into this, I was flying to the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators conference. And I just found myself wondering, so, the pre-service year, the one year of, like, you’re learning how to teach, is how we did it in California. Like how much of that has still infused my practice? And in what ways? I don’t think I think about that stuff consciously, but I think that did like set me up with a lot of images that I would be unpacking for going on two decades now working in education. I think conversations with people, I think observing classes, I don’t think that like the one-day PDs, the one-day development days throughout the year, four times per year, I don’t think those stuck to me much. I think that this summer, I have learned so much, just an embarrassment of riches, from non-educational sources. From other disciplines. From storytelling, for instance. From how people have constructed movies I like. I am proud of the way…one of the aspects of my character that I’m proud of—it takes a lot to admit this, as I’m sure you understand, Bethany—but to integrate lots of wacky stuff and pick from it and use that to affect my practice and teaching has been really positive. So for this summer, I hope that people read a good beach book and just kinda let your teaching mind rest a little bit. And in doing so, create some openings for new ideas about education from other parts of the world. Kids! Having kids has been helpful. I don’t know! Just everything! It’s such a big job, education. Everything has so helpful. What about you? What’s an influence on your practice that might surprise me or other folks out there in MTL land?
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (29:52):
Well, I don’t know about surprise. I mean, I definitely feel similarly, like methods courses absolutely impacted my teaching. But I feel like opportunities where I was able to observe other teachers and where I was able to have conversations with folks about their practice, that has deeply impacted me. And books I’ve read. I mean, honestly, I’ve learned so much from sharing with other teachers. Like, for example, maybe I’ll bring student work and we’ll talk about it. And we kind of create this conversation together about how we wanna come back to the students based on the work we see. Those type of moments where we’re collaborating and we’re bringing multiple perspectives to the table, that I think, has really often shifted me out of my first initial reaction or what I thought I was going to do in the classroom the next day. So that continues to surprise and delight me. And thinking about this summer, I think there’s a lot of creativity and joy that can come out of the marination process, when you’re just kind of sitting back and healing yourself, whether through sleep or sunshine or time with friends and family or whatever that looks like for you. I think there’s a lot of creativity that can come from that place of fertile, you know, wellness. I never think of that as wasted time. I think of that as getting the soil ready for all that’s gonna come in the fall. And that being said, I also think it could be a fun time to dip your toes into something that you are excited to read, that you might not have a chance to read during the school year that could be teaching-related. So it’s like very low pressure, like, “Oh, I’ve really wanted to read more by this author. I’ve wanted to read this article. I’ve wanted to dip into this topic.” And not with a pressure, but just with a curiosity. And, yeah, I think so often we as teachers love learning, and to give yourself space to learn in whatever that looks like can be a real gift.
Dan Meyer (32:09):
Yes. And if you need book recommendations, hit the MTL back catalog of episodes. Loads of folks that we interviewed have real good books out.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (32:16):
Yes!
Dan Meyer (32:16):
Think about it. Think about it.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson (32:22):
One quick recommendation: Again, gotta plug Antony Smith and Allison Hintz’s book. I read Mathematizing Children’s Literature before we did the interview, but this summer I wanna read all the children’s books that they mention. I just wanna go to the library and read all those children’s books. I wanna read them to my son. I wanna read ’em to myself. So, you know, diving into some good YA, children’s books, just, like, TLC. Dan, thank you for such a rich season and a chance to have so many interesting conversations. It is genuinely a joy to learn with and from you.
Dan Meyer (33:00):
Likewise. And always hope to see you folks on Twitter now and then. Let us know what you’re up to this summer at MTLShow on Twitter or in our Facebook group, Math Teacher Lounge. We’ll be there tuning in now and then. It’s been a treat interacting with you folks over this last season. Take care and until the new season, so long.
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Meet the guests
Dan Meyer
Dan Meyer taught high school math to students who didn’t like high school math. He has advocated for better math instruction on CNN, Good Morning America, Everyday With Rachel Ray, and TED.com. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in math education and is currently the Dean of Research at Desmos, where he explores the future of math, technology, and learning. Dan has worked with teachers internationally and in all 50 United States and was named one of Tech & Learning’s 30 Leaders of the Future.
Bethany Lockhart Johnson
Bethany Lockhart Johnson is an elementary school educator and author. Prior to serving as a multiple-subject teacher, she taught theater and dance and now loves incorporating movement and creative play into her classroom. Bethany is committed to helping students find joy in discovering their identities as mathematicians. In addition to her role as a full-time classroom teacher, Bethany is a Student Achievement Partners California Core Advocate and is active in national and local mathematics organizations. Bethany is a member of the Illustrative Mathematics Elementary Curriculum Steering Committee and serves as a consultant, creating materials to support families during distance learning.
About Math Teacher Lounge: The podcast
Math Teacher Lounge is a biweekly podcast created specifically for K–12 math educators. In each episode co-hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson (@lockhartedu) and Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) chat with guests, taking a deep dive into the math and educational topics you care about.
Join the Math Teacher Lounge Facebook group to continue the conversation, view exclusive content, interact with fellow educators, participate in giveaways, and more!
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Step 1: Review the PLS Flipbook
Amplify Professional Learning Specialists (PLS) will be responsible for facilitating high-quality professional development (PD) to teachers and school leaders, ensuring educators feel confident taking steps to implement our programs and ultimately drive student success.
Please read the PLS flipbook to ensure you have a clear understanding of the role and ensure this is the right fit for you. These details are captured in pages 16 – 33 of the flipbook.
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Please reach out to pls_hiring@amplify.com if you have additional questions.
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- Once you have scheduled your interview, you should receive a confirmation email from Calendly. If you do not receive this email, please reach out to PLS_hiring@amplify.com for support.
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Offer, Onboarding, and Training
- Qualified candidates will receive an offer via email. The offer will include your product placement and regional assignment.
- If you accept the offer, our partner contracting agency will reach out to you to provide the necessary documentation to begin the onboarding process. This will include a background check. You will also need to provide college transcripts, please begin gathering these items.
- Once you have completed the onboarding process with our partner contracting agency, you will begin your official Amplify PLS onboarding process on May 11th for Cohort 1 or June 15th for Cohort 2. A majority of onboarding will be remote, with one in person training on June 6th – 7th for Cohort 1 and July 8th – 9th for Cohort 2. More details to come!
- Once you are certified, our PD Operations team will begin to schedule you for PD engagements within your region and across the country!
Info Session
Get more details from PD staff members about the PLS role, regional placement, the onboarding process, and ongoing support.
We will address the most common questions we receive:
- What is the role of a PLS?
- Where will I deliver sessions? What content will I deliver?
- How will onboarding work?
- How will I be supported?
The information session recording can be watched here.
Passcode: @N+4hmfi
Thank you for your interest!
Contact us with questions at pls_hiring@amplify.com
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1. Service Overview
As a provider of technology solutions to schools, Amplify’s commitment to data privacy and security is essential to our organization. This overview of Amplify’s Information Security Program describes physical, technical and administrative safeguards Amplify implements to protect student data in our care.
Company profile
Amplify Education, Inc. (Amplify) is a privately held company founded in 2000 as Wireless Generation. Amplify’s products include curriculum and instruction, assessment and intervention, professional development services and consulting services for K-12 education.
Service hosting
Amplify leverages Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its cloud hosting provider. Within AWS, Amplify utilizes Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), which provide an isolated cloud environment within the AWS infrastructure. External network traffic to a VPC is managed via gateway and firewall rules, which are maintained in source code control to ensure that the configuration remains in compliance with Amplify security policy. In addition, the production VPCs and the development VPCs are isolated from each other and maintained in separate AWS accounts.
2. Policies & standards
Information security program
Amplify maintains a comprehensive information security program based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and the NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 family of information security controls. These provide a robust framework of best practices from which an organization can build its security policies and protocols based on identified risks, compliance requirements, and business needs. They cover critical practice areas, including access control, configuration management, incident response, security training, and other information security domains.
Governance
Amplify’s Information Security Committee has primary responsibility for the development, maintenance, and implementation of the Amplify information security program. The Information Security Committee is responsible for all information risk management activities within the company and is composed of technology, business and legal leaders from the organization. The Committee meets weekly and includes a dedicated VP of Information Security and a program manager to oversee, direct and coordinate its activities.
Policy execution
Adherence to the internal Amplify information security policy is an obligation of every Amplify employee. Amplify conducts a series of internal monitoring procedures to verify compliance with internal information security policies, and all Amplify employees undergo annual criminal background checks. In addition, any third-party contractors who come into contact with systems that may contain student data are contractually bound to maintain security and privacy of the data.
3. Data access controls
Access control
Amplify’s access control principles dictate that all student data we store on behalf of customers is only accessible to district-authorized users and to a limited set of internal Amplify users who may only access the data for purposes authorized by the district. Districts maintain control over their internal users and may grant or revoke access.
In limited circumstances and strictly for the purposes of supporting school districts and maintaining the functionality of systems, certain Amplify users may access Amplify systems with student data. All such access to student data by Amplify technicians or customer support requires both authentication and authorization to view the information.
Encryption
Data encryption is an important element of our protection of sensitive data at rest and in transit, and is reviewed and updated as appropriate annually, based on the latest standards and guidelines published by OWASP and NIST.
- In transit: Amplify encrypts all student data in transit over public connections, using Transport Layer Security (TLS), commonly known as SSL, using industry-standard protocols, ciphers, algorithms, and key sizes.
- At rest: Amplify encrypts student data at rest using the industry-standard AES-256 encryption algorithm.
4. Application security by design
Building the right roles into applications
Permissions within Amplify applications are designed on the principle that school districts control access to all student data. To facilitate this, Amplify applications are designed so that roles and permissions flow from the district to the individual user. For example, applications that offer schools a way to collect and report on assessment results have a web interface that requires district administrators to authorize individuals to view student data.
Security controls within applications are used to ensure that the desired privacy protections are technically enforced within the system. For example, if a principal is supposed to see only the data related to his or her school, Amplify ensures that, throughout the design and development process, our products restrict principals from seeing records for any students outside his or her school.
To make sure Amplify applications properly enforce permissions and roles, our development teams conduct reviews early in the design process to ensure roles and permissions are an essential component of the design of new applications.
Building security controls into applications
Amplify applications are also developed to minimize security vulnerabilities and ensure industry-standard application security controls are in place.
As part of the development process, Amplify has a set of application security standards that all applications handling student data are required to follow, including:
- Student data is secured using industry standard encryption when in transit between end-users and Amplify systems.
- Applications are built with password brute-force attack prevention.
- User sessions expire after a fixed period of time.
We also conduct manual and automated static code analysis as well as dynamic application security testing to preemptively identify vulnerabilities published by industry leaders such as OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project)
5. Proactive security
Risk assessments
Amplify periodically engages a security consulting firm to conduct risk assessments, aimed at identifying and prioritizing security vulnerabilities. The Information Security Committee coordinates remediation of the vulnerabilities. The security consulting firm also provides ongoing advice on current risks and advises on remediation of vulnerabilities and incident response.
Penetration testing
Amplify engages third-party firms to continually conduct application penetration testing. The purpose of this testing is to test for application security vulnerabilities in the production environment. We work with third party penetration testing program partners. Third-party testing involves a combination of automated and manual testing.
Vulnerability management
Amplify ensures that its systems are free of known vulnerabilities in several ways. Every production server runs vulnerability detection software that compares the installed software against a global database of known vulnerabilities. Secondly, we employ real time network monitoring that reports on any potentially malicious traffic. In addition, a third-party security firm continually reviews all of our system logs for potential security breaches. Lastly we continually test our applications against common malicious internet traffic. Violations in any of these areas will alert one of our operations teams, who are available around the clock.
In addition, Amplify participates in a private bug bounty program through HackerOne, working with the security community to find security vulnerabilities and support our efforts to keep our data and systems safe and secure.
Endpoint security
Access to production systems at Amplify is restricted to a limited set of internal Amplify users to support technical infrastructure, troubleshoot customer issues, or other purposes authorized by the district. In addition, Amplify requires multi-factor (MFA) authentication methods for access to all production systems. MFA involves a combination of something only the user knows and something only the user can access. For example, MFA for administrative access could involve entering a password as well as entering a one-time passcode sent via text message to the administrator’s mobile phone. The use of MFA reduces the possibility that an unauthorized individual could use a compromised password to access a system.
Infrastructure security
Network filtering technologies are used to ensure that production environments with student data are properly segmented from the rest of the network. Production environments only have limited external access to enable customers to use our web interfaces and other services. In addition, Amplify uses firewalls to ensure that development servers have no access to production environments.
Other measures that Amplify takes to secure its operational environment include system monitoring to detect anomalous activity that could indicate potential attacks and breaches.
Security training
At Amplify, we believe that protecting student data is the responsibility of all employees. We implemented a comprehensive information security awareness training program that all employees undergo upon initial hire, with an annual refresher training. We also provide information security training and annual social engineering tests for specific departments based on role.
6. Reactive security
Monitoring
Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) are in place to analyze the network device logs, monitor the network and report anomalous activity for appropriate resolution.
Incident response
Amplify maintains a comprehensive Security Incident Response Policy Plan, which sets out roles, responsibilities and procedures for reporting, investigation, containment, remediation and notification of security incidents. Amplify works with reputable firms for incident response and digital forensics support, as well as annual table-top exercises in coordination with cybersecurity experts.
Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery
Amplify maintains a comprehensive Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery Plan (BCP/DR), to guide personnel in procedures to protect against business disruptions caused by an unexpected event. The plans and related operations processes are tested on a semiannual basis, with ensuing operations improvement and remediation work.
7. Compliance
Audits
In addition to penetration testing and other proactive security testing and monitoring outlined above, Amplify undergoes annual SOC 2 Type 2 examinations of controls relevant to security. The examination is formally known as a Type 2 Independent Service Auditor’s Report on Controls Relevant to Security. The most recent examination was conducted by Schellman & Company, LLC and covers the period from April 1, 2024–March 31, 2025. The report states that Amplify’s systems meet the criteria for the security principle and opine on management’s description of the organization’s system and the suitability of the design of controls to protect against unauthorized access, use, or modification.
The Type 2 report also opines on the operating effectiveness of controls over the review period. This means that our auditors confirmed that we have continued to follow established security controls over the period of time of the review.
Certifications
SOC 2: Amplify successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 2 examination of controls relevant to security (see above, under “Audits”).
Privacy
Amplify’s products are built to facilitate district compliance with applicable data privacy laws, including FERPA and state laws related to the collection, access and review and disclosure of student data. Amplify’s Customer Privacy Policy describes the types of information collected and maintained on behalf of our school district customers and limitations on use and sharing of that data.
8. Supporting documentation
In the course of customer security assessment, the following documentation can be provided by Amplify upon customers’ request:
- Penetration Testing Report
- Risk Assessment Report
- SOC 2 Type 2 Report
9. Report a vulnerability
To report a security vulnerability, click here.