Florida Math

Hi. I'm Doctor Sarah Bush, and I'm a Florida Math author, and I live in Florida and work with Florida Math teachers and leaders every day. And I'm excited to talk to you about Florida Math. When we write mathematics curriculum for Florida, we don't start by asking where can we put the benchmark code. We start with a different question. What does a benchmark require students to know, understand, and be able to do, and how can we best get them there? That is the foundation of how McGraw Hill designed Florida Math for Florida's BEST standards and benchmarks, the Big M instructional guides, and the math standards progressions. We begin with a benchmark and unpack its full intent, not just the words of the benchmark, but the depth of understanding students are expected to develop. Then we looked across the math standards progressions and the Big M instructional guides to understand the benchmarks of focus, connecting benchmarks, mathematical thinking and reasoning standards, common misconceptions, and the kinds of tasks and evidence that can demonstrate understanding. The MTR's student facing language is the state's clearest description of what students should be doing and saying as they learn. With this information in mind, we intentionally built those expectations into Florida Math. For example, imagine a benchmark requiring students to understand and represent equivalent fractions. Learning experiences engage students in using models to generate equivalent fractions and make connections across different representations, including fraction models, number lines, and decimal grids. As student students' understanding develops, they use benchmark numbers and equivalencies to compare fractions and engage in meaningful discourse as they explain their reasoning and make connections across different representations. Notice that the evidence of alignment isn't just the benchmark code on the page. The mathematical intent is moving students from exploration to representations to reasoning to application. The evidence of alignment is found in what students are asked to think about, do, explain, and demonstrate. This is alignment in practice that creates a learning progression, not an isolated lesson. And that's important because Florida's best framework emphasizes that benchmarks are not meant to be taught in isolation. They are intentionally connected and developed over time. So when we say Florida math is designed for Florida, we mean more than every lesson has a benchmark. We mean the standards are visible and intentionally sequenced in the content. The task asks students to think and reason. The representations support their learning. The questions are designed to elicit understanding. And the MTR student and teacher moves are woven into everyday lesson routines, and mathematical thinking is built on prior knowledge. We don't simply map the standards and benchmarks to the curriculum. We design the curriculum around what the standards and benchmarks ask students to become capable of doing. Florida Math by McGraw Hill is designed to support mastery of the best standards and benchmarks and support teachers with the tools they need to identify and respond to evidence of student understanding. And that is how we build math confidence for teachers, students, and Florida schools.