HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Due to mandates set by the state, the school district is being prompted to invest in an additional high quality instructional resource for math that will benefit both teachers and students. Assistant Superintendent Jessica Addison presented information about the enVision math program from SAVAAS Learning to the Christian Board of Education on March 20.

This new program will cost the district just over $600,000, although work has been done to secure grant money to help bring the price tag down. Addison shared that they have already secured a massive grant that will cover just over $400,000 of the purchase. She is also confident that they will secure an additional grant that would award an additional $70,000.

With the long-researched grants, this would leave the district responsible for around $130,000 to come out of the general fund, which the board approved. “This is a purchase that we take very seriously,” Addison told the school board.

Impact on students and teachers

The purchase of the math program would allow CCPS teachers and students from third to fifth grade to have access to dynamic digital and print math resources, along with additional study and support materials. It was explained during the meeting that the lesson plans set by the program will offer relief to teachers, while also making sure that all schools and teachers are functioning at the same standard.

“Research shows that teachers spend seven to 12 hours a week researching and creating lessons if we don’t provide a high-quality instructional resource for them. So that’s an extra workday that they are doing right now outside of the workday if they have to create their own,” said Addison.

Six years of programming will be covered in this cost. Once they move forward with the purchase, teachers and staff can quickly begin training to be ready to utilize enVision next fall. Adopting this program will also put the district in compliance with Kentucky Academic Standards, which is required to be implemented by January 2026. Districts in the state that are unable to afford the resources will have to go unfunded or creatively utilize grants.

CCPS is already using high quality instructional resources for science, reading, and English/language arts as per previous requirements, which has reflected positively. They have been monitoring teachers use of previously implemented resources, which boosts how often they are used.