Norton School Committee Unanimously Adopts Amplify Math Curriculum for High School Classes

NORTON -- May 18, 2026, Norton School Committee unanimously adopts Amplify AGA as new high school math curriculum, funded largely by a $75,000 legislative earmark. The committee voted at its May 18 meeting to approve the Amplify AGA program, covering Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, after a months-long review that included field tests of two finalists and a site visit to Sharon High School, which uses the competing Savas AGA product. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Ackerman said the five-year license runs $113,128.48, while a three-year option is priced at $74,580, effectively covered by a $75,000 fair-share earmark secured through Senator Feeney's office, with any remainder drawn from school choice revenue. Teachers who field-tested both programs cited Amplify's student engagement and stronger technology performance as decisive; Savas's software, they said, loaded too slowly to complete lessons reliably during the test window. The committee also approved three policy revisions barring schools and student groups from organizing raffles or games of chance under updated Massachusetts law, with one member dissenting on the staff solicitations and booster organization policies over concerns about the district's ability to enforce the new standards. Superintendent Jennifer Russo announced that the state commissioner recognized Norton for reducing chronic absenteeism by more than 5 percent over the past year.