IM Certified® Blog
Anatomy of an IM® Math Lesson: Making the Launch Work for You
By David Petersen, Specialist, 5–12 Content In this series of blog posts—The Anatomy of an IM® Math Lesson—we’ll take a closer look at each part of an IM Math lesson and how it contributes to meaningful student learning. We begin with the launch: the moment that helps...
How IM Certified® Products and Services Help Districts Build Coherent Mathematics Programs
By the Illustrative Mathematics team Not long ago, much of the conversation in mathematics education centered on curriculum quality. Today, there is broad agreement that high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) matter. Research has demonstrated their impact, and...
LA Schools Using IM® Math Outperformed Similar Schools, New Analysis Finds
By the Illustrative Mathematics team A new analysis conducted by Leanlab Education found that schools in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) using IM® Math demonstrated stronger mathematics growth than similar schools that were not. The gains were equivalent...
The Coherence Question: What Holds Math Instruction Together When Tools Multiply?
By Dylan Dechant, Senior Vice President, Product Engineering and Innovation A decade ago, a math teacher’s year was largely shaped by a textbook and a pacing guide. A student moved through a year of math that was, for better or worse, the product of a single...
How Do Students Go from Receiving Information to Belonging in a Classroom?
By Cristina Roof, Math Specialist, Lexington Public Schools What are students thinking as they sit on the rug during a whole-class lesson? How much are they learning? How much are they simply just sitting quietly in their own world? These questions became the focus of...
Pacing with Purpose in IM® Math
By Sarah Caban, Director, PK–12 Learning Experiences A snow day. An assembly schedule. A class that needs more time to build understanding before moving on. Suddenly, you’re behind and asking yourself: Should I . . . rush the next lesson? skip activities? cut...
What Painting Rocks Can Teach Us About Math Identity
By Neal Tucker, Director of Marketing, with Linelle Brunson, EdD., Senior Specialist in Partnerships When I got home from the District 7 New York City Public Schools Math Showdown in the Bronx, I brought back a painted rock that says ”I’m a math person.” The IM is the...
10 Ways to Get Students Up and Moving in Math Class
By the Illustrative Mathematics team When we think about math class, it’s easy to picture students sitting at desks, working through problems on paper or screens. But some of the most powerful math learning happens when students are moving, talking, gesturing, and...
From Fragmentation to Coherence: What NYC District 7 Shows About Sustaining Math Improvement
By the Illustrative Mathematics team In New York City’s District 7 in the South Bronx, the story of math instruction used to be one of inconsistency. Classrooms looked different from one another. Teachers pieced together lessons from multiple sources. Students moved...
Recipes, Not Scripts: Finding Balance in Curriculum Implementation
By, Kiran Purohit, EdD, New Visions for Public Schools, Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction and Jennifer Wilson, EdD, Illustrative Mathematics, Senior Director, Implementation Enablement New Visions for Public Schools, an IM Certified® partner, has worked...









