IM Certified® Blog
IM’s Back-to-School Toolkit 2026–27
By the Illustrative Mathematics team Every new school year brings both excitement and plenty of questions. Whether you’re teaching with IM® Math for the first time, returning after summer break, or supporting teachers as a coach, we’ve gathered some of our most...
Anatomy of an IM® Math Lesson: Why Centers Matter
by Lindy Olejniczak, PK–6 Content Specialist In this series of blog posts—The Anatomy of an IM® Math Lesson—we’re taking a closer look at each part of an IM® Math lesson and how it contributes to meaningful student learning. After exploring the launch and warm-up in...
Anatomy of an IM® Math Lesson: Setting Up Students for Success with the Warm-up
by Fattama Alkaysi, Content Specialist, PK–6 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. After exploring the launch in our first post,...
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...
