By Dr. Catherine Castillo, Sr. Specialist, Implementation Portfolio
Are you leading IM implementation at your school or district and want to ensure an organized and thoughtful rollout?
With the upcoming launch of IM® v. 360, you may be thinking about ways to set your school up for success with implementation.
Adopting high-quality instructional materials such as IM Certified® Math is one step toward ensuring equitable experiences for students. However, the actions schools take following adoption will determine the integrity of implementation and the degree to which the materials will be used effectively in classrooms. A thoughtful implementation plan will set the stage for implementing IM Certified Math as intended.
IM Certified Math is a problem-based curriculum that fosters the development of mathematics learning communities in classrooms, gives students access to the mathematics through a coherent progression, and offers teachers the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of mathematics, student thinking, and their own teaching practice.
When teachers and leaders are aligned on best practices for teaching and learning and are supported with ongoing opportunities for professional learning and reflection, they will be well-positioned to enact change as they move through the implementation journey together. This partnership between teachers and leaders helps build buy-in and ensures the school community is stepping toward a common goal.
That’s why we created the Getting Started with IM Certified Math: A Guide for Instructional Leaders, which provides a roadmap for launching IM implementation in partnership with teachers.
The guide contains six key actions that will help launch a successful year 1 implementation plan.
The Getting Started website includes ideas on how to implement each of the key actions, a list of resources aligned to the action steps, and examples from research that outline why each component is important to implementation.
We also created a Getting Started with IM Certified Math planning document, which can be used to organize and track progress of each action so that it is clear who is leading each step and the timeframe for completing it.
The Getting Started guide is meant to be just that, a place to start. There will likely be additional local considerations that teams will need to address, but we hope you find this guide helpful in launching your IM implementation.
Conclusion
We’d love to hear how it’s going on social media! Please tag @illustrateMath as your team begins this journey together so that we can celebrate with you!
Next Steps
Use the Getting Started with IM website at imk12.org/GettingStarted to help you think through the six key actions that will ensure a successful implementation plan!
Dr. Catherine Castillo
Sr. Specialist, Implementation Portfolio
Catherine Castillo (she/her/hers) received a BS in elementary education, an MS in curriculum and instruction, and an MS in educational leadership from Missouri State University. Catherine recently finished her doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in educational leadership and policy analysis. Catherine has spent her career working with Title 1 schools as a teacher, instructional math coach, math recovery intervention specialist, and district math coordinator. Catherine now serves as a senior specialist on the implementation portfolio team where she creates resources that support coaches and leaders with IM implementation.
Catherine is passionate about helping students build positive math identities and believes that all students deserve access to high-quality mathematics instruction. Catherine loves to travel and spend time in and around the ocean with her boys
