Redefining Math Education for the Next Generation
Welcome to IM® v.360, the new version of the IM K–12 Math curriculum. After listening to valuable feedback from educators and students alike, we’ve made transformative changes to create a more inclusive learning environment. IM v.360 empowers teachers to ensure that every child learns grade-level mathematics and develops a positive mathematical identity through engaging learning experiences that shape their understanding and personal development.
Our newest version of IM K–12 Math™, IM® v.360, builds on the foundation of our highly rated curricula, maintaining the core tenets of IM standards-aligned instruction and features while incorporating new additions and enhancements.
WEBINAR RECORDING
Introducing IM® v.360: A Live Q&A with the IM Authors
Join us for an engaging webinar that explores our latest curriculum upgrade, IM v.360. This session will be an informative discussion, directly addressing questions from our vibrant community. As we explore these new features together, we aim to enhance your understanding and application of IM v.360 in your educational settings.
About IM v.360
IM v.360 is Illustrative Mathematics’ most extensive upgrade to date for our K–12 math curriculum. Our innovative approach to problem-based instruction empowers teachers to ensure that every child learns grade-level mathematics and develops a positive mathematical identity through engaging, motivative learning experiences.
Why Now?
Since 2011, school leaders, teachers, and students have provided us with feedback on the curriculum, and we listened. We implemented updates and revisions across the IM curriculum in response to the needs of teachers and students.
What’s New?
IM v.360 contains upgrades, enhancements, and revisions to our K–12 curriculum that were made in response to the needs of teachers, school leaders, and students. See our FAQs below for a more detailed list of what’s new.
How Will It Affect You?
Whether you are new to the curriculum or have been using IM for years, a version of IM v.360 will be available to schools and districts at illustrativemathematics.org for free, and from our IM Certified® Partners Imagine Learning, Kendall Hunt and Kiddom.
Just like IM K–12, IM v.360:
- provides a consistent problem-based lesson structure, ensuring coherence within and across all grade levels
- includes thoughtfully designed instructional routines that promote interaction, inviting all students to engage in every lesson
- offers specialized guidance and support to help teachers facilitate learning for multilingual language learners and students with disabilities
- includes math language routines (MLRs), which aid in language development and increase access for multilingual language learners
New K–5 Features
- Language learning goals
- The language learning goals describe the interaction between the language functions and the math content in a lesson. They describe what students will be able to understand and do with the math content by the end of the lesson and the language demands students use to reach those goals.
- Optional kindergarten number-writing lessons
- Two optional lessons were added to the end of kindergarten Unit 2 to provide instruction and practice with numeral formation.
- Checkpoint and end-of-unit assessment guidance
- Assessment guidance focuses on what can be clearly observed. It uses asset-based language to focus on what students understand about particular math concepts, and what they show they can do as it relates to procedural skills, fluency, and application.
- The guidance also encourages reliance on the math curriculum’s coherence when considering how to address any unfinished learning. Although there may be instances when reteaching concepts is required, guidance focuses on ways to continue teaching grade-level content and use existing structures to address unfinished learning.
- In addition to the cool-down guidance found in the previous version of IM K–5 Math, the newest version also includes guidance for section checkpoints (grades 2–5) and end-of-unit assessments (K–5).
K–5 Revisions
In addition to many small edits made for clarity, consistency, and ease of use, revisions include:
- Course guide content is reorganized, clarified, and simplified to make information easier to find.
- Instructional Routines:
- Brief language was added to the activity narratives to alert teachers the first time an instructional routine is used in a grade.
- Which One Doesn’t Belong is now Which Three Go Together.
- Based on teacher feedback, we decided that the name and focus of this routine on one thing that “doesn’t belong” needed an update. At IM, we believe that diversity in the classroom should be celebrated and agree that students may associate “belonging” more strongly with people than mathematical objects. This is particularly relevant due to current discussions about who belongs in the mathematics classroom.
- An important aspect of the routine is the idea of same and different, yet having all four items be part of a group. This routine still gives students opportunities to identify and name specific characteristics, which help them develop their mathematical language skills.
- The 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions: Each 5 Practices activity is updated to clarify what to monitor for, give ideas on how to sequence, and make more explicit the connections that should be made between student thinking and lesson goals. Each K–5 unit (except the first and last units) now includes at least one 5 Practices activity with these features.
- Modeling lessons were revised to ensure they match the format, style, and language used throughout other lessons, and to ensure they provide opportunities for students to develop and apply precursor skills of mathematical modeling (MP4). Now, each K–5 unit (except the final unit) includes an optional modeling lesson.
- All blackline masters were audited to ensure necessity. When possible, content was added to the student workbook and blackline masters eliminated. This results in less photocopying in classrooms with workbooks.
Centers were revised so that center narratives, directions, materials, and blackline masters are clear and consistent with the lesson activities in which they are introduced.
New 6–8 Features
- Each section now has its own narrative, goals, and a checkpoint assessment with assessment guidance.
- Sections now include teacher reflection questions on the mathematical work and pedagogical practices of the section’s lessons.
- An embedded plan for building a math community begins with establishing classroom norms and continues throughout the year as the classroom culture grows.
- Select instances of math language routines are embedded into activities to provide all students with explicit opportunities to develop mathematical and academic language proficiency.
- The required materials section for each lesson displays both “Materials to Gather” and “Materials to Copy,” giving teachers greater clarity on the preparation work needed for a lesson.
- Each course guide includes unit-level mathematical practice charts that highlight lessons showcasing certain MPs, plus a set of student-facing learning targets for each mathematical practice.
6–8 Revisions
In addition to many small edits made for clarity, consistency, and ease of use, revisions include:
- The course guide content is reorganized, clarified, and simplified to make information easier to find.
- With the addition of section-level narratives, all narratives from unit level to activity level are revised for alignment, focus, and brevity.
- Each 5 Practices activity is updated to clarify what to monitor for, give ideas on how to sequence, and make more explicit the connections that should be made between student thinking and lesson goals.
- The Which One Doesn’t Belong routine is now Which Three Go Together. At IM, we believe that diversity in the classroom should be celebrated and agree with teacher feedback that
- students may associate “belonging” more strongly with people than mathematical objects. This is particularly relevant due to current discussions about who belongs in the mathematics classroom. An important aspect of the routine is the idea of same and different, yet having all four items be part of a group. This routine still gives students opportunities to identify and name specific characteristics, which help them develop their mathematical language skills.
- Some contexts are revised to be more coherent across a lesson and more representative of diverse cultures, and activity launches offer more suggestions for bringing in student experiences and understandings before an activity.
- Revised assessment guidance for cool-downs clarify the suggested plan of action if most students are struggling with a key concept from the lesson that day.
- Activity-level Anticipated Misconceptions is now Building On Student Thinking, which offers look-fors and questions to support students as they engage in an activity.
Note on High School Materials: To support schools that offer a first year high school math course to accelerated students in grade 8, both IM 360 Algebra 1 and Integrated Math 1 are available for the 2024-2025 school year, before the full release of the high school materials for the 2025-2026 school year.
PREVIEW SAMPLES OF THE IM v.360 CURRICULUM
Grade 1, Unit 2
Grade 1, Unit 2 includes more direct guidance for completing word problems with early readers. The number of equations was reduced, thereby placing the focus more on developing problem-solving skills and making sense of word problems. The advancing student thinking field is updated with more specific supports and guidance for teachers, which are beneficial in promoting students’ critical thinking and analytical abilities. These changes are meant to create a more effective learning experience for first-grade students.
Grade 4, Unit 2
Grade 4, Unit 2 further builds fraction understanding using familiar representations. Teachers will find the updated advancing student thinking beneficial because additional supports have been included to assist in promoting students’ critical thinking and analytical abilities. Teachers will have more guidance and resources to address students’ questions and challenges in real-time. The just-in-time support provided through these updates will help teachers intervene effectively and address students’ needs more efficiently, which ultimately contributes to a more supportive learning environment in the classroom.
Grade 7, Unit 2
Sections A and B highlights
- Embedded Math Community pieces. Contained in the first two units of each course are eight exercises designed to support teachers as they start off the school year establishing norms and building a math community. Ongoing work is woven into later units inviting communities to revisit and revise norms, and look for time where the norms are supporting the community.
- Lessons 1, 3, 6
- Embedded Math Language Routines. The first instance of each Math Language Routine in a course is embedded and includes additional language to support teachers implementing the routine with students for the first time. Select Math Language Routines have been embedded throughout the lessons to support the math language development of all students, and especially English Learners.
- Page 66 for Three Reads
- Page 48, Page 78 for Collect and Display
- Page 81 Co-Craft Questions
- Note: This type of embedding brings 6–8 curricula into closer alignment with IM K–5 Math.
- Which Three Go Together? The instructional routine Which One Doesn’t Belong? Has been reimagined as Which Three Go Together?
- Page 95 Lesson 4 Activity 1
- Page 111 Lesson 5 Activity 1
- Number Talks and Algebra Talks are now Math Talks. For this version, Number Talks and Algebra Talks have been brought together under the name Math Talk, bringing greater alignment to IM 6–12 curricula. All Math Talks have a consistent four items for teachers to reveal one at a time with their students.
- Page 76 Lesson 3 Activity 1
- 5 Practices. The standard language for all 5 Practices-tagged activities has been revised and clarified to better support teachers implementing this routine.
- Page 62 Lesson 2 Activity 2
- Revised Contexts.
- Page 65 Lesson 2 Act 3 revised to use the basic recipe for Coco bread, a popular Jamaican food.
- Page 128 Lesson 6 Activity 2 is still reasoning about quantities and prices, but now in a context of bottle returns instead of concert ticket sales.
Grade 8, Unit 3
- Materials and Preparation. The start of each Teacher Guide includes a chart laying out needed materials and blackline masters by activity number.
Added clarity around Materials to Gather, Materials to Copy, and Required Preparation at the lesson level so teachers have one place to look as they prepare for a lesson. - Section Narratives and Goals. New section narratives and section goals are included for each section in a unit. These offer teachers a high level overview of the work in a section along with a key image to help orient teachers to the section.
- Teacher Reflection Questions. Included with the section narratives is a set of three Teacher Reflection Questions. These questions invite teachers to dive into the mathematics in the section, reflect their teaching practice, and consider how classroom structures and instructional decisions impact students’ beliefs about their own and each others’ mathematical capabilities.
- Section Checkpoints. Sections have 1–3 Checkpoint items that align with the goals of the section. These short formative assessments also include guidance, titled Responding to Student Thinking, to support teacher planning based on student responses.
- Math Language Routine 7 Compare and Connect. In activities where we want students to compare representations or strategies and make connections, we’ve embedded the Math Language Routine Compare and Connect. Given the close relationship between this routine and 5 Practices, we’ve used similar standard language across activities tagged with this routine.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When will IM v.360 be available?
The fall 2023 announcement of IM® v.360 signaled the gradual launch of the new curriculum version to the world. Beginning in summer 2024, a free digital version, which includes downloadable print materials, will be released on our website. Enhanced digital and print formats will be available through IM Certified Partners for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond.
Note on High School Materials:
To support schools that offer a first year high school math course to accelerated students in grade 8, both IM 360 Algebra 1 and Integrated Math 1 are available for the 2024-2025 school year, before the full release of the high school materials for the 2025-2026 school year.
Where can I preview the IM v.360 curriculum from a certified partner?
Imagine Learning, an IM Certified® Premier Digital Partner and IM v.360 curriculum provider, is in development for a new program across K-12 revision available for implementation beginning fall 2024. Click here to learn more.
Kendall Hunt Publishing, an IM Certified Partner and print provider of the new IM v.360 curriculum, will be integrating this new curriculum into their selection of K-12 products and programs later this Fall for implementation Fall 2024-2025. Sign up to receive IM v.360 updates exclusively from Kendall Hunt by clicking here and selecting NEW IM v.360.
IM v.360 powered by Kiddom unites ground-breaking technology with Illustrative Mathematics’ high-quality curriculum. Kiddom empowers educators to customize, implement, and measure the impact of IM v.360 on a simple, powerful platform. A full suite of digital tools and functionality creates dynamic, engaging learning experiences for students, while real-time data supports informed instructional choices.
What new features are in the IM v.360 curriculum?
We made upgrades, enhancements, and revisions to the IM v.360 curriculum in response to the needs of teachers, school leaders, and students.
Upgrades to the K–5 curriculum include:
- NEW! Language Learning Goals, End of Unit Guidance, Checklist Guidance
- Strengthened representations of diverse cultures
- Revisions to the Course Guide content, Instructional Routines, and blackline masters
- And more!
Upgrades to the 6–12 curriculum include:
- NEW! Narrative Structures, Section-level Assessments (Checkpoints), Instructional Goals, and Teacher Reflection Questions
- Embedded guidance for building a classroom community
- Embedded Math Language Routines and revised Instructional Routine language, including for 5 Practices activities
- Revised context and activity launches to invite more students into the mathematics, including more representations of diverse cultures
- Revised lesson contexts to align with the California framework, including environmental literacy enhancements
- And more!
Where can I get more information?
Our Partner & Client Support Team is available to answer any questions you may have about IM v.360. Click here to schedule a call for a one-on-one meeting.
What does IM v.360 mean?
We named the new edition of our curriculum “IM v.360” to distinguish this version from previous versions. The number “360” is all-embracing, all-encompassing, and all-inclusive. Similarly, IM v.360 is coherent, inclusive, and all-encompassing. It invites students to the math through engaging contexts and problems relevant to students’ experiences. We are proud to say that IM v.360 is the next evolution of our curriculum products!
Schools and districts will always have free access to IM v.360 on our website under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. In order to ensure alignment with our design principles and instructional model, providers wishing to make commercial use of the materials will need to obtain a commercial license. Please direct enquiries about commercial licensing to licensing@illustrativemathematics.org.