IM 6–8 MATH
Meets all expectations in all three EdReports Gateways
Successfully Used in Over 200 Districts with Over 300,000 Students.
IM 6–8 Math meets expectations in all EdReports Gateways. EdReports is an independent nonprofit that reviews K–12 instructional materials for focus, coherence, and rigor. Read the full analysis for Kendall Hunt, Imagine Learning, and McGraw Hill.
About IM 6–8 Math
Developing Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Fluency
As each unit progresses, students are systematically introduced to representations, contexts, concepts, language, and notation. As their learning progresses, they make connections between different representations and strategies, consolidating their conceptual understanding, and see and understand more efficient methods of solving problems, supporting the shift toward procedural fluency. The distributed practice problems give students ongoing practice, which also supports developing procedural proficiency.
Applying Mathematics
Students have opportunities to make connections to real-world contexts throughout the materials. Carefully chosen anchor contexts are used to motivate new mathematical concepts, and students have many opportunities to make connections between contexts and the concepts they are learning.
The Five Practices
Selected activities are structured using Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions (Smith & Stein, 2011).
Task Purposes
Different instructional tasks serve different purposes. Examples include:
- provide experience with a new context
- introduce a new concept and associated language
- introduce a new representation
- formalize the definition of a term for an idea previously encountered informally
- identify and resolve common mistakes and misconceptions
- practice using mathematical language
- work toward mastery of a concept or procedure
- provide an opportunity to apply mathematics to a modeling or other application problem
The IM Accelerated Difference
A Condensed and Comprehensive Two-year Pathway That Addresses all Standards
IM 6–8 Math Accelerated, a compressed version of IM 6–8 Math, is a thoughtful alternative to conventional accelerated programs because its design eliminates the possibility for unfinished learning as students arrive at Algebra 1. It includes all of the standards in IM 6–8 Math and compacts them into a two-year curriculum meant to be covered during grades 6 and 7. The pace is faster than IM 6–8 Math, but no crucial mathematical concepts are left-out.
See also Guidance for Accelerating Students in Mathematics and FAQs for IM 6–8 Math Accelerated
IM Certified® IM Professional Learning™
IM Professional Learning for mathematics is deeply integrated with the curriculum. The program provides teachers and leaders long-term, sustainable support for developing, refining, and reflecting on instructional practices.
IM CERTIFIED PARTNERS
Our partners provide the ideal experience with our curriculum.
IM Certified Partners share our commitment to providing the IM Certified Curriculum to all teachers and students as it is meant to be experienced, in the format they need to ensure success.
Family-owned and operated, we at Kendall Hunt have a 75-year tradition of providing innovative curricula to meet the specific needs of students and teachers. Illustrative Mathematics is the latest addition to our lineup of hands-on science, mathematics, gifted and virtual reality curricula for grades PreK-12. We provide the only free, digital middle school and high school mathematics curriculum for students in grades 6-12, along with high-quality printed resources to ensure you and your students are making the most of your Illustrative Mathematics problem-based curriculum.
Imagine Learning (formerly LearnZillion) IM K–12 Math, certified by Illustrative Mathematics, offers a blended digital and print instructional experience that leverages the power of high-quality curricula. The comprehensive solution empowers teachers with lesson cards and teaching notes, digital interactives and assessments, and embedded differentiation. The program engages students through instructional routines, math discourse, and digital tools that promote thinking and reasoning.
At McGraw Hill, learning science guides everything we do, fueling our mission to help students and teachers succeed. Our new partnership with Illustrative Mathematics is part of that mission, allowing us to deliver their problem-based core curriculum on our Open Learning Platform with print resources to fully support your implementation.
An Expert-Authored Curriculum
We're Dedicated to Teacher and Student Success
Our curricula are designed by respected thought leaders who share IM's goal
to create a world where learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics.
William G. McCallum
CEO & Co-Founder
Bill McCallum has dedicated his life to helping teachers, educators, mathematicians, and policymakers show fidelity to both mathematical coherence and student learning.
He is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at The University of Arizona, where he researches number theory and arithmetical algebraic geometry, authors textbooks, and advises researchers and policymakers. Bill’s work as a lead writer of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics earned him the Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Mathematical Society and the Dolciani Award from the Mathematical Association of America.
As President and co-founder of Illustrative Mathematics, he chairs the Board of Directors where he helps craft the strategic direction of the organization and contributes to the curricula; he also represents IM to funders, at speaking events, and in workshops.
Kristin Umland
Content Lead, IM 6–8 Math v.III
Kristin believes that all children can learn and enjoy mathematics, and that by coordinating the expertise of teachers, mathematicians, math education researchers, and business professionals, we can help students realize their mathematical potential.
Before joining the IM team, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New Mexico (UNM). After joining UNM with a Ph.D. in Mathematics, she carried out research in mathematics education, taught pre-service and in-service elementary and secondary teachers, and conducted education outreach at the local, state, and national level. A recipient of both the Louise Hay Award and the AMS Impact Award, Kristin’s goal has always been to improve the mathematical and pedagogical quality of children’s learning experiences.
A co-founder of IM, she now serves as VP for Content Development and oversees the development of curriculum and professional learning.
Kate Nowak
Director 6–12 Curriculum
Kate is a writer, teacher, and curriculum designer. After a successful 8 years teaching high school mathematics and writing the popular blog f(t), she transitioned into a career in curriculum design.
As the instructional lead author of the IM 6–8 and IM Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 curricula, Kate loves leading teams to create products that help teachers and students know, use, and enjoy mathematics.
Kate is very enthusiastic about puzzles, smoothies, and navigating public transit in new cities.
Yenche Tioanda
Grade 6 Lead, IM 6–8 Math v.III
Yenche is passionate about learning and helping others learn. She is also a fan of spicy food, public radio, walking outings, and game nights with her family.
Her adventures in math education began as a high-school teacher and a corps member of Teach For America in Philadelphia. Over the past 14 years, she has worked as a teacher, curriculum designer, leader of a professional learning community, administrator, and consultant to schools and non-profit organizations.
Now as Algebra 1 and Grade 6 Lead for IM, she is dedicated to expanding the opportunities for all students to enjoy and be curious about math.
Michelle Mourtgos
Grade 7 Lead, IM 6–8 Math v.III
Michelle is motivated by a desire to help teachers enjoy teaching, help students enjoy learning, and build up everyone’s sense of self-efficacy. She also enjoys computer programming, Siberian Huskies, and woodwind instruments.
A middle school math teacher since 2007, Michelle holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Supervision from Pennsylvania State University. In 2013 she received the Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education.
She was the lead author for grade 7 of the Illustrative Mathematics 6–8 Math Curriculum and is now the middle school content specialist.
Ashli Black
Grade 8 Lead, IM 6–8 Math v.III
Ashli is inspired by doing math with other teachers, discussing classroom practice, and reading what research tells us about how to best support student learning. She can often be found hiking in the mountains or covered in flour in the kitchen.
She began her education career 12 years ago as a high school teacher in Washington State. She is a National Board Certified teacher, and an alumna of the Park City Mathematics Institute.
In 2011, Ashli joined the Illustrative Mathematics team part-time working on social media outreach and task publication. She is now the lead writer of the grade 8 and Algebra 2 IM curricula.
Max Ray-Riek
6–12 Professional Learning Lead
Max Ray-Riek is the Director of 6–12 Professional Development at Illustrative Mathematics and worked as a writer on the high school curriculum. Before coming to Illustrative Mathematics, Max worked for The Math Forum, focusing on fostering problem-solving and making student thinking the center of math class. He is the lead author of Powerful Problem Solving: Activities for Sense Making with the Math Practices.
Max is a former secondary mathematics teacher (and before that, preschool teacher) who finds the art and discipline of valuing each student’s ideas and supporting all students to see themselves as people who can listen, connect, and act mathematically, to be the hardest, most rewarding, and most important work in the world. Max lives in Philadelphia with his wife, with whom he fosters puppies who will grow up to be trained to be service dogs.
Liz Ramirez
Director of Access and Supports
Liz Ramirez is passionate about supporting access for English learners and students with disabilities and has spent her career learning along with the best in her field. She started out as a middle school math teacher in New York City. In the years that followed, she taught and coached in NYC Public Schools and abroad.
At Illustrative Mathematics, Liz has worked with teams to develop quality resources and professional learning opportunities that empower teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students. In her current role as Director of Implementation, she is focused on the development of tools, resources, and professional learning that will help districts successfully implement the IM curriculum.