The research behind IM® Math
Research has shaped IM Math from the beginning. Evidence from classrooms and schools is how we keep making it stronger.
What research is IM Math based on?
IM Math is built on decades of research on how students develop mathematical understanding. It draws on leading frameworks in mathematics education, including the National Research Council’s Adding It Up and How People Learn, research on problem solving, discourse, and explicit instruction, established learning progressions, and Universal Design for Learning. These findings shape the structure of every IM Math lesson.
How students learn mathematics
Conceptual understanding and procedural fluency develop together, not in sequence. IM Math reflects the National Research Council’s findings on how children build mathematical proficiency (Adding It Up, 2001) and how people learn (How People Learn, 2000).
Problem-based, discourse, and explicit instruction
Students learn mathematics by solving problems and discussing their reasoning, with teachers guiding that work toward the key ideas (Hiebert et al., 1996; Hiebert & Grouws, 2007). Teachers share information students need along the way, such as vocabulary and notation, and every activity closes with a synthesis in which the teacher makes the key mathematics explicit (Hiebert et al., 1996; Hiebert & Grouws, 2007). The sequence is intentional: students first work on a problem that prepares them to make sense of the explicit instruction that follows (Schwartz & Bransford, 1998). IM’s instructional routines draw on structured frameworks like Smith and Stein’s 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions (2011).
Coherent learning progressions
Mathematical ideas are sequenced so learning builds within and across grade levels, following the Progressions for the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the instructional strategies in NCTM’s Principles to Actions (2014). Students learn standard procedures and why they work, so each new idea builds on one they already understand.
Access for all learners
Every lesson is designed so all students can engage in grade-level mathematics. IM Math integrates research-based instructional strategies that reflect students’ different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking (Gay, 2018; Hammond, 2014), resources for multilingual learners grounded in research on language development in mathematics (Zwiers et al., 2017), and Universal Design for Learning principles that provide access for students with disabilities (CAST, 2024).
Professional learning that changes practice
IM’s professional learning framework is grounded in research on instructional change and teacher collaboration (DuFour et al., 2024; Fullan, 2019; Horn, 2012), because well-designed materials only matter when educators are supported to use them well.
What makes implementation work
Strong materials are the starting point. Research and guidance on implementation from IM and other experts in the field show what it takes for problem-based instruction to take hold across classrooms and schools.
“Are We Doing It Right?’ Tool guides curriculum implementation
Published in The Learning Professional (Learning Forward)
How a shared observational tool, IM’s IMplementation Reflection Tool, helps leaders and teachers make sustained changes in practice.
Professional learning vs. PD: The distinction matters
Published in The Learning Professional (Learning Forward)
Why shifting from one-off professional development events to ongoing, curriculum-based professional learning is key to lasting instructional change.
The Contribution of Mathematics to School STEM Education
Published by Springer
Based on interviews with educators in four districts implementing IM Math, the authors found that collaborative problem-solving and structured mathematical discourse led to meaningful shifts in classroom practice and stronger engagement.
Developing Collaborations Among Mathematicians, Teachers, and Mathematics Educators
Published by Springer
The authors point to Illustrative Mathematics as a model organization for collaboration between the fields of mathematics and education in service of better teaching and learning.
How we study what works
At Illustrative Mathematics, our research comes down to one essential question: Are students learning to know, use, and enjoy mathematics?
To answer it, we focus on two priorities. The first is achievement: the effect of IM Certified® curricula and professional learning on student learning outcomes. The second is identity: how students’ mindset, confidence, and sense of themselves as mathematicians develop in IM classrooms. Both matter, because understanding and confidence grow together.
Research collaborators
Join the IM research community
Are you an educator using IM Math? Your classroom experience can help shape this research. Join the IM research community to participate in future studies.
Research institutions interested in studying IM Math can reach us at [email protected].
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