McGraw-Hill Illustrative Mathematics 6-8 Math

The curriculum strongly emphasizes real-world application and mathematical problem-solving contexts.

The curriculum is described as having students 'solving problems in mathematical and real-world contexts' and includes 'tasks that encourage rich mathematical discussions and application beyond rote memorization.'

The curriculum de-emphasizes direct instruction in favor of student-centered problem-solving and mathematical discourse.

The curriculum is described as problem-based where 'students learn by doing math' rather than through explicit teacher instruction. Teacher commentary provides pedagogical rationale, but the approach is fundamentally discovery-oriented.

The curriculum appears to lack systematic retrieval practice and spaced review of previously studied topics.

Common Sense Education specifically notes the curriculum 'lacks systematic review of previously-studied topics' and has 'limited practice opportunities,' indicating insufficient retrieval practice.

The curriculum uses a coherent problem-based sequence that meets standards alignment but may lack sufficient foundational skill building.

EdReports rated the curriculum as meeting expectations for focus and coherence. However, teachers report needing '1-2 days of pre/re-teaching before students are ready to engage with the content,' suggesting gaps in prerequisite skill development.

The curriculum strongly emphasizes conceptual understanding through problem-based learning but shows concerning limitations in procedural skill development.

EdReports found the curriculum meets expectations for balancing conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and application. However, Common Sense Education notes 'insufficient focus on skill mastery' and 'limited practice opportunities' as significant weaknesses.

The curriculum provides teacher-facing commentary explaining pedagogical approaches but requires substantial preparation time.

Reviews note 'teacher-facing commentary explaining pedagogical rationale' and that the curriculum 'can be a powerful tool for elevating teacher practice when educators are willing to invest time in implementation.' However, teachers report needing significant additional preparation time.

The McGraw-Hill version includes performance reporting features, though the basic curriculum has limited assessment tools.

The McGraw-Hill version includes 'automatic scoring of student practice and classroom performance reporting.' However, the basic curriculum 'lacks comprehensive assessments' according to Common Sense Education.

Evidence suggests limited use of traditional worked examples, consistent with the problem-based approach.

The curriculum emphasizes students 'learning by doing math' and 'solving problems' rather than studying model solutions. No specific mention of worked examples in the available reviews.

The curriculum likely incorporates visual models given its problem-based approach, but specific evidence is limited.

The problem-based methodology would typically include visual representations, but reviews don't specifically address manipulatives or visual modeling approaches.