Skip To Main Content

Building for Success: Middle School Math Adoption Fosters Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking

Building for Success: Middle School Math Adoption Fosters Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking


Tracing paper and colored pencils in hand, a middle school student begins to shade in sections of a parallelogram, marking areas that could be rearranged to form a rectangle. The task at hand seems puzzling at first but the student’s eyes widen as they make connections and the shape comes to form. They now can calculate the area of the original figure.

With a focus on learner-centered education and hands-on activities such as this, Redwood City School District (RCSD) 6-8 classrooms have adopted Imagine IM 6-8, the Certified Illustrative Mathematics curriculum which is optimized by Imagine Learning for engagement, accessibility, and usability, laying the foundation for the rigor of transitioning to high school.

Following the success of the elementary school Illustrative Mathematics program, Imagine IM K-5, committee members had selected Imagine IM 6-8 for a 2024-25 pilot period. The Board of Trustees recently approved official adoption of the curriculum for the upcoming school year.

Piloting teachers sought a curriculum which nurtures growth in numerical flexibility, problem-solving skills, and conceptual understanding–all core competencies needed as students prepare for algebra and beyond.

Roy Cloud 8th grade Teacher Xa Mai Checks with a Student

Roy Cloud 8th grade Teacher Xa Mai Checks with a Student


Imagine IM fosters these skills through captivating, hands-on activities and lessons designed to cultivate mathematical discussion and collaboration among learners.

This framework serves to have students dive into the “why” in mathematics, moving thinking toward a much deeper understanding. Beyond computational steps, students learn the interconnected relationships between numbers and math operations.

Board approval of the curriculum adoption also comes with the purchase of math manipulatives for classrooms so that students can build models and visual representations of mathematical relationships. Teachers will also receive training to further amplify strategies already in use which create engaging and meaningful mathematical experiences.

Strategic Organizational Alignment:
The Imagine IM curriculum goes hand in hand with RCSD’s Learner Framework, ensuring students are prepared to be Empowered Learners, Knowledge Constructors, Effective Collaborators, and Creative Communicators.

Adoption of the Imagine IM curriculum supports RCSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Goal Three to accelerate student growth in mathematics, through increased hands-on math experiences in both high-level whole group and small group instruction.

More of Our Stories

Play and Pause Buttons for Slideshow
Roy Cloud 8th grade Teacher Xa Mai Checks with a Student

Following the success of the elementary school Illustrative Mathematics program, Imagine IM K-5, committee members had selected Imagine IM 6-8 for a 2024-25 pilot period. The Board of Trustees recently approved official adoption of the curriculum for the upcoming school year.

Read More about Building for Success: Middle School Math Adoption Fosters Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking
HVAC System

The first phase of installations will begin this summer at Adelante Selby, Hoover, Roosevelt, and Taft, as these schools require fewer structural and electrical modifications. The remaining campuses will receive upgrades in subsequent phases until every school is equipped with a modern HVAC system.

Read More about RCSD Board Approves Purchase of HVAC Equipment for First Phase Implementation
Breakfast burrito with a carton of milk and an apple

Expanding its focus on quality of taste and ingredients by creating “fast scratch” menu items that allow staff to make large batches of nutritious food at school sites, CNS staff are working tirelessly to present wholesome, “kid-approved” meals to RCSD’s thousands of students. 

Read More about When Students “Break Bread,” It’s Fresh: CNS Breakfast Menu is a Crowd Pleaser
A survey showing different facial expressions from which to choose

The California Parent School Survey (CPSP) provides an opportunity for school leaders to hear insight from those who know their children best–parents and guardians. It guides the district's and schools’ efforts to promote safety, enhance learning supports, and improve student achievement.

Read More about Fostering Collaboration: Understanding School Climate with Parent Input
February Smiles: Bright Tips to Celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month

As incoming kindergarten families get ready for the new school year, families need to turn in their child's Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment form (KOHA) by May 30. A California requirement, all kindergartners and first graders enrolling in public school for their first year must have an oral health screening completed by a licensed dental professional. 

Read More about February Smiles: Bright Tips to Celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month
weatherelements

Families and staff should stay alert for any updates regarding school operations by ensuring their contact information is up to date for robocalls, email, and text alerts and regularly checking the district and school websites. In the event of severe weather, the district will communicate important information about potential schedule changes, including delayed starts, early dismissals, or closures. Being proactive and staying informed will help ensure student and staff safety and minimize disruptions during winter weather conditions.

Read More about Stay Alert for School Operation Updates During Winter Weather
A graphic of a child surrounded by a heart, the brain, and bubble with a typing awareness indicator

Through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), RCSD provides students with opportunities to feel supported in their smaller successes and wins along the path to larger achievements. PBIS is an all encompassing approach to social, emotional, and behavior support with an aim to improve outcomes for all students in their daily lives at RCSD and beyond.

Read More about Kindness Week and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: A Framework for Everyday Wins and Intentional Long-Term Growth
A teacher guides a student with reading

Structured literacy is an approach to reading that benefits all students in the classroom, including those with difficulty decoding words or students with dyslexia. This approach, designed to serve diverse learners, addresses phonological skills, decoding and spelling.

Read More about Boosting Literacy for All: RCSD’s Structured Literacy Approach Supports Diverse Learners