As part of an ambitious vision for mathematics equity and achievement, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) adopted Illustrative Math (IM) for the district-wide K-12 math curriculum in 2023-24.

In Year 1, the Office of Research and Evaluation conducted focus groups to answer the question: What were the barriers and facilitators to implementing Illustrative Math with integrity?

During 33 focus group sessions, over 80 teachers, teacher leaders, and school leaders discussed 1) their feelings about IM lessons, materials, and resources and 2) their perceptions of the support and training they received, including their experiences with Professional Learning Cycles and their preparedness to support diverse learners.

This slide deck summarizes the findings from these focus groups and provides recommendations for continuing to improve the implementation of Illustrative Math.

Key findings include:

• Participants felt SDP’s adoption of IM was a step in the right direction to improve student outcomes.
• Professional Learning Cycles were a key space to build teacher buy-in and “trust” in IM, and to help teachers shift from teacher-directed practices to inquiry-based learning.
• Time preparing IM materials was a main barrier to effective lesson planning.
• Lesson pacing was a barrier to integrity of implementation.
• Unclear information about allowable modifications and supplemental materials was reported by teachers as a barrier to implementing with integrity.