Core Curriculum™
by MidSchoolMath
The richest, most interconnected spiral curriculum we've ever developed, a perfect score on EdReports, in two amazing formats.
Greater learning effects come not just from what, but how we teach.
Core Curriculum™ is based on 5 growth-mindset principles that are designed to:
Break through fixed mindsets
The foundational belief that all students can learn math, that there isn't a 'math brain, is the foremost realization for every teacher, student, and administrator.
Encourage student collaboration
Adding 'class discussion' to a lesson makes it 2.2 times as effective as typical instruction. We make it a central part of the curriculum.
Increase mathematics recall with story
Cognitive scientists have found that story makes mathematics not only more comprehensible but adds months of recall to learning of concepts.
Light up the brain with visuals
From counting fingers to complex graphs, our brains are wired to think visually in mathematics, and mathematical visuals 'light-up' thinking in the mind.
Allow students to fail safely
In gold-standard studies, productive failure before instruction outperforms traditional methods of instruction first.
Organized via Domain or Big Idea, our curriculum and classroom lesson structures support thinking classrooms.
Math encountered as it is in the real world, we introduce the simplest to implement formats we’ve ever offered.
Big Idea version
Available for grades 5-8, the Big Idea Format does much more than simply reorganize standards under a new heading. The structure is designed to reveal the interconnectedness of standards within Big Ideas, and how the Big Ideas connect to our world.
Big Idea
Domain version
Available for grades 5-8, the Domain format follows a linear, 'building block' path with standards from one domain supporting the next.
Domain
A Big
Idea
for the
Big
Ideas
We had a pretty big idea last year. We set out to create a full system of supports for thinking classrooms. What we found was that we needed one addition to our content, something that would actually model the thinking we were after. And so, we set out across the globe, working with middle schools students on the most compelling mathematical stories from across the world. From saving African Penguins in South Africa to flying in bi-planes in Washington DC, now teachers can show their students peer modeling, productive struggle, and mathematical thinking through cinematic and engaging tasks for every Big Idea.
The BIG International Film Series takes your students on a journey around the world with math at the center; part of the new content in Core Curriculum, in both Big Idea and Domain versions.
In our response to the new California Mathematics Framework, we pioneered thinking behind glass, where worked examples showcase students solving problems together. This curriculum is unparalleled for those districts implementing Building Thinking Classroom practices.
See Marcello, Martín, and Joy use productive struggle. Thinking behind glass helps model this behavior in the classroom, where students work in groups of three to solve problems.
Core Curriculum™ receives the highest scores possible on the latest criteria on EdReports. Read the report
14/14
Focus &
Coherence
18/18
Rigor & Mathematical
Practices
27/27
Usability
The Math Simulator™
As the flagship component of Core Curriculum™, students are introduced to the lesson with with a 3-part film series. With classroom discussion resulting in the highest effect sizes in learning, nothing will encourage your students to talk math more than film, with live actors, where the math makes sense in context. Throughout the week, students will return to this story to enhance recall of the math.
Watch an Immersion!
Immersion
Every lesson starts
with a story and
a question
Data & Computation
Data is suspended until
students grapple with
need-to-know
Resolution
Math is solved
in context to the
story
Core Curriculum™ is rated ESSA Tier 1
Developed with support from:
Simulation Trainer
Modeled on research from real flight simulators, the Simulation Trainer taps into one of the most powerful pedagogies possible. Like a flight simulator, a "sim" trainer contextualizes math in a coherent scenario that allows students to experience how the input (math answer) is directly related to the outcome. And it works. On randomized controlled trials supported by the National Science Foundation, the Simulation Trainer elicited learning effects 3 times greater than typical interventions.1
1. Cooney, J.B., Laidlaw, J. (2019) A curriculum structure with potential for higher than average gains in middle school math
Teacher Instruction
Guide your students through a PowerPoint version of a lesson, or play the video version with MidSchoolMath Instructor, Ryen Jackson. In the classroom or remotely, our Teacher Instruction product offers a versatile tool for providing clear visual explanations for each math standard, grades 5 to 8. Both versions are available in Spanish.
PowerPoint version for
synchronous teaching
Video version for
asynchronous teaching
Practice Printable and
Student Workbooks
With every math problem created by a team of teachers with years of classroom experience, the Practice Printable creates an opportunity for students to engage with every math concept from grades 5 to 8. While all materials can be printed for classroom use, high quality color student workbooks and teacher guides are available.
Every Practice Printable includes a Worked Example video in which a student solves one of the problems and provides explanation and reasoning.
Clicker Quiz
Nothing works better than a quick whole-class Clicker Quiz to check in with students prior to wrapping up a lesson. This low-stakes test-comprised of six multiple choice math problems gives a teacher real-time evaluation data to ensure the class is ready to move to the next standard. Not to mention, the Clicker Quiz itself is a learning tool that enhances long-term recall of concepts.
Test Trainer Pro
The mantra for Test Trainer Pro, 'low dose, high consistency' and the simplicity of the system means that each day, students have a routine of practice that builds fluency and creates ease of use for teachers. Test Trainer Pro adapts based on proficiency-students work at their own ability level, while teachers and administrators receive real-time data about their progress. It also includes the option for students to work with elementary core skills or concepts from Algebra I.
Students are able to see their growth in every domain throughout the year.
Milestone Assessments
We automated monitoring of pre-test to post-test learning gains for each Milestone Assessment, because it's about seeing growth, not just a score. And we automated recommendations for follow-up too, making the game plan for improvement a little bit easier. Every assessment is editable to meet the needs of individual classes.
Progress Monitoring
Keeping track of students has never been easier. Drill down to a single assignment to see specific work, or view the aggregate proficiency scores across an entire school or district. Many assignments even have real-time updates that work in remote learning, or allow for teachers to share student work in class.
Rather than students taking a test a few times during the year with limited feedback, Progress Monitoring delivers multiple data points for every student.
Award-Winning Math Games
Try a lesson from Core Curriculum™ in your classroom today!
Santa Fe Public Schools
See why a district in Santa Fe, NM chose Core Curriculum™ by MidSchoolMath for their 6-year adoption cycle.
81%
of districts
in 2023-2024
that piloted
MidSchoolMath vs. other curricula
chose Core Curriculum™