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Interactive Mathematics Program

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The Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) is a four-year, problem-based mathematics curriculum for high schools, designed to meet the needs of both college-bound and non-college-bound students. It was designed around the controversial NCTM standards which elevated "mathematical power" and "equity" between races and genders over "memorizing methods to compute exact answers".

It has received intense criticism from organizations such as Mathematically Correct for being deficient compared to a traditional algebra / geometry / triginometry high school mathmematics curriculum, and is being discarded by some school districts which have had unsatisfactory results with it.

Failure

In the city of Tacoma, Washington in 2006, school board member Debbie Winskill stated that despite a lengthy selection process and considerable training IMP "has been a dismal failure.” High School teacher Clifford Harris taught sophomores Saxon Math, and their Washington Assessment of Student Learning continually climbed. The program gives students plenty of chances to review material, so students retain their skills, which is not the case with IMP according to the teacher.[1]


  1. ^ [1] "Back to basics on kids’ math" Alarmed by low scores, Tacoma school officials OK added Saxon textbook. by Debby Abe; The News Tribune (Tacoma WA) August 25th, 2006