Reading Public Schools Honored For Use Of Illustrative Mathematics

READING, MA — Reading Public Schools learned last week that it was one of 18 districts nationwide to be selected as a 2022-23 District of Distinction for the use of Learning Illustrative Mathematics.

RPS was selected for the honor by Imagine Learning, a digital Pre K-12 learning solutions company that has Illustrative Mathematics as part of its core portfolio.

Imagine Learning hands out its Imagine Nation Awards, which includes the District of Distinction designation, to schools and districts that demonstrate "outstanding commitment to the effective implementation of an Imagine Learning program throughout the year."

Imagine relies upon multiple measures, including usage and implantation data, to choose its award winners.

Illustrated Mathematics (IM) is used by RPS schools in grades K-6. The IM curriculum encourages students to use their current understanding of math, their lived experience and the world around them as resources for problem-solving, according to RPS. IM is built on the principle that all students are capable learners of grade-level mathematics, according to the district.

"This recognition is well deserved as a way to celebrate the significant efforts our educators have undertaken to adopt and implement our Illustrative Mathematics curriculum," said Heather Leonard, RPS STEM coordinator.

Leonard continued: "Our RPS math classrooms are full of excitement and shared learning, student engagement, rigorous problem solving and rich dialogue. It is exciting to see the joy of mathematics in our learning spaces."

According to Imagine Learning, a school or district's ability to meet its program usage and implementation goals is directly related to increased student success and academic growth.

RPS said Imagine Learning reviewed its usage data for the current school year.

"Our district met the rigorous usage standards required for a District of Distinction designation," RPS said in a statement.

More than 21,000 schools and districts throughout the U.S. were eligible for the Imagine Nation Awards, according to Imagine Learning.

"This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our many administrators, teachers, staff and students," said Thomas Milaschewski, superintendent of RPS. "We are excited about how these efforts are translating to improved student outcomes and successes in math classrooms across our district."