Thirty teachers walked into a room in Sacramento with a big idea: that every student deserved to actually understand mathematics. What they built together changed math education forever.
In 1989, thirty math teachers in and around Sacramento decided that algebra shouldn't be a wall — it should be a door. What started as two Eisenhower grants became a movement.
A group of Sacramento-area math teachers came together with a shared conviction: that every student — not just college-bound students — deserved to genuinely understand mathematics.
Growth was entirely word-of-mouth. Teachers who experienced the difference CPM made in their classrooms brought it back to their colleagues and districts.
"After taking CPM's Algebra 1 course, students no longer asked 'What am I ever going to use this for?' — an indicator of meaningful mathematical experiences."
— Teachers using early CPM materials
In the early days, text materials were distributed chapter by chapter as shrink-wrapped stacks of loose-leaf pages — from the back of a van that founder Judy Kysh drove to a central location. Teachers would drive to pick up their pages, spend the entire day in professional development together, and then take the materials back to their schools for copying. Most teachers distributed one unit or chapter at a time. By 1993, the quantity of materials had exceeded the van's capacity — and CPM became a nonprofit.
Mathematics professor who formalized CPM's research base in 2013 and shaped the program's academic rigor from the very beginning.
University professor and co-founder who worked alongside teachers to bridge the gap between academic research and classroom practice.
The driving force behind CPM's grassroots growth — she drove the van, led the workshops, and made sure the curriculum reached every teacher who needed it.
CPM's curriculum wasn't designed from theory alone. It was shaped by decades of classroom observation, brain-based research, and a deep belief that students construct understanding — they don't just receive it.
Influenced by Marian Diamond's brain-based research and Constance Kamii's work on intellectual autonomy, the founding group understood that students build their own mathematical understanding regardless of how they are taught. CPM's design helps teachers build on students' logical thinking — not override it.
Students learn mathematics best when they begin with a big picture that holds a mystery to uncover. Inspired by a pivotal Algebra textbook by Johnson, Lendsey, Sleznick & Bates, CPM chapters were originally named for their real-world problems — not the math in them. Students remembered the math by the problem they encountered it in.
CPM materials are designed so the mathematics storyline and narrative storyline reinforce each other. Students encounter situations with an enigma — something they don't yet know how to resolve — and experience genuine "aha" moments as they construct mathematical connections and discover elegant solutions.
"Although constructivism provides a useful basis for thinking about mathematics learning in classrooms, it does not tell us how to teach mathematics… [Learning trajectories research] contributes to a dialogue on what teaching might be like if it is built on a constructivist perspective on knowledge development."
— Martin Simon, 1995
From research to curriculum design
These three takeaways, combined with years of classroom experience, crystallized into what CPM is now known for: The Three Pillars — Collaborative Learning, Problem-Based Learning, and Mixed Spaced Practice.
The first Algebra 1 materials weren't handed down from a publisher. They were written at a table, tested in real classrooms, revised again, and tested again — until they worked.
The founding group wrote the entire first Algebra 1 text in a single five-week sprint in the summer of 1989. Teachers who wrote the materials then piloted them in their own classrooms that fall — taking notes every month on how to improve them.
Founder Judy Kysh credits an Algebra textbook by Johnson, Lendsey, Sleznick, and Bates as a key influence on CPM's design philosophy. Unlike most texts of the day, its problems could be solved by reasoning from prior problems — no need to consult pre-worked examples first. Many of CPM's original problems were directly inspired by this approach.
The teachers who wrote the materials also piloted them in their own classrooms. They met nearly every month to share observations and build a collective record of what worked and what didn't — a feedback loop that shaped every revision.
Materials were distributed chapter by chapter as shrink-wrapped loose-leaf pages from the back of Judy Kysh's van. Teachers drove to pick up pages, spent the full day in professional development, then took the pages back for copying — one unit at a time.
By 1993, the materials had outgrown the van. CPM incorporated as a California nonprofit so that soft-bound versions of Algebra and Geometry could be printed and sold — and teachers no longer had to copy and distribute everything themselves.
The birth of CPM Educational ProgramBy 1993, CPM had outgrown its grassroots distribution system. Incorporating as a nonprofit meant teachers could finally stop copying stacks of loose-leaf pages — and focus on teaching.
CPM incorporated under the name CPM Educational Program — not College Preparatory Mathematics — because it had become universally known simply as CPM. Soft-bound versions of Algebra and Geometry could now be printed and sold. No more van. No more copying.
CPM was research-based from the start — but for years there was no single summary document that laid it all out. In 2013, co-founder Dr. Tom Sallee finally put it in writing.
Students learn mathematics more deeply when they work in structured groups, talk through problems together, and build shared understanding — not sit in rows receiving information.
CPM courses are built around real problems that require genuine mathematical thinking — not just recall. Students discover concepts through doing, before formal definitions appear.
Rather than massing practice on one topic then moving on, CPM distributes practice across time and topics — which decades of cognitive science research shows leads to deeper, longer-lasting retention.
After much anticipation, co-founder Dr. Tom Sallee conducted a formal literature review around CPM's Three Pillars. The resulting 2013 CPM Research Base Report doesn't capture everything — but it documents the evidence that CPM's foundational design principles support mathematics learning.
Read the Research BaseFrom the US Department of Education to EdReports to the Gates Foundation — independent reviewers have consistently validated what CPM teachers have known since 1989.
CPM was selected as one of the top twelve reform-based mathematics curricula in the country. Five criteria were evaluated: mathematical inquiry, content focus, grade appropriateness, use of technology, and research support.
Top 12 Reform Curricula NationallyThe CA BOE reviewed CPM using a rigorous Common Core-aligned evaluation tool across six dimensions: mathematical alignment, program organization, assessment, universal access, instructional planning, and teacher support.
Adopted for Grades 6–8 and AlgebraBoth CPM high school pathways — Traditional and Integrated — received EdReports' highest rating of "meets expectations." The Core Connections middle school series also received strong reviews across all evaluation criteria.
Meets Expectations — Highest RatingBased on CPM's performance on independent reviews and its strong reputation for standards-based instruction, CPM was solicited by university scholars to collaborate on the Gates Foundation Grand Challenge for Algebra 1.
Invited Collaborator — Balancing the Equation"The materials attend to the full intent of the mathematical content standards and also attend fully to the modeling process when applied to the modeling standards. The materials also meet the expectations for rigor and the Mathematical Practices as they reflect the balances in the Standards and help students meet the Standards' rigorous expectations."
— EdReports, on CPM's Traditional & Integrated High School Series
Today, CPM's team is still led by some of the original teachers who researched, wrote, field-tested, and revised the very first materials. The work continues.
CPM values and supports teachers as curriculum writers, teacher-researchers through the TRC — holding true to the grassroots spirit of 1989.
RPLCs serve as professional learning leaders across regions — teachers empowering other teachers, the same model CPM was built on.
CPM's research department is pursuing implementation and impact studies that account for its full programmatic theory — continuing the cycle of evidence-based refinement.
What started as 30 teachers in Sacramento is now a movement that reaches students across the country. The mission hasn't changed — math should open doors, not close them.
2.3.4
Defining Concavity
4.4.1
Characteristics of Polynomial Functions
5.2.6
Semi-Log Plots
5 Closure
Closure How Can I Apply It? Activity 3
9.3.1
Transition States
9.3.2
Future and Past States
10.3.1
The Parametrization of Functions, Conics, and Their Inverses
10.3.2
Vector-Valued Functions
11.1.5
Rate of Change of Polar Functions
This professional learning is designed for teachers as they begin their implementation of CPM. This series contains multiple components and is grounded in multiple active experiences delivered over the first year. This learning experience will encourage teachers to adjust their instructional practices, expand their content knowledge, and challenge their beliefs about teaching and learning. Teachers and leaders will gain first-hand experience with CPM with emphasis on what they will be teaching. Throughout this series educators will experience the mathematics, consider instructional practices, and learn about the classroom environment necessary for a successful implementation of CPM curriculum resources.
Page 2 of the Professional Learning Progression (PDF) describes all of the components of this learning event and the additional support available. Teachers new to a course, but have previously attended Foundations for Implementation, can choose to engage in the course Content Modules in the Professional Learning Portal rather than attending the entire series of learning events again.
