Student-centered, problem-based math curriculum built to make math stick, for every learner, in every classroom.
Years empowering math students and teachers
Classroom teachers who built CPM from the ground up
CPM offers two research-backed curriculum series for middle and high school, each designed for different contexts while sharing the same commitment to deep mathematical thinking.
Inspiring Connections brings math to life through real-world contexts that reflect students' own experiences. Lessons tackle relevant, complex issues while keeping the mathematical rigor high, so students see math as connected, meaningful, and worth engaging with.
Core Connections is CPM's time-tested curriculum, built on a research-based progression that develops deep mathematical understanding over time. Lessons spark discussion, encourage multiple ways of thinking, and give teachers the consistent routines they need to build a strong classroom community.
See what a CPM lesson looks and feels like, from the teacher's perspective and the student's.
Inspiring Connections Digital Platform
Core Connections 3rd Edition
By the end of the multi-day summer sessions, we had a handful of lessons planned.
These trainings were led by teachers who had taught CPM for many years. We would go through the first few units, do the problems, and practice using the supports that CPM recommends. These were extremely helpful.
Professional Learning Participant
2024
CPM has transformed my classroom.
Students who used to sit quietly and wait for me to show them steps are now talking to each other about math, arguing about approaches, and actually excited when a problem is hard.
CPM Teacher
The professional learning embedded in CPM's curriculum made all the difference.
I felt supported from day one, not just with the content, but with how to actually facilitate a student-centered classroom.
CPM Teacher
CPM's curriculum designers, who are all classroom teachers, regularly follow emerging insights from math education researchers. The release of Inspiring Connections Middle School was a great opportunity to incorporate the latest research while keeping Core Connections available for districts with established implementation.
Research shows that the mathematics standards for grades 6–8 are rigorous and comprehensive. Students benefit from engaging deeply with these standards rather than moving through them at an accelerated pace. CPM supports districts in making thoughtful decisions about pathways.
The Spanish translation of Inspiring Connections is being released in phases through the 2025–26 school year, including Spanish resource pages and enhancements to the overall user experience.
Mathematical sensemaking requires meaningful context. CPM programs incorporate math language routines that support diverse learners, including Three Reads and Stronger and Clearer. The reading supports mathematical reasoning, it doesn't replace it.
Student-centered practice is at the center of CPM. Teachers step off the stage to support students with guidance, questions, and suggestions as students grapple with engaging tasks.
With CPM, professional learning and instructional support are embedded directly within the curriculum. Each lesson follows a consistent Launch–Explore–Closure structure and includes a Lesson at a Glance guide, team strategies, and embedded teacher notes.
CPM programs are low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide-threshold. Every lesson was designed with incredible attention to Universal Design for Learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and success for English learners.
CPM lessons include clear language objectives, structured routines, sentence frames, and visual supports to ensure access for all learners. Instruction is designed with movement and varied engagement in mind.
Research consistently shows that learning improves when practice is spaced over time. In CPM programs, topics and skills are intentionally revisited across lessons and practice to strengthen retention, not concentrated in a single unit.
In a problem-based classroom, teachers regularly interact with students as they work, allowing them to monitor the progress of individuals, teams, and the class as a whole. Formative assessment is built into every lesson through circulation and structured discussion.
CPM programs are designed with a 45-minute class period in mind, but lessons can be extended to provide additional time for deeper thinking. In shorter class periods, teachers have successfully adjusted pacing while maintaining the instructional model.
The best way to understand CPM is to experience it. Request a free eBook preview and get full access to the student experience, including lesson structure, instructional routines, embedded assessments, and digital tools.
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.
