Imagine+ Math uses two adaptive pathways: Math Mastery and Math Builder. Students begin in the Math Mastery pathway, and assessment results can help educators decide when the Math Builder pathway is a better fit.
Overview of the two pathways
Imagine+ Math includes two purpose-built pathways designed to meet different student needs. The Math Mastery pathway provides structured, grade-level practice, while the Math Builder pathway provides more targeted skill development or enrichment when students need a different level of support or challenge.
All students begin in the Math Mastery pathway. After students complete an assessment, the program may recommend the Math Builder pathway for students who would benefit from more targeted support or enrichment, and educators can review those recommendations and make manual changes when needed.
To learn more about how assessment data informs these recommendations, see How Imagine+ Math personalizes learning and Assessment and placement options in Imagine+ Math.
Compare the pathways
| Feature | Math Mastery | Math Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Provides structured practice with grade-level skills and concepts. | Provides targeted skill development or enrichment to help students work toward grade-level expectations or beyond. |
| Designed for | Students performing at grade level or one grade below their enrolled grade. | Students performing two or more grade levels below their enrolled grade level or above it and needing targeted support or enrichment. |
| Lesson experience | Lessons emphasize structured practice, problem-solving, and independent application. | Lessons emphasize explicit, video-based instruction, guided support, and independent practice. |
| Instructional approach | Uses structured, scaffolded practice with embedded Mastery Checks and targeted support when needed. | Uses explicit instruction and a gradual release toward independence, with Mastery Checks guiding what students do next. |
| Adaptivity | Mastery Checks can help students move ahead more quickly or trigger added support, including remediation or prerequisite content. | Mastery Checks can move students ahead, add instruction and practice, or guide targeted lower-grade support in specific domains. |
| Content presentation | Content is presented in age-appropriate ways and shifts by grade band from early story-based experiences to more formal problem-solving. | Content is presented in age-appropriate ways even when students are working on foundational or advanced skills. |
Both pathways include shared features such as assessment-informed personalization, embedded supports, and language support options, but specific supports can vary by pathway and grade band and may need to be enabled by an educator.
How pathway assignment works
- Students start in Math Mastery pathway: All students begin in the Math Mastery pathway. Returning students also begin in the Math Mastery pathway at the start of each school year, regardless of prior placement.
- Assessment results can trigger recommendations: After assessment results are available, the program may recommend the Math Builder pathway for students who need more targeted support or enrichment.
- Educators review and manage pathways: Educators can review recommendations, apply them, or make manual changes to a student’s pathway or placement when needed. Future assessment results can override manual pathway changes unless Lock Placement is enabled for the student.
- Pathways keep adapting: Both pathways continue to adapt during lessons based on student performance.
How rostered grade and placement grade affect pathways
A student's rostered grade is the grade level assigned to their account, while their placement grade reflects their instructional level. Placement affects the Math Mastery and Math Builder pathways differently.
- Math Mastery: The student's rostered grade determines their grade-level pathway. Changing the placement grade does not change that pathway. However, a placement below the rostered grade can add remediation lessons to support prerequisite skills.
- Math Builder: The placement grade determines the instructional level of the pathway. Students placed below their rostered grade receive targeted foundational instruction, while students placed above their rostered grade receive advanced content and enrichment.
Both pathways use domain-level assessment results, when available, to personalize learning. In Math Mastery, remediation targets domains where students perform below grade level. In Math Builder, domain results help prioritize essential skills and determine the lesson sequence. When an educator manually changes a student's placement grade, the selected grade is applied across instructional domains instead of using individual domain placements.
For example, a student rostered in Grade 3 remains on the Grade 3 Math Mastery pathway even if their placement changes to Grade 2 or Grade 4. A Grade 2 placement can add remediation lessons, but a Grade 4 placement does not create a Grade 4 Math Mastery pathway.
For step-by-step instructions on managing pathways, see Managing a student's learning path settings and Editing a student's placement grade.