Core-Plus Mathematics Project

Core-Plus Mathematics is a high school mathematics program consisting of a four-year series of print and digital student textbooks and supporting materials for teachers, developed by the Core-Plus Mathematics Project at Western Michigan University, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Development of the program started in 1992. The first edition, entitled Contemporary Mathematics in Context: A Unified Approach, was completed in 1995. The third edition, entitled Core-Plus Mathematics: Contemporary Mathematics in Context, was published by McGraw-Hill Education in 2015. All rights were returned to the authors in 2024, who have made all textbooks .

Key Features

The first edition of Core-Plus Mathematics was designed to meet the curriculum, teaching, and assessment standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the broad goals outlined in the National Research Council report, Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education. Later editions were designed to also meet the American Statistical Association Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education and most recently the standards for mathematical content and practice in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
The program puts an emphasis on teaching and learning mathematics through mathematical modeling and mathematical inquiry. Each year, students learn mathematics in four interconnected strands: algebra and functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and discrete mathematical modeling.

First Edition (1994-2003)

The program originally comprised three courses, intended to be taught in grades 9 through 11. Later, authors added a fourth course intended for college-bound students.

Unit No.	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3
1	Patterns in Data	Matrix Models	Multiple-Variable Models
2	Patterns of Change	Patterns of Location, Shape and Size	Modeling Public Opinion
3	Linear Models	Patterns of Association	Symbol Sense and Algebraic Reasoning
4	Graph Models	Power Models	Shapes and Geometric Reasoning
5	Patterns in Space and Visualization	Network Optimization	Patterns in Variation
6	Exponential Models	Geometric Form and Its Function	Families of Functions
7	Simulation Models	Patterns in Chance	Discrete Models of Change
Capstone	Planning a Benefits Carnival	Forest, the Environment, and Mathematics	Making the Best of It: Optimal Forms and Strategies

Second Edition (2008-2011)

The course was re-organized around interwoven strands of algebra and functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and discrete mathematics. Lesson structure was updated, and technology tools, including CPMP-Tools software was introduced.

Unit No.	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4: Preparation for Calculus
1	Patterns of Change	Functions, Equations, and Systems	Reasoning and Proof	Families of Functions
2	Patterns in Data	Matrix Methods	Inequalities and Linear Programming	Vectors and Motion
3	Linear Functions	Coordinate Methods	Similarity and Congruence	Algebraic Functions and Equations
4	Vertex-Edge Graphs	Regression and Correlation	Samples and Variation	Trigonometric Functions and Equations
5	Exponential Functions	Nonlinear Functions and Equations	Polynomial and Rational Functions	Exponential Functions, Logarithms, and Data Modeling
6	Patterns in Shape	Network Optimization	Circles and Circular Functions	Surfaces and Cross Sections
7	Quadratic Functions	Trigonometric Methods	Recursion and Iteration	Concepts of Calculus
8	Patterns in Chance	Probability Distributions	Inverse Functions	Counting Methods and Induction

CCSS Edition (2015)

The course was aligned with the Common Core State Standards mathematical practices and content expectations. Expanded and enhanced Teacher's Guides include a CCSS pathway and a CPMP pathway through each unit. Course 4 was split into two versions: one called Preparation for Calculus, for STEM-oriented students, and an alternative course, Transition to College Mathematics and Statistics, for college-bound students whose intended program of study does not require calculus.

Unit No.	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4: Preparation for Calculus	TCMS
1	Patterns of Change	Functions, Equations, and Systems	Reasoning and Proof	Families of Functions	Interpreting Categorical Data
2	Patterns in Data	Matrix Methods	Inequalities and Linear Programming	Vectors and Motion	Functions Modeling Change
3	Linear Functions	Coordinate Methods	Similarity and Congruence	Algebraic Functions and Equations	Counting Methods
4	Discrete Mathematical Modeling	Regression and Correlation	Samples and Variation	Trigonometric Functions and Equations	Mathematics of Financial Decision-Making
5	Exponential Functions	Nonlinear Functions and Equations	Polynomial and Rational Functions	Exponential Functions, Logarithms, and Data Modeling	Binomial Distributions and Statistical Inference
6	Patterns in Shape	Modeling and Optimization	Circles and Circular Functions	Surfaces and Cross Sections	Informatics
7	Quadratic Functions	Trigonometric Methods	Recursion and Iteration	Concepts of Calculus	Spatial Visualization and Representations
8	Patterns in Chance	Probability Distributions	Inverse Functions	Counting Methods and Induction	Mathematics of Democratic Decision-Making

Evaluations, Research, and Reviews

Project and independent evaluations and many research studies have been conducted on Core-Plus Mathematics, including content analyses, case studies, surveys, small- and large-scale comparison studies, research reviews, and a longitudinal study.

Positive reviews

There are multiple research studies and evaluations in which students using Core-Plus Mathematics performed significantly better than comparison students on assessments of conceptual understanding, problem solving, and applications, and results were mixed for performance on assessments of by-hand calculation skills. Some of these studies were funded by the National Science Foundation, the same organization that funded the development of Core-Plus Mathematics program.

Large-scale comparison studies

A three-part study of Core-Plus Mathematics and more conventional curricula were reported by researchers at the University of Missouri. The research was conducted as part of the Comparing Options in Secondary Mathematics: Investigating Curricula project, supported by the National Science Foundation under REC-0532214. The research was reported in the March and July 2013 issues of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and in the December 2013 issue of the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. The three studies examined student achievement in schools in 5 geographically dispersed states. The first study involved 2,161 students in 10 schools in first-year high school mathematics courses, the second study involved 3,258 students in 11 schools in second-year mathematics courses, and the third study involved 2,242 students in 10 schools in third-year mathematics courses. Results in the first study showed that Core-Plus Mathematics students scored significantly higher on all three end-of-year outcome measures: a test of common objectives, a problem solving and reasoning test, and a standardized achievement test. Results in the second study showed that Core-Plus Mathematics students scored significantly higher on a standardized achievement test, with no differences on the other measures. Results in the third study showed that Core-Plus Mathematics students scored significantly higher on a test of common objectives, with no differences on the other measure.

Other comparison studies

A study conducted by Schoen and Hirsch, two authors of Core-Plus Mathematics, reported that students using early versions of Core-Plus Mathematics did as well as or better than those in traditional single-subject curricula on all measures except paper-and-pencil algebra skills.
A study on field-test versions of Core-Plus Mathematics, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and published in 2000 in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, reported that students using the first field-test versions of Core-Plus Mathematics scored significantly better on tests of conceptual understanding and problem solving, while Algebra II students in conventional programs scored significantly better on a test of paper-and-pencil procedures.
Other studies reported that Core-Plus Mathematics students displayed qualities such as engagement, eagerness, communication, flexibility, and curiosity to a much higher degree than did students who studied from more conventional programs. A review of research in 2008 concluded that there were modest effects for Core-Plus Mathematics on mostly standardized tests of mathematics.
With regard to achievement of students in minority groups, an early peer-reviewed paper documenting the performance of students from under-represented groups using Core-Plus Mathematics reported that at the end of each of Course 1, Course 2, and Course 3, the posttest means on standardized mathematics achievement tests of Core-Plus Mathematics students in all minority groups were greater than those of the national norm group at the same pretest levels. Hispanics made the greatest pretest to posttest gains at the end of each course. A later comparative study reported that Hispanic high school students using Core-Plus Mathematics made modest gains compared to the performance of students with other demographic backgrounds.
Regarding preparation for college, studies of SAT and ACT test results reported that Core-Plus Mathematics students performed significantly better than comparison students on the SAT and performed as well on the ACT. Several studies examined the subsequent college mathematics performance of students who used different high school textbook series. These studies did not detect any differential effect of high school curriculum on placement in college mathematics courses, in subsequent performance, or in course-taking patterns.