IM1 starts in September. The students who struggle are almost never the ones who couldn't do the math — they're the ones who arrived without the foundational reasoning the course assumes they already have.
This guide breaks down exactly what IM1 covers, what students need before day one, and what the most common gaps look like.
What IM1 Actually Covers
Integrated Math 1 is not Pre-Algebra with a different name. It's a restructured course that weaves algebra, geometry, statistics, and mathematical reasoning together from the first unit.
Students encounter:
- Linear equations and functions, including graphing and interpretation
- Systems of equations
- Introductory geometry: transformations, congruence, similarity
- Statistical reasoning with real datasets
- Algebraic structure and formal mathematical argument
The pace is faster than most 6th graders expect. The first unit doesn't wait for students to get comfortable.
The Skills Students Need Before Day One
To enter IM1 without immediately falling behind, a student needs:
- Rational number fluency — fractions, decimals, percents, and operations with negatives, done accurately and without a calculator crutch.
- Proportional reasoning — ratios, rates, unit conversion, and the ability to set up and solve proportions in context.
- Pre-algebraic thinking — evaluating and simplifying expressions, solving one- and two-step equations, understanding variables as quantities.
- Coordinate plane literacy — plotting points, understanding slope as a rate, reading graphs.
- Logical structure — following a multi-step problem, keeping track of what's known, working backward from a result.
These aren't advanced skills. They're the foundation IM1 builds on. When they're shaky, the course feels impossible even for mathematically capable students.
The Gaps Most Students Arrive With
After working with students entering IM1 across DUSD and PUSD, the same gaps appear repeatedly:
- Operations with negatives — reliable in isolation, fall apart inside larger problems
- Fraction-to-decimal-to-percent conversion under pressure
- Setting up equations from word problems (translation gap, not computation gap)
- Graphing linear relationships without a table as a crutch
- Multi-step problems abandoned midway — not from inability, from disorganized approach
None of these are insurmountable. All of them are fixable in a focused summer window.
Why Summer Is the Right Time
August is low stakes. September is not.
A student who closes a fraction gap in August closes it before it costs them points on a unit test, before it compounds with new material, and before they develop the narrative that IM1 is just hard for them.
The same gap fixed in October — after three weeks of struggle — takes longer and costs more confidence to repair.
Summer is the cheapest time, academically, to close a gap.
GrowWise IM1 Get Ready Program
The IM1 Get Ready program is built specifically around the skills above — not general math review, but targeted preparation for what IM1 assumes on day one.
Format: Small group | Mon/Wed/Fri · 5:00–6:30 PM
Starts: July 20
Aligned to: DUSD and PUSD IM1 curriculum sequence
Price: From $249
Sessions target identified gaps, not a fixed curriculum everyone follows regardless of what they already know. Students who come in strong on fractions spend more time on algebraic translation. Students who are solid on equations get more proportional reasoning and graphing.
Not sure if your child is ready? Use the Self-Check — it takes 10 minutes and shows you exactly where the gaps are.
Reserve an IM1 Get Ready Spot
Not sure if your child is ready? Use the Self-Check — it takes 10 minutes and shows you exactly where the gaps are.