Choosing the right math class can affect an entire high school experience. For some, the more writing-oriented IMP track is a better fit while for others the mainstream is best. Some students are satisfied with the choice they make, but not everyone can find the right fit at the very beginning. Each program is equally credit-worthy, but each student learns differently, and navigating the daunting switch between IMP and mainstream math classes can be a major setback.

“Each successive year, the differences in curricular experiences have increased to the point that makes it more difficult to switch,” said Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator Joshua Paris. “It’s more challenging than just switching levels.”

In the first year of IMP, a lot of the classes are focused on teaching the IMP style. It is based more on writing and explanation than the mainstream math, which, during that first year, is geometry. IMP classes filter geometry in over the course of the program, so it is still taught but over a longer period of time. As a result, students who switch from IMP into the mainstream do not receive the instruction they missed while in IMP.

“Every class at Brookline builds off of each other, so because I missed geometry freshman year, switching into Intro to Algebra 2 sophomore year set me back,” said senior Gigi Owens, who switched out of IMP at the end of her freshman year.

She had difficulty making that transition after missing out on a significant part of the curriculum.

“No one wants to go back and forth switching between classes, so you have to make sure that’s the right decision for you, and that’s what you need to do for yourself,” Owens said.

Junior Camille Long switched out of IMP earlier this year.

“Once you get into the IMP program, it’s assumed that you’re going to stay with it, at least for three years, but mostly four years,” Long said.

She said it is a tough transition for students whose learning styles are not suitable to the IMP program.

“I had to find all the teachers, find times when they could all meet and talk to all of them. I had to talk to my parents, they had to sign a whole bunch of forms and all the teachers had to sign forms,” she said.

Long said that for many students, the IMP program is “awesome,” and it makes sense that all teachers should be involved in the transition.

The switch also presents a different set of challenges for teachers of the mainstream classes.

“It’s very time-consuming,” Paris said. “Teachers have to sit down with the student and figure out what those gaps are. They have to then come up with a plan, find a text, find chapters that the students need to work on, meet with them individually. It really puts a strain on the system.”

Math teacher Grace Wang, who taught Owens immediately following her switch, did not feel that strain quite as strongly.

“As far as I see, they don’t face many difficulties staring into Intro because while they might be behind in their geometry a little bit, that’s not the focus of Intro to Algebra. The ones that I’ve had have all done very well,” Wang said. “They flow seamlessly into the classes.”

Owens said she still has to tell her teachers that she did not take geometry freshman year.

“They all understand, and they all know that I missed out on something,” she said. “Just make sure you’re making the right decision and that it’s best for you to succeed in high school.”

Ben Gladstone can be contacted at [email protected].