Everyday Math incorporates numerous real-world math activities while Investigations provides more open-ended, creative projects, often with less specific goals. For students, Everyday Math can feel more tedious compared to Investigations, which often feels more like play or exploration. For teachers, Everyday Math lessons and activities are intricately outlined in a step-by-step manner. Investigations, while providing general background information and some scripted language, often requires teachers to structure the flow of the overall lessons themselves. Finally, Everyday Math provides multiple opportunities for practice and skill drills, including challenging homework assignments, which Investigations lacks.
With an increasing emphasis on standardized testing, programs that employ heavy data collection and analysis are becoming more appealing to administrators. Everyday Math has specific assessment problems embedded in everyday journal activities, which allows teachers to gauge the progress of individual students on a daily basis. Unit tests are comprehensive, each with a short answer packet and an open-response questions. Investigations has tests, but they are less involved and do not indicate mastery as clearly. Everyday Math provides multiple printed charts for logging scores, which can then be shared with administrators and parents. In addition, the Everyday Math online teacher resources allow teachers to track and analyze class and student progress over time. Students are held more accountable for mastery with Everyday Math.
Both programs cover similar math content. However, Everyday Math regularly spirals back to skills and concepts covered in previous lessons. The program is comprehensive but tends to move quickly, which can feel overwhelming to students who require a slower pace in order to absorb new skills. Investigations, on the other hand, moves slowly -- sometimes too slowly -- and has gaps in certain areas. For instance, the second grade Measurement unit lacks lessons on telling time or measurement in the real world. There are no lessons that focus on vocabulary words such as centimeters, yards, pounds or liters. Lastly, Everyday Math lessons are often longer and more time-consuming. Teachers may find that they are unable to cover all content provided in an Everyday Math lesson in one class. This can create difficulties for teachers intending to stick to a rigid schedule. On the contrary, they may struggle to fill the time at the end of an Investigations lesson.
Both Investigations and Everyday Math provide numerous opportunities for interactive, hands-on learning. Children are encouraged to engage in conversations with the whole class, in small groups, in partnerships and one-on-one with the teacher. Both programs offer games and lessons using manipulatives such as cards, dice, blocks and cubes. Such activities help engage students who might otherwise become overwhelmed, confused, or bored in math. While Everyday Math provides teachers with more information and resources on differentiating lesson plans for students with various needs, both programs reach students who need multiple methods of instruction and numerous chances to show progress.