The Intended Mathematics Curriculum as Represented in State-Level Curriculum Standards

The Intended Mathematics Curriculum as Represented in State-Level Curriculum Standards
Author: Barbara Reys
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2006-10-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1607526204

This volume represents a detailed analysis of the grade placement of mathematics learning goals across all state-level curriculum standards published as of May 2005. The volume documents the varied grade-level mathematics curriculum expectations in the U.S. and highlights a general lack of consensus across states. As states continue to work to improve learning opportunities for all students this report can serve as a useful summary to inform future curriculum decisions. The report is also intended to stimulate discussion at the national level regarding roles and responsibilities of national agencies and professional organizations with regard to curriculum leadership. Serious and collaborative work that results from such discussions can contribute to a more coherent, focused mathematics curriculum for US students

Variability is the Rule

Variability is the Rule
Author: John P. Smith
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1617351997

In response to No Child Let Behind, states have developed mathematics curriculum frameworks that outline their intended curriculum for grades K–8. While some have indicated that districts or individual schools may use their framework as a model for specific curricular programs, others have taken a more prescriptive or even mandatory stance. Collectively, these frameworks present a sense of the national mathematics program and what we expect students learn. This volume follows The Intended Curriculum as Represented in State Mathematics Curriculum Standards: Consensus or Confusion? (Reys). While the Reys volume focused on number and operations, algebra and reasoning strands, the Smith volume analyzes geometry, measurement, probability, and statistics strands. It also presents an analysis what verbs used tell us about the cognitive demand of grade level expectations. This volume, even more than the Reys volume, emphasizes the theme of variability in the content, expression, and clarity of grade level expectations across the states. As the nation moves toward implementation of the Common Core Standards, this volume highlights some of the challenges teachers and other school personnel face in interpreting mathematics grade-level standards as goals for classroom teaching. The shift from 50 state standards to one document does not resolve this basic challenge.

Mathematics and Science Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks

Mathematics and Science Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks
Author: Rolf K. Blank
Publisher:
Total Pages: 198
Release: 1997
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN:

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), collaborating with Policy Studies Associates and a panel of experts in mathematics and science education, has completed a study of states' curriculum frameworks development and standards-setting from 1994. The Council study analyzed the content and quality of state frameworks and standards documents and examined how states are working with local educators on implementation. This report describes the changing landscape of framework development and standards-setting in the United States and identifies emerging issues for practitioners and policy makers. The study was conducted with three kinds of data concerning the current situation of state standards and frameworks in mathematics and science. A concept mapping analysis of all state curriculum frameworks and standards documents in mathematics and science was completed. In order to identify all current state documents, works in progress, and dissemination and implementation activities, interviews were held with state mathematics and science education specialists. With the aggregated information from these sources, a report that focuses on current and emerging policy issues pertaining to the implementation of standards-based reform in mathematics and science education was developed. Contains 27 references. (Author/ASK)

Common Standards for K-12 Education?

Common Standards for K-12 Education?
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2008-09-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0309125243

Standards-based accountability has become a central feature of the public education system in each state and is a theme of national discussions about how achievement for all students can be improved and achievement gaps narrowed. Questions remain, however, about the implementation of standards and accountability systems and about whether their potential benefits have been fully realized. Each of the 50 states has adopted its own set of standards, and though there is overlap among them, there is also wide variation in the ways states have devised and implemented their systems. This variety may have both advantages and disadvantages, but it nevertheless raises a fundamental question: Is the establishment of common K-12 academic standards, which states could voluntarily adopt, the logical next step for standards-based reform? The goal of this book is not to answer the policy question of whether or not common standards would be a good idea. Rather, the book provides an objective look at the available evidence regarding the ways in which standards are currently functioning, the strategies that might be used to pursue common standards, and the issues that doing so might present.