Consensus or Confusion? The Intended Math Curriculum in State-Level Standards

N

5

Instructional Program Divisions; Mathematics Curriculum; State Standards; Mathematics Education; Guidelines; Educational Objectives; Cognitive Ability; Student Placement

0031-7217

Since 2002, 38 states have developed or revised their mathematics curriculum standards, some of which are intended to serve as "models" for local districts, while others are mandatory and specify the mathematics all students in the state are expected to learn at particular grades. The state curriculum standards serve as guidelines for shaping each state's annual grade-level assessments. The newest iterations of state mathematics standards specify grade-level learning expectations. In an effort to understand the nature of the new standards and the level of consensus across states, the authors reviewed all state mathematics standards that outline grade-specific learning goals for at least grades 3-8 (41 states in all, plus the Department of Defense Education Agency). Findings from this study confirm that mathematics learning expectations vary across the states along several dimensions, including level of specificity, language used to convey learning goals, and grade placement of specific learning expectations. The authors summarize their findings on each of these dimensions: (1) specificity and complexity; (2) language and cognitive demand; and (3) grade placement. They also offer some recommendations for the future development of mathematics curriculum standards documents. (Contains 1 figure, 5 endnotes and 1 table.)

ERIC

ED532215

2007

EJ762576