Barbara J. Reys

Assessing the Impact of Standards-Based Middle Grades Mathematics Curriculum Materials on Student Achievement

This study compared the mathematics achievement of eighth graders in the first three school districts in Missouri to adopt NSF-funded Standards-based middle grades mathematics curriculum materials (MATH Thematics or Connected Mathematics Project) with students who had similar prior mathematics achievement and family income levels from other districts. Achievement was measured using the mathematics portion of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) administered to all 8th graders in the state annually beginning in the spring of 1997. Significant differences in achievement were identified between students using Standards-based curriculum materials for at least 2 years and students from comparison districts using other curriculum materials. All of the significant differences reflected higher achievement of students using Standards-based materials. Students in each of the three districts using Standards-based materials scored higher in two content areas (data analysis and algebra), and these differences were significant.

Effectively Implementing Standards-Based Mathematics Curricula in Middle Schools.

Standards-based middle grades mathematics instructional materials are designed to engage and challenge students in mathematical investigation. The content is sophisticated compared with current content expectations, with increased concentration on rational numbers, algebra, geometry, and statistics. Instruction focuses on conceptual development, integrates content within mathematics, connects mathematics to real world applications, and builds increasing reasoning and problem solving skills. The materials are based on and consistent with the principles outlined in the National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics Curriculum Policies and Practices in the U.S.: The Common Core State Standards Initiative

In the U.S. three curriculum strategies are being used to improve school mathematics programs and student learning outcomes: (a) the movement to common standards; (b) advances in technology-based instructional resources; and (c) the pressure of accountability measured by end-of-year assessments. Together, these strategies are creating a “perfect storm” for significant changes in mathematics curriculum. Elements of the reform strategy are reviewed and discussed. In addition, an argument is made for systematic monitoring of the initiative in order to learn about its impact and inform future policy decisions.

Impact of the Missouri Middle Mathematics Project on the Preparation of Prospective Middle School Teachers

The goal of the project was to improve the teaching and learning of middle school mathematics through collaborative Standards-based mathematics curriculum investigations. The project not only contributed to the improvement of teaching mathematics in the participants’ classrooms, but it also significantly affected the program for prospective middle school mathematics teachers at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This teacher education program is described in this article. An essential ingredient in the successful transition to Standards-based practice at the middle school level is the development of teacher education programs that reflect the fundamental principles of the NCTM Standards (1989). In particular, the mathematical preparation of prospective middle grade teachers, which traditionally had been integrated into the programs for elementary teachers, needs careful consideration. The Mathematical Association of America, in A Call for Change (MAA, 1991), outlined recommendations for the mathematical preparation of middle grade teachers. These recommendations differ significantly from recommendations for the preparation of elementary teachers and provide guidance to those developing new programs for middle grade mathematics teachers. Currently, as in the case of the M 3 Project, much attention is being focused on the improvement of the knowledge and instructional skills of inservice teachers. This is important in order to stimulate immediate and substantive change. However, it is imperative that preservice education be simultaneously improved, so that new teachers entering the field are knowledgeable and can collaborate with their more experienced colleagues in transforming the classrooms in which middle grade students study mathematics. In response to this urgency, college and university faculty throughout the nation are examining and restructuring their teacher preparation courses and programs. These academic activities have created

Examining the career paths of doctorates in mathematics education working in institutions of higher education

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the career paths in higher education taken by 351 doctoral graduates in mathematics education and provides insight into their career path and their resulting workload. Because some of the sample is drawn from graduates of programs with NSF funding related to doctoral preparation, it represents a best-case scenario of doctoral preparation experiences. Notable findings are that about one-half of the doctoral graduates in mathematics education are employed in mathematics departments, the majority (60%) of doctoral graduates remain in their initial faculty position upon completing their doctorate, and that workloads differ substantially across doctorate-granting and non-doctorate-granting institutions.

A profile of mathematics education doctoral graduates’ background and preparation in the United States

ABSTRACT This landmark study of doctoral graduates in mathematics education provides benchmark data that we hope will be useful to the mathematics education community. Five hundred three doctoral graduates from twenty-three institutions participated in the study with a response rate of over 90 percent. This article focuses on doctoral graduate satisfaction with their doctoral preparation, the influence of full-time doctoral status, mathematics and mathematics education course requirements, and preparation to teach methods courses.