2000 NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
2000 NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
NCTM was the first professional organization to develop and release standards to raise student expectations for school mathematics in 1989. Since their release, most states have adopted standards and, between 1992 and 1996, test scores at grades 4, 8, and 12 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reflect a grade level of improvement in performance.
But it is now the year 2000 and mathematics and math education are not stagnant entities. Principles and Standards is the compilation of the lessons learned and experiences gained over the last ten years. Technology and communication advances are pervasive. The majority of advances society has made in recent years involve reasoning, problem solving, and communicating in mathematics. Computer technology, as well as chemical and biological research, depends upon calculations and computations to break new ground and create new solutions.
Principles and Standards reflects the most current thinking, research, experience and expertise of a wide variety of groups with an interest in mathematics education.
According to Joan Ferrini-Mundy, chair of the 26-member NCTM writing group, Principles and Standards provides guidelines for excellence in mathematics education and issues a call for all students to engage in more challenging mathematics. It features ten standards addressing the mathematical content and process that students should know in each of the pre-kindergarten through grade twelve years. The document is organized into four grade band chapters, unlike the original standards, which were organized into three. This allows for more focus on the elementary and middle grades.
The most important messages of Principles and Standards includes:
Students must be fluent in arithmetic computation -- they must have efficient and accurate methods, and understand them. Students should know their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division combinations.
Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances student learning. It needs to be used wisely, by well-informed teachers, to support understanding.
By the end of eighth grade, after a coherent experience across pre-kindergarten through grade eight, students should have a very strong foundation in algebra and geometry, so that they can use ideas to solve problems with understanding.
All students should study mathematics for each of the four years in high school.
Teachers need to know and use "mathematics for teaching" and this means we need to find ways to be sure that ongoing support and resources are available to our teachers as they work to make these challenging changes.
Principles and Standards is available over the Web or on a CD. For more information or for a preview, go to www.nctm.org/standards/ or call (703) 620-9840.
Founded in 1920, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education association with more than 100,000 members and 250 Affiliated Groups located throughout the United States and Canada. NCTM is dedicated to improving mathematics teaching and learning, kindergarten through high school, and facilitates ongoing dialogue and constructive discussion with all stakeholders about what is best for our nationís students. The Council's Principles and Standards provides guidelines for excellence in mathematics education and issues a call for all students to engage in more challenging mathematics.
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