Our aim is to contribute to the body of research on learning trajectories (LTs) in mathematics by making visible a process for articulating a hypothetical learning trajectory implicit in a widely adopted, reform-based, middle-grades mathematics curriculum. In doing so, we highlight considerations, decisions, and challenges we faced as part of this…

Mathematics teachers make a number of decisions that shape their lessons, which therein impact their students' opportunity to learn mathematics. Past research has often focused on teachers, students and the mathematical content as key classroom elements that drive teachers' decisions. In this article, we propose that a fourth element -- the…

In this report I have created an exploratory framework to identify opportunities to engage in literacy practices within mathematics curriculum materials. This framework describes "unstructured literacy opportunities" and "structured literacy opportunities" for each of the language modalities of reading, writing, speaking, and…

Since data collection technologies has become a part of daily life, measurement and data requirements now permeate many state mathematics standards, beginning as early as kindergarten and extending through high school. For example, the Standards for Mathematical Content, recommend that kindergarteners "describe and compare measurable…

Teaching and learning fraction concepts continues to be increasingly challenging, especially for elementary and middle school mathematics teachers and students in intervention settings. It is critical for educators to implement instruction that proactively considers engagement, access, and conceptual growth for all students. Dream 2B, a web-based…

Mathematics teachers are vital components in determining what mathematics students have the opportunity to learn. There are a vast number of factors and reasons that influence a teacher's instructional decisions. As such, teachers rely heavily on their curricular reasoning (CR) to make decisions about what content to teach, how that content is…

We describe here lessons learned in designing an early algebra curriculum to measure early algebra's impact on children's algebra readiness for middle grades. The curriculum was developed to supplement regular mathematics instruction in Grades K-5. Lessons learned centered around the importance of several key factors, including using conceptual…

Elliot Eisner proposed that educational challenges can be met by applying an artful lens. This article draws from Eisner's proposal to consider the assumptions, values, and vision of mathematics education by theorizing mathematics curriculum as an art form. By conceptualizing mathematics curriculum (both in written and enacted forms) as stories…

Research and the Australian Curriculum both indicate the importance of teaching students to apply their mathematical knowledge to real world problems. When developing curriculum resources for Queensland state school teachers from Prep to Year 9, the Department's mathematics team identified the significance of embedding the inquiry process in these…

Consider that colorful photographs, eye-catching illustrations, and captivating images intended to make textbooks more appealing may actually distract students from the lesson at hand. Or that asking students to simply solve math problems might not be as effective as having them explain the steps of solutions that are already worked out--even some…

The authors introduce an educational video game (application, or "app"), "CandyFactory Educational Game," designed to promote students' development of partitive understanding of fractions while demonstrating the critical need to promote that development. The app includes essential game features of immediate feedback,…

Statistics is one of the most widely used topics for everyday life in the school mathematics curriculum. Unfortunately, the statistics taught in schools focuses on calculations and procedures before students have a chance to see it as a useful and powerful tool. Researchers have found that a dominant view of statistics is as an assortment of tools…

Some people recognize a palindrome when they see one, however fewer realize that a palindrome is a special case of a pattern and that these patterns are all around. Palindromes frequently occur in names, both of vehicles and people, and in music. The traditional mathematical curriculum has often left palindromes out of the common vernacular. Where…

Since 1973, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has gathered information about student achievement in mathematics. Results of these periodic assessments, produced in print and web-based formats, provide valuable information to a wide variety of audiences. They inform citizens about the nature of students' comprehension of the…

In the past several years, especially with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, emphasis has been placed on connectivity among different academic subjects as well as between those subjects and the world. Simultaneously, there has been an increasing trend toward examination questions that are wordier and require more thinking and…