In this article the authors describe a project during which they unpacked fraction standards, created rigorous tasks and lesson plans, and developed formative and summative assessments to analyze students' thinking about fraction multiplication. The purpose of this article is to (1) illustrate a process that can be replicated by educators…

Teachers use the word assessment to describe any method of gathering information about student learning. Whether it be formative assessment (intended to guide instructional decisions) or summative assessment (a reflection on the entirety of student learning from prior instruction), teachers are constantly working to identify what their students…

Efforts are made to help students do better on mathematics problems without taking time from other class activities. An illustration of Mrs. Segura, a third-grade teacher at Sunflower Elementary School, is presented whose seventy percent students did not pass the fourth chapter test in mathematics.

Describes a 7-year-old whose mathematical performance in class embodies much of what is important according to "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics". She speaks little English and therefore scores low on standardized, norm-referenced tests. Concludes that changes in curriculum and classroom instruction require changes in…