Describes knowledge for teachers as curriculum designers and a framework for interdisciplinary unit development. Includes an example of the framework in action. (Author/MM)

A sample of 134 sixth-grade students who were using the Connected Mathematics curriculum were administered an open-ended item entitled, Vet Club (Balanced Assessment, 2000). This paper explores the role of misconceptions and naive conceptions in the acquisition of statistical thinking for middle grades students. Students exhibited misconceptions…

This article describes a team-taught, activity-based format to teach students about measurement. Alternative assessment plays a crucial role in providing feedback to students throughout the unit. (Contains 9 figures.)

A new algorithm for computing roots of any order is presented, along with the historical roots of its development.

In this study, Ridgway et al. found mixed results, depending on the assessment test used. With the Balanced Assessment (BA) test, positive significant differences were found between the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) students and non-CMP students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The results for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were less favorable…

This report is a follow-up to "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" (Williams, Kirst, Haertel, et al., 2010). That study specified a comprehensive set of actionable practices that differentiated higher academic achievement among 303 middle grades schools in California. In doing so, the study provided a compelling and coherent account of…

The theme of the 38th meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 38) and the 36th meeting of the North American Chapter of the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA 36) was "Mathematics Education at the Edge." Academically, the theme provides opportunities to highlight and examine…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in the United States is not equivalent to a national curriculum; however, it does set forth some conditions essential for enhancing student achievement at scale (e.g., curriculum standards, assessment standards, and expectations of compliance). The missing component within these conditions is support for…

A randomized-trials design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a preschool mathematics program based on a comprehensive model of research-based curricula development. Thirty-six preschool classrooms were assigned to experimental (Building Blocks), comparison (a different preschool mathematics curriculum), or control conditions. Children were…

The Comparing Options in Secondary Mathematics: Investigating Curriculum (COSMIC) project is a longitudinal study of student learning from two types of mathematics curricula: integrated and subject-specific. Previous large-scale research studies such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicate that numerous variables are…

This paper presents a curriculum, textbook and test result analysis for the new (to California) elementary school "Key Standard" mathematics curriculum, transplanted in 1998 from it's foreign roots in Asia and Europe, locations with far different cultural and economic backgrounds. Based on topic analysis methods developed by Michigan…

Computers have been in schools and indeed some mathematics classrooms for more than 35 years. Some schools have chosen to centralise their computers in laboratories, while others have a mix of configurations and networks. Whatever the case, how extensive has been the classroom use of computers for teaching and learning in mathematics? What has…

The authors investigated the performance of 172 Grade 4 students (9 to 10 years) over 12 months on a 36-item test that comprised items from 6 distinct graphical languages (e.g., maps) commonly used to convey mathematical information. Results revealed (a) difficulties in Grade 4 students' capacity to decode a variety of graphics, (b) significant…

The Georgia Learning Framework is a collaborative effort among community-based partners and professional educators to produce a vision of mathematics and science that will prepare all Georgia students for the 21st century. It identifies habits of mind, skills and knowledge, and dispositions that all students must possess to be productive citizens.…

Prior to an extensive literary and active research, the researchers hypothesized that the Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) would be effective only if implemented on a school-wide, uniform manner that followed the strict CSMP guidelines. Two extensive surveys on teacher attitudes concerning CSMP were administered to teachers in a…