"Many new mathematics curricula have been developed in response to the 1989 release of Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. These Standards-based curricula focus on helping students develop a conceptual understanding of mathematics through meaningful problem-solving activities, and are fundamentally different from traditional curricula which emphasize learning and practicing algorithms for computational fluency. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether or not school districts can feel confident in choosing a Standards-based curriculum instead of a traditional curriculum. This research show that Standards-based curricula can be just as effective as traditional curricula in helping students -- including disadvantaged students or students with special needs -- learn important mathematical concepts and processes with understanding, especially when the teachers who are using them in their classrooms follow proven implementation guidelines."--leaf 3.

Presents prevalent cases of maths instruction drawn from research of classroom lessons. The "Mathematical Tasks Framework", developed by the authors, offers teachers the means to evaluate instructional decisions, choice of materials and learning outcomes.

Teachers and teacher educators interested in synthesizing their current practice with new mathematics standards will welcome this highly useful volume. Author Mary Kay Stein and her colleagues at the QUASAR Project at the University of Pittsburgh present prevalent cases of mathematics instruction drawn from their research of nearly 500 classroom lessons. The Mathematical Tasks Framework, developed by the authors and explained thoroughly in the book, offers teachers and teacher educators the means to evaluate instructional decisions, the choice of materials, and learning outcomes, and the case studies afford readers the opportunity to ground these ideas in actual classroom practice. Readers will gain insight about how to foster a challenging, cognitively rich, and exciting classroom climate that propels students toward a richer understanding of mathematics. “If every teacher and teacher educator took the opportunity to study and discuss these cases, students everywhere would know and value mathematics as the national standards have envisioned.” —Susan Loucks-Horsley, Director of Professional Development for the National Institute for Science Education “The power of case discussions can be fully realized using this book as a tool. Equally important, teachers will be highly motivated because they see their own practice mirrored in the cases.” —Carne Barnett, WestEd, San Francisco, CA

Chapter 5: Individualized Language Interventions within a Collaborative School/Family Partnership -- Benefits of Early Intervention -- Research-Based Early Language Interventions -- Research to Practice -- Summary -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6: Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Early Math: Setting the Stage for Implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics -- A Model of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Early Mathematics -- Early Childhood Teachers' PCK in Early Mathematics -- Developing Teachers' PCK in Early Math for CCSSM Implementation -- References -- Appendix -- Index.

Anyone responsible for the curriculum review and selection process within a district will find this book essential reading.

With the publication of the National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, a clear set of goals and guidelines for achieving literacy in mathematics and science was established. Designing Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs has been developed to help state- and district-level education leaders create coherent, multi-year curriculum programs that provide students with opportunities to learn both mathematics and science in a connected and cumulative way throughout their schooling. Researchers have confirmed that as U.S. students move through the grade levels, they slip further and further behind students of other nations in mathematics and science achievement. Experts now believe that U.S. student performance is hindered by the lack of coherence in the mathematics and science curricula in many American schools. By structuring curriculum programs that capitalize on what students have already learned, the new concepts and processes that they can learn will be richer, more complex, and at a higher level. Designing Mathematics or Science Curriculum Programs outlines: Components of effective mathematics and science programs. Criteria by which these components can be judged. A process for developing curriculum that is structured, focused, and coherent. Perhaps most important, this book emphasizes the need for designing curricula across the entire 13-year span that our children spend in elementary and secondary school as a way to improve the quality of education. Ultimately, it will help state and district educators use national and state standards to design or re-build mathematics and science curriculum programs that develop new ideas and skills based on earlier onesâ€"from lesson to lesson, unit to unit, year to year. Anyone responsible for designing or influencing mathematics or science curriculum programs will find this guide valuable.