Opinion
Standards Letter to the Editor

Math Groups Support Common Standards

June 14, 2010 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The final set of common academic standards released June 2 by the Common Core State Standards Initiative are a welcome milestone in the standards movement that began more than 20 years ago when the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published its “Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics.” State leaders acknowledge that common K-8 and high school standards culminating in college and career readiness will offer better support for national improvement in mathematics achievement than the current system of individual state standards (“Final Version of Core Standards Assuages Some Concerns,” June 9, 2010).

The new common standards provide the foundation for more-focused and coherent instructional materials and assessments that measure students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and acquisition of fundamental reasoning habits, in addition to fluency with math skills. Most important, they will enable teachers and education leaders to focus on improving teaching and learning.

The NCTM, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, the Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators support the goal of the common-core standards to describe a coherent, focused curriculum that has realistically high expectations and supports an equitable mathematics education for all students. Much of the standards document echoes the long-standing positions and principles of our organizations:

• All students need to develop mathematical practices such as solving problems, making connections, understanding multiple representations of mathematical ideas, communicating their thought processes, and justifying their reasoning.

• All students need both conceptual and procedural knowledge related to a mathematical topic, and they need to understand how they are connected.

• Curricula should organize learning expectations in ways that reflect research on how children learn mathematics.

• All students need opportunities for reasoning and sense-making across the mathematics curriculum—and they need to believe that mathematics is sensible, worthwhile, and doable.

Our organizations pledge to help educators interpret and understand the common standards, and to support the development and implementation of comprehensive, coherent instruction and assessment systems. We strongly encourage and support both research about the standards themselves and their implementation, as well as periodic review and revision based on such research.

J. Michael Shaughnessy

President

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Reston, Va.

Diane Briars

President

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Brad Findell

President

Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics

Columbus, Ohio

Barbara Reys

President

Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Columbia, Mo.

A version of this article appeared in the June 16, 2010 edition of Education Week as Math Groups Support Common Standards

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Teacher Perspectives: What is the Future of Virtual Education?
Hear from practicing educators on how virtual and hybrid options offer more flexibility and best practices for administrative support.
Content provided by Class
Reading & Literacy Webinar How Background Knowledge Fits Into the ‘Science of Reading’ 
Join our webinar to learn research-backed strategies for enhancing reading comprehension and building cultural responsiveness in the classroom.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Standards Political Debate Upends Texas Social Studies Standards Process
The Lone Star State is the latest to throw out a set of standards after conservative activists organized in opposition.
7 min read
USA flag fractured in pieces over whole flag.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Standards Opinion Educators Weigh In on Implementing the Common Core, Even Now
Though outlawed in some states, the standards still offer a strong foundation for English, math, and other subjects.
4 min read
A woman tutors a young child.
Collage by Vanessa Solis/Education Week (images: Svetlana Ievleva/iStock/Getty Images Plus; DigitalVision Vectors)
Standards The Sex Ed. Battleground Heats Up (Again). Here's What's Actually in New Standards
Vocal opposition from some conservative groups has put a spotlight on schools’ instructional choices.
11 min read
Illustration of contraceptives and anatomical diagrams of internal reproductive organs and cells
Alisa Potapovich/iStock/Getty
Standards Opinion Did I Accurately Guess the Fate of the Common Core? You Be the Judge
In 2012, I imagined what the Common Core would be like in a decade. Now, readers can compare this imagined “future” to reality.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty