Promoting Equity and Excellence: High Standards That Apply to All Students

	Haven't Considered	Fully Implemented
Do you have a plan in your community for ensuring that all students are given the opportunity to meet high quality state/local standards in mathematics?
Do you know if your standards in mathematics are "challenging," linked to content and professional development, and clearly articulated both within and across the grade levels? Do you compare them against standards in other districts, states, and nations, or against the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)?
Do you know what percent of 4th through 8th grade students move beyond arithmetic to algebra, geometry, statistics, and data analysis? Do you know what percent of 8th grade students take algebra or other courses including significant algebraic content?
Do you have indicators to assess how well you are progressing in providing equal access and opportunities in the area of mathematics particularly across gender and race/ethnicity, for students with limited English proficiency, and for those with disabilities? (e.g., Do you examine disaggregated student achievement data to inform your mathematics program? Are materials and assessments modified to foster accommodation when necessary?)
Do you implement strategies supported through programs such as Goals 2000 and Title I to promote the learning of the fundamentals of mathematics in early childhood programs?
Do stakeholders (parents, community members, business representatives, classroom teachers, special program teachers, administrators, support staff, and students) understand your state/local standards and the related implications for their work?

Promoting High Quality Curricula and Instruction

	Haven't Considered	Fully Implemented
Do you provide active and effective leadership and administrative support for mathematics education, including coordinating various programs in your state/district?
Do your state/district improvement plans rely on research on effective strategies for teaching mathematics?
Do you know if you have a process for assessing instruction and curriculum implementation and making mid-course corrections?
Does your mathematics curriculum develop students' understanding of concepts using multiple representations (concrete, geometrical, graphical, numerical, symbolic)?
Do teachers of mathematics provide frequent opportunities for students to conjecture, explain, predict, and defend their ideas in a variety of ways?
Do teachers of mathematics give students opportunities to explore open-ended and non-routine problems and to experience the power and usefulness of mathematics in the world around them?
Do you provide support for appropriate textbooks, technology, and other curriculum materials that are focused and rigorous? Have you reviewed the newest National Science Foundation (NSF) curriculum projects?
Do schools in your state/district ensure that students having difficulty or those needing extra enrichment in mathematics are identified on a timely basis?
Do schools in your state/district offer any before-, after-, or summer school programs in mathematics to provide students with the extra learning time they may need?
Do you take advantage of technical assistance from school support teams, and federally funded providers such as the Comprehensive Centers, Regional Labs, the Eisenhower Consortia, and the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse to access high-quality information on mathematics teaching and learning?

Professional Development: Promoting High Quality Teachers

	Haven't Considered	Fully Implemented
Do you employ teachers prepared in the content and pedagogy for teaching mathematics well? Do you encourage mathematics specialists and master teachers to assist and mentor other faculty in mathematics instruction?
Have you aligned teacher licensure, certification and recertification requirements with state content and performance standards?
Do you offer active and effective administrative support and encouragement for long-term, ongoing professional development experiences for teachers?
Do you use NSF programs, assistance from colleges and universities, and other forms of outside support to support high quality professional development?
Do you support or make available professional development institutes and networks of teachers to enable teachers to communicate with each other and become mathematical thinkers?
Do you provide time for teachers of mathematics at different grade levels to review, evaluate, and revise the mathematics program to help students meet state/local standards? Do you provide time for teachers to observe one another in the teaching of mathematics? Do you provide regular opportunities for teachers to work together in reviewing student work in relationship to state/local standards?
Do you provide encouragement and support for teachers who participate in programs of recognition for excellence (e.g., Distinguished Educators, National Board Certification)?
Do you provide both general and special education staff with skills and knowledge that will help them foster the mathematics achievement of students with disabilities?
Do you offer professional development opportunities that promote high-quality mathematics instruction for limited English proficient students?

Cultivating Partnerships Among Schools, Parents, and Communities

	Haven't Considered	Fully Implemented
Do you provide parents with clear information about students' mathematics curriculum, assessments, and proficiency levels?
Do you provide training to help parents assist their children in meeting higher standards in mathematics? (e.g., disseminate information on the importance of mathematics for college-going, assist parents in understanding new ways of teaching and reinforcing mathematical concepts?)
Do schools in your state/district have parent-school compacts that include a discussion of mathematics education?
Do you have partnerships with business, industry, and colleges and universities with expertise in mathematics?

Coupling Flexibility with Responsibility for Student Performance

	Haven't Considered	Fully Implemented
Do you conduct a needs assessment specific to mathematics and that is based on student achievement data relative to state/local standards?
Are assessments of students in mathematics aligned with the goals and objectives of the curriculum and embedded in instruction?
Do you have improvement targets for student performance in mathematics? Are your schools making progress toward helping students to meet state standards in mathematics?
Do you know how assessments of students in mathematics are used for instructional feedback, analysis of student understanding and progress, diagnosis of student needs, assignment of grades, communication with parents, and for curriculum review?

This is a work in progress. Please submit any comments to: Melissa Chabran, Planning and Evaluation Service, U.S. Department of Education, (202) 401-1265, (202) 401-3036 (fax), Melissa_Chabran@ed.gov

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