A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The TIMSS results showed that the content of curricula and instructional materials used in U.S. classrooms in the middle school years in 1995 differed from those in high performing countries in significant ways. The content taught in most U.S. eighth-grade mathematics classrooms would be found in the seventh grade in high-performing nations. Our low expectations for student performance are also shown by the fact that only about 25 percent of U.S. eighth grade students are enrolled in algebra courses, while in high-performing nations virtually all students have the opportunity to master the foundations of algebra and geometry by the end of eighth grade.

Open CESAME! Northeastern University's Center for the Enhancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME), through its Statewide Implementation Program (SIP), demonstrates how school districts can successfully implement challenging standards-based instructional materials. Through a contractual agreement, the project provides districts in Massachusetts with multi-year funding, technical assistance, professional development guided by curriculum developers, and linkages to statewide reform efforts. SIP also conducts research to determine the most effective model for disseminating such materials. Throughout, SIP works to make districts accountable by collecting data and continually focusing on achieving a sustained, high-quality materials implementation. Funded by the National Science Foundation's Teacher Enhancement program, SIP provides expertise in implementing high quality materials to any Massachusetts district engaged in mathematics and science reform, and leads one of the five regional centers of the Massachusetts Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI). This five-year project, funded for over $4.4 million, has leveraged an additional $3.8 million in cost-sharing from district funds, Northeastern University, and the Noyce Foundation.

In addition, TIMSS noted that middle school mathematics materials covered more topics and were less focused in the U.S. than in leading countries. For example, typical American eighth grade mathematics textbooks in 1995 covered as many as 35 major topics compared to as few as 10 such topics in Japanese textbooks, leaving little time for teaching for student mastery and depth of understanding.

New, comprehensive mathematics instructional materials, linked with high standards for mathematical content and pedagogy and aligned with the NCTM standards, are now emerging from development and reaching the market. These materials are designed to permit students to master the traditional basics of arithmetic while also learning the fundamentals of algebra, geometry, data analysis and other topics. They provide a range of different approaches to classroom instruction, while focusing on 15 or fewer topics per year.

Supplementary materials can permit teachers to tailor instruction to particular classrooms, facilitating the transition to new curricula. They can be particularly helpful in taking advantage of new and emerging learning technologies and in providing examples from real life for new concepts.

Selection of comprehensive curricular materials usually takes place at the district or even the State level, whereas the choice of supplementary materials is more likely to be made at the school level. Speeding the transition to more appropriate instructional materials, while tying in professional development for teachers, will have a significant impact on student achievement.

To assist schools, districts, and States in choosing and implementing effective curricula and instructional materials for mathematics in grades 5-8, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education will:

• Encourage and support coordinated efforts aimed at:
  • purchasing new instructional materials geared to rigorous standards;

  • providing high quality professional development connected to implementation of new materials; and

  • employing highly skilled mathematics specialists who are prepared to teach the new materials and guide others in their implementation.
  
  

  Each of these, for example, would be eligible for use of Title I funds, and could be part of the coordinated plans described in applications for the planning grants discussed above.

  Eisenhower Regional Consortia for Mathematics and Science Education The mission of the ten Eisenhower Regional Consortia is to provide a field-based national infrastructure for systemic improvement of science and mathematics education. Projects provide information on curriculum, assessment, and teaching practice; conduct workshops and training; and serve as advisors to the field. One example of the work of the consortia is the 1996 publication by the WestED consortium of Tales From the Electronic Frontier. This is a collection of ten teachers' narratives regarding their use of the Internet to enhance science and mathematics instruction and create opportunities for their own professional growth. The accounts describe using this resource for project-based learning, for making abstract scientific principles more concrete, and for promoting deeper understanding. Each story provides information on related resources and programs, and concludes with a section of questions and issues to stimulate further thought and discussion. "Hoop Happenings" is the tale of a mathematics communication project between students at the Drexel Hill School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and senior education majors at Iowa State University. During their teaching methods class for elementary mathematics, each student at Iowa State is paired with a group of students at the elementary school in Philadelphia with whom she interacts (via e-mail) over a math problem she defines each week. The interactive discussion provides the education majors with insight into children's thinking; for the children the project strengthens their abilities to solve problems and to discuss their problem solving approaches. Tales can be found on WestED's WWW site at http://www.wested.org/tales.

• Develop and disseminate guides to help interested schools and school districts select instructional materials and software most appropriate for their local needs and undertake the necessary steps to effective implementation. This effort will include reviews of instructional materials and software designated by experts as promising or exemplary.

• Provide technical assistance for schools and school districts in putting new mathematics instructional materials to work in the classroom. NSF-supported curriculum implementation sites dedicated to mathematics materials for grades 5-8 will work with broader technical assistance providers, including the Department's Eisenhower Regional Consortia and National Clearinghouse, as needed.

• Provide teachers and other educators with information on how they might use assessment in planning instructional improvement strategies. These materials will include information on how best to use results from the voluntary national mathematics test -- to interpret them to students and parents, place them in appropriate context, and improve mathematics instruction.

• Seed research and development of powerful models for integrating technology into classroom practice and informal learning environments. This will include support for critical expansion and evaluation efforts preceding commercialization of these models. K-8 mathematics will be a high priority in the near term.

• Continue competitive support for the development of supplementary materials, with new priority for efforts aimed at mathematics in grades 5-8, to assist schools and districts in making the transition to standards-based comprehensive materials.

While several other Federal agencies have long worked to support educational improvement efforts, in the past, few other agencies have contributed to the development of standards-based instructional materials in mathematics and science. This is changing, and there are significant contributions that other agencies can make in this area, consistent with their primary missions. The development of supplementary materials with mission-oriented situations that generate real-life problems and the delivery of such materials through technology are key potential contributions.

NASA's Mission Mathematics For NASA, helping students meet rigorous national standards in science and mathematics is central to its mission. Its recent production of "Mission Mathematics" demonstrates how an agency can base its educational work on national standards. These three volumes of problems and activities are the descendants of NASA's first mathematics curriculum supplement, "Space Mathematics: A Resource for Teachers," published in 1972. That popular title was updated repeatedly over the years. "Mission Mathematics," however, is totally revamped to accord with national standards. Indeed, the subtitle is now "Linking Aerospace and the NCTM Standards." The three volumes are divided into K-6, 5-8, and 9-12, and the contents of each are keyed not only to NCTM's curriculum standards, but also to those for teaching and for student assessment. Examples of activities include calculating orbits, collecting and analyzing specimens, and planning for spaceflight needs. This linking to standards was accomplished by making "Mission Mathematics" a joint project of NASA and NCTM. Writing teams included teachers, supervisors, and university professors working in consultation with NASA representatives.

• Agencies will work in cooperation with NASA and NCTM to develop standards-based materials along the lines of NASA's "Mission Mathematics." These materials illustrate the use of mathematics in engaging, real world examples related to the agency mission.

• The Department of Education is chairing a Federal Government-wide working group that has already begun to promote and develop -- and make it easier for teachers and others to find -- high-quality educational materials, including instructional units and related materials, for use on the Internet. This group's role is to take the rich informational resources of organizations such as the Census Bureau or the U.S. Geological Survey, and make them easier for teachers and others to find and use. The first priority will be to identify materials that support teaching of challenging mathematics.

• The Departments of Defense and Education and the National Science Foundation are leading an interagency review of Federal activities related to research in learning technologies in order to establish effective practices for their use.

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