Common Core Standards: The American Mathematics Curriculum

The bigger problem is the role the Common Core State Standard are playing in the larger dynamics of school education. The primary reason for adopting Common Core is that it will supposedly prepare American high school students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Ironically, Common Core does exactly the opposite. It forces states to adopt a Math curriculum that is simply inadequate to prepares students for these demanding fields. Prof. James Milgram of Stanford University was the only Mathematics expert involved in developing Common Core. He refused to sign off on the Common Core Math standards when he saw how inferior they were to existing Math standards. He pointed out that Common Core Math will delays Algebra I until 9th grade and does not include Calculus in high school at all, which are necessary for students to be prepared for STEM courses in college. Prof. Milgram concluded that Common Core will put American students at least two years behind the high-achieving countries of Europe and Asia. Jason Zimba, the main architect of Common Core Math, admitted that it will only prepare students for Math courses at a non-selective Community College, not a four-year

Statistics involves framing questions in a context, then collecting and analyzing data for interpretation. Probability is about chance and fairness with assigned values. Many mathematics instructors teach this discipline in a procedural manner, causing students to miss its essence.

The first of the eight common core mathematical practices helps students know what to address before, during, and after they are presented with a problem. The key is to make sense of the problems and persevere in solving them. When a student is presented with a problem, common core can help them to make a plan, carry out the plan, and evaluate its success.

Since schools have implemented the Common Core standards, many parents find themselves increasingly confused by the coursework their children bring home, feeling incapable of providing homework help. Because the methods kids are now learning in school are dramatically different than those you might have been taught, the changes may seem arbitrary and unnecessary. However, as the expert math tutors at Mathnasium of La Cañada explain, the new standards are intended to engender a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and why they work.

Parents are concerned with the changes being made in the way their children are taught math. They are outraged that Common Core wants to cut memorization tecniques like “PEMDAS” and cross-multiplication that “help kids get the right answers to difficult [math] problems.” In contrast, experts believe that techniques “allow students to skip…conceptual thinking.” Also, Common Core math standards claim that getting the correct answer is only the first step, students must then “understand the

Common Core concentrates on a coherent set of math skills and concepts. Before this concept was implemented in the American Education system this new way of addressing math problems and concepts was endorsed by teachers, parents, and students. Although, the purpose of common core math was to promote deeper thinking and understanding in students, regardless of its objectives, all it is doing is reducing not only students but also parents to tears. Statistics show that public support for common core has dropped 16 percent since 2013, when 65 percent of Americans were in favor of the Common Core standards, according to the ninth annual Education Next poll. And possibly the most surprising change in opinion has been among teachers, in 2013, 76 percent of teachers said they were in favor of the Common Core. In the new survey, only

“The math standards provide clarity rather than broad general statements...The knowledge and skills students need to be prepared for mathematics in college, career, and life are woven throughout the mathematics standards” (Mathematics Standards). The standards outline what states expect teachers to teach their students each school year; this allows for better comprehension from teachers, students, and parents. The main goal of them is to ensure that students “make progress each year and graduate from high school prepared to succeed” while having all participants “on the same page” (“Read the Standards”). The standards are based on six aspects: research and evidence based; clear, understandable, and consistent; aligned with college and career expectations; based on rigorous content and the application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills; built upon the strengths and lessons of current state standards; and finally informed by other top-performing countries to prepare all students for success in our global economy and society (“Read the Standards”). In 2015, Allie Bidwell wrote the article “Reports Show Small Gains After Common Core” for U.S. News which outlines how common core has affected grades for students. In her article, Bidwell quotes facts found by Tom Loveless, a nonresident senior fellow in governance studies at the Brown Center. Loveless found that there was a

I have never been a good mathematician and when I was in seventh grade i was introduced to common core math, and i had a very hard time with it. Me and my parent was both shocked at how complex the work was and what they expected that age group of student to do. In the later years i know South Carolina had voted to get rid of it, so i guess i did this topic for my i search paper to see what the effects are on students in the other 42 states and the district of columbia with how they are doing with common

Associate Superintendent Mary Jo Conery presented the first reading of the academic content standards of the course to the board for their consideration and approval. Dr. Conery reported that the applications of mathematics are a new fourth year high school mathematics course that were approved by the board on January 26, 2016 for the 2016-2017. The academic standards for mathematics provide a consistent, clear understanding of what student are expected to learn. The standards are focused, coherent, and relevant to the real world, describing the knowledge and skills that student need for success in college and career pathways. By steering high expectations with a commitment to succeed with all students, the district is positioning the future

Math anxiety hinders students’ mathematics learning, thinking positive about math, and feeling calm. This fear causes low self-esteem,

Math teachers have become increasingly disenchanted with the traditional materials they are forced to teach due to the existing California standards. The goal of the teachers is not that they need to change the standards, but there needs to be a better curriculum to adequately bring students up to those standards. Current curricula follow the letter of the standards that California has implemented, but they sometimes seem to be based on nothing substantial which would give credibility to the course of study. If a curriculum is developed to meet a set of standards, that is exactly what it will do. However, the goal should be to not only meet but to exceed the stated standards; or, at the very least, give students the ability to go beyond the standard. In this argument, the California standards are the lowest rung of the ladder that the state should encourage students to climb. Yes, the student will have a basic understanding of mathematical concepts if they meet the standard, but they will not have any impetus to reach beyond that and achieve something more. In this research paper, two different curricula possibilities are examined for their relative merits; one which is meant to just meet the recommended California mathematics standard as set forth by the Common Core State Standards Initiative (2005), and one which is recommended by a practical body, the National Science Foundation (NSF), to encourage students to achieve a higher,

One problem that many students face when working with math is trying to look at problems through different ways. Students need to make sense of problems and insist on solving them. Each problem has a meaning and the meanings need to be found. Many math problems have different approaches to solving them and students can use concrete objects or illustrations to solve problems. Students should check answers using a different method than what was used to originally solve the problem. This standard can be used in middle school grades by the students finding a solution to a problem then working

Math can be intimidating due to the perception that it is difficult and does not come easily. Furthermore, teachers can perceive math as intimidating due to the knowledge that students possess these uncertainties. This puts a lot of pressure on a teacher to design well-thought out and engaging lessons to achieve academic success in math content.

All mathematic teachers have students enrolled in their classes who struggle with basic math skills and suffer from anxiety. This does not make a difference if it is a first-grader or an eleventh-grader, any student can develop math anxiety. Dr. Eugene Geist found in his research that mathematics anxiety seems to occur for the first time in 1st- through 3rd-graders, but it is possible for even preschoolers to develop it (2015, p. 329). While the majority of students who develop math anxiety are the low math ability students, there are other factors that can cause any grade student to develop this anxiety. A teacher who is not specialized in mathematics may not feel confident while teaching the content to their students; this then causes a student to begin developing anxiety. Classroom activities and how a student perceives their math classroom environment can also cause a student to develop anxiety or increase their anxiety (Yanqing, 2016, p. 32). Research by Geist in “The Anti-Anxiety Curriculum: Combating Math Anxiety in the Classroom” (2010) shows that low socioeconomic children often have parents who have less educational background and tend to have a negative attitude about learning mathematics. This negativity is transferred from parent to child and thus hinders their mathematical experience (p. 24).

Possessing and having a clear understanding of at least the simplest mathematical concepts is an essential and fundamental skill which is necessary to sustain an active, industrious, satisfying role within society. As a result of this necessity, the very comprehensive learning area of mathematics which has been developed within the New Zealand Curriculum and implemented. The Ministry of Education (2007) states that “by studying mathematics students develop the abilities of thinking logically, critically, creatively and strategically while processing, organising and communicating information.” Then answer me this, why is it that there a vast number of students who fail to understand mathematical concepts, grasp various mathematical skills and appreciate the advantages that mathematics has to offer them? This essay will identify at least three issues that may impede or obstruct students from learning mathematics which would include: The lack of equity, the lack of appropriate teaching methods and a lack of enthusiasm by which mathematics is being implemented. This essay will also examine the benefits and limitations of a number of teaching strategies which are being used by current initiatives in Mathematics which when implemented can assist when resolving these issues.