National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

century, the work of Italian mathematicians brought a major advancement in mathematics. They found new methods to solve equations. (Katz, 2007, p.193). In the seventeenth century, the point of view in algebra was greatly changed. Because the mathematicians have also begun questioning about the equation problems not just finding solutions. (Katz, 2007, p.194). Later in the eighteenth century, the development in mathematics changed the notion of algebra. (Katz, 2007, p.196).

As a result, school districts were forced to “dumb down” their standards to ensure students’ success on paper to avoid such labels (Jost, 2010). In addition, teachers would essentially “teach to the test,” only covering topics their students would be tested on during their annual standardized tests (Jost, 2010). This is a huge problem that America’s youth had encountered. They were being stripped of their chance

purpose of this bill was to ensure that as a nation, we obtained eight National Education Goals. One of these goals was that by the year 2000, the Nation’s teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of their professional skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare all American students for the next century ("The History of Goals 2000 (HSLDA | National Center Special Report)"). Fifteen years after President Clinton enacted

certified high schools are all equally prepared and able to attend college. More specifically, while it does not guarantee that all graduating students will go to college, it ensures that all of the students who are exposed to and are competent in the Mathematics and English Language Arts standards will be ready and prepared to take college leveled courses. Attaining higher education is an option that California would like to provide all of its students and the adoption of the CCSS presents that opportunity

Strategy Instruction versus Content Knowledge The trend in literacy studies is comprehension; how proficient readers understand what they read. Many previous studies are centered around the premise that reading proficiency is strategic, orchestrating multiple strategies that occur before, during, and after reading help make sense of what is read. More recently, some researchers have questioned this almost singular focus on strategy instruction saying that it has distracted educator’s from trying

the curriculum, as it can “make or break a child’s confidence in mathematics” (Kefaloukos & Bobis, 2011, p. 19). Therefore teachers play a crucial role in teaching this area of maths. Firstly, it is important to consider what skills children have with regard to measurement when they start school. This guides teachers with an appropriate level to begin. Secondly, teachers need to know some engaging ways to teach measurement. Teachers also need to know how to adjust their teaching when necessary

passing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, there has been an emphasis on instructional time in the classroom and a decrease of non-instructional time. 20% of school districts have increased the time spent teaching English Language Arts and Mathematics, and cutting into time spent for other subjects such as physical education and recess (Brusseau & Hannon, 2014). Although recess is scheduled regularly in a majority of elementary schools in the United States, the opportunity to participate in

Rationale Most mathematics teachers have observed that many students have poor performance in mathematics. Classroom researches over the years show that mathematics instruction has continuously been taught in a traditional manner wherein only a few students understand and grasp the concepts (Winters, Cerulli, Bjork, & Mor, 2006). Teaching mathematics has been viewed as unappealing to the majority of students and has been outdated and not connected with their interests and experiences, bringing about

part of the Arapahoe Public School System. Classes are held for pupils in grades 7 through 12. There are about 100 pupils enrolled and the student-to-teacher ratio is 9:1. The gender division is 54 percent male and 46 percent female. State assessments show 78 percent of AHS pupils are proficient in English and 44 percent are proficient in Mathematics. The graduation rate is 93 percent. Based on factors which include growth, graduation rate, and improvement, Accountability For a Quality Educational

I am a mathematics teacher, with a middle school education degree (grades 5-9) with an emphasis in mathematics and social studies, teaching at an area high school. I have decided to focus on Algebra I for this curriculum paper, because it requires more abstract thought and problem solving. I will address the following areas: curriculum standards (national, state, local (district)), textbook adoption, community, and design of my classroom. This paper will relate the standards at these three levels