This resource was developed by CSMC faculty and doctoral students with support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0333879. The opinions and information provided do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Title: This resource was developed by CSMC faculty and doctoral students with support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0333879. The opinions and information provided do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science


1
This resource was developed by CSMC faculty and
doctoral students with support from the National
Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0333879.
The opinions and information provided do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National
Science Foundation. 4-7-05
2
Committees and Reports that Have Influenced the
Changing Mathematics Curriculum
This set of PowerPoint slides is one of a series
of resources produced by the Center for the Study
of Mathematics Curriculum. These materials are
provided to facilitate greater understanding of
mathematics curriculum change and permission is
granted for their educational use.
A Nation at Risk The Imperative for Educational
Reform
Report of the National Commission on Excellence
in Education 1983

http//www.mathcurriculumcenter.org
3
A Nation at Risk The Imperative for Educational
Reform
National Commission on Excellence in Education
Committee Appointed August 1981 Report
Published 1984
4
The National Commission onExcellence in Education
  • David P. Gardner (Chair), University of Utah
  • Yvonne W. Larsen (Vice-Chair),
  • San Diego City School Board
  • William O. Baker, Bell Telephone Laboratories
  • Anne Campbell, Former Commissioner of Education,
    Nebraska
  • Emeral A. Crosby, Northern High School, Detroit,
    MI
  • Norman C. Francis, Xavier University of Louisiana
  • Charles A. Foster, Jr., Foundation for Teaching
    Economics
  • A. Bartlett Giamatti, Yale University
  • Shirley Gordon, Highline Community College,
    Midway, WA
  • Gerald Holton, Harvard University

Robert V. Haderlein, National School Boards
Association Annette Y. Kirk, Kirk
Associates Margaret S. Marston, Virginia State
Board of Education Albert H. Quie, Former
Governor, Minnesota Francisco D. Sanchez, Jr.,
Superintendent of Schools, Albuquerque, NM Glenn
T. Seaborg, University of California,
Berkeley Jay Sommer, New Rochelle High School,
New Rochelle, NY Richard Wallace, Lutheran High
School East, Cleveland Heights, OH
5
Mission of the Commission
Assess the quality of teaching and learning in
schools, colleges, and universities in the
country Compare U.S. schools to those of other
advanced countries Study the connection
between college admissions requirements and high
school achievement Identify programs which
lead to success in college Assess the extent
to which social and educational changes in the
past 25 years influenced student
achievement Define problems to be addressed
and solved in order to pursue educational
excellence (pp. 12)
6
Our Nation Is at Risk
. . . the educational foundations of our society
are presently being eroded by a rising tide of
mediocrity that threatens our very future as a
Nation and a people. . . . If an unfriendly
foreign power had attempted to impose on America
the mediocre educational performance that exists
today, we might well have viewed it as an act of
war. . . . We have, in effect, been committing an
act of unthinking, unilateral educational
disarmament. (p. 5)
7
Once the unquestioned leader, we are now falling
behind.
Japan builds cars more efficiently. South
Korea has the most efficient steel
mill. American machine tools are being
replaced by German models.
8
Some Indicators of the Risk
Internationally, on 19 academic tests of
achievement, American students were not first or
second. Roughly 13 of U.S. students 17 years
old are functionally illiterate, with the
percentage for minorities at about 40. College
Board SAT math scores have dropped 40 points from
1963 to 1980. Between 1975 and 1980, remedial
mathematics courses in 4-year colleges
represented 25 of the math courses taught. (pp.
89)
9
What can be done about this situation?
10
Commissioned Research
41 research documents were developed by U.S. and
international experts. The reports covered
education from every angle. One report dealt
specifically with mathematics. A Comparative
Review of Curriculum Mathematics and
International Studies in the Secondary Schools of
Five Countries (Max Eckstein, Susanne Shafer,
Kenneth Travers) This study compared the
curricula of the U.S., Japan, West Germany,
U.S.S.R., Canada
11

Another report dealt with academic courses
taken. A Study of High School Transcripts,
1964-1981 (Clifford Adelman) Compared
courses that high school graduates took over this
period of time Found that student spent
less time in academic courses
12
7 Regional Public Hearings
  • 1. Science, Mathematics, and Technology
    Education,
  • Stanford University
  • Found specific areas of concern
  • Critical shortages of physics, mathematics,
    and chemistry teachers exist at the secondary
    level.
  • The average salary of a beginning math
    teacher with a bachelors degree is now only 60
    of the beginning salary offered by private
    industry to bachelor degree candidates in
    mathematics.
  • Substantial number of unqualified persons are
    teaching science and mathematics in secondary
    schools.
  • Even certified science and mathematics
    teachers at the secondary level are in need of
    in-service training.
  • New sequences of science and math courses and
    materials are needed which match stages of
    intellectual development of children. (p. 54)


13
7 Regional Public Hearings
2. Language and Literacy, Houston 3. Performance
Expectations in American Education,
Philadelphia 4. Teaching and Teacher Education,
Georgia State University 5. College Admissions
and the Transition to Postsecondary Education,
Chicago 6. College Curriculum Shape, Influence,
and Assessment, University of Rhode
Island 7. Education for the Gifted and Talented,
Harvard University

14
Findings about Content and Expectations
From 1964 to 1979, the percentage of students
in the general track has grown from 12 to
42. Only about 31 of high school graduates
complete intermediate algebra. Only 1 year of
mathematics is required for graduation in 35
states. In 13 states, at least 50 of the
credits required for graduation are
electives. Minimum competency examinations
often become the maximum standards. A majority
of students could master 80 of their textbook
before opening the book. (pp. 6164)
15
Findings about Teaching
Teacher education programs are heavily weighted
with education methods courses rather than
subject courses. Many teachers must supplement
income with part-time or summer jobs. Severe
teacher shortages exist in certain fields, such
as mathematics, science, and special
education. About half of new math teachers are
not qualified. (p. 66)
16
Recommendation A Content
We recommend that State and local high school
graduation requirements be strengthened and that,
at a minimum, all students seeking a diploma be
required to lay the foundations in the Five New
Basics by taking the following curriculum during
their 4 years of high school (a) 4 years of
English (b) 3 years of mathematics (c) 3 years
of science (d) 3 years of social studies and
(e) one-half year of computer science. For the
college-bound, 2 years of foreign language in
high school are strongly recommended in addition
to those taken earlier. (p. 70)
17
Implementing Recommendation A
The teaching of mathematics in high school
should equip graduates to (a) understand
geometric and algebraic concepts (b) understand
elementary probability and statistics (c) apply
mathematics in everyday situations and (d)
estimate, approximate, measure, and test the
accuracy of their calculations. In addition to
the traditional sequence of studies available for
college-bound students, new, equally demanding
mathematics curricula need to be developed for
those who do not plan to continue their formal
education immediately. (p. 71)
18
Implementing Recommendation A
The curriculum in the crucial eight grades
leading to the high school curriculum should be
specifically designed to provide a sound base for
study . . . (and) foster an enthusiasm for
learning. (p. 72) Encouraged the efforts by .
. . The National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics to revise, update, improve, and make
available new and more diverse curricular
materials. (p. 73)
19
Recommendation B Standards and Expectations
We recommend that schools, colleges, and
universities adopt more rigorous and measurable
standards, and higher expectations, for academic
performance and student conduct, and that 4-year
colleges and universities raise their
requirements for admission. This will help
students do their best educationally with
challenging materials in an environment that
supports learning and authentic accomplishment.
(p. 73)
20
Recommendation C Time
  • We recommend that significantly more time be
    devoted to learning the New Basics. This will
    require more effective use of the existing school
    day, a longer school day, or a lengthened school
    year. (p. 75)
  • To implement the recommendation, the committee
  • recommended
  • a 7-hour school day for 200220 days
  • high school students should have more
    homework
  • assigned
  • placement and grouping should be based on
  • academic progress and instructional needs
    rather
  • than on age.

21
Recommendation D Teaching
Persons preparing to teach should be required
to meet high educational standards, to
demonstrate an aptitude for teaching, and to
demonstrate competence in an academic
discipline. Salaries for the teaching
profession should be increased and should be
professionally competitive, market-sensitive, and
performance-based. Master teachers should be
involved in designing teacher preparation
programs and in supervising teachers during their
probationary years. (pp. 7677)
22
Recommendation E Leadership and Fiscal Support
We recommend that citizens across the Nation
hold educators and elected officials responsible
for providing the leadership necessary to achieve
these reforms, and that citizens provide the
fiscal support and stability required to bring
about the reforms we propose. (p. 78)
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