MEASUREMENT CONNECTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

NCTM Standards Grades 6-8, Measurement Connections & Technology

NCTM Standards Grades 6-8, Measurement Connections & Technology

Introduction

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published the first academic standards for subject matter instruction in mathematics, the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards. First released in 1989 and updated in 2000, the standards address issues of making math more engaging and demanding to meet the needs of a changing America in a global economy. However, the lack of guidance in the implementation of the standards and competition from state standards with accompanying subject matter test frameworks have diffused the results that were anticipated initially (Clements, Sarama & DiBlase, 2004). This paper discusses NCTM standards grades 6-8, measurement connections & technology in a concise and comprehensive way.

NCTM Standards Grades 6-8, Measurement Connections & Technology

Some of the criticism of the NCTM standards and state standards stem from issues of racial equality as the achievement gap that persists among White, Black, and Hispanic subgroups on standardized tests widened in mathematics computation during the 1990s (Clements, Sarama & DiBlase, 2004). Numerous research studies attest to the importance of arithmetic, in particular that computation skills are necessary for advancement in careers in math and science. Research studies also show that computation skills are a valuable predictor of adult earnings. Yet, reducing inequity in mathematics instruction by enforcing high standards for all, by raising teacher expectations, and by appropriating resources does not appear to be a priority of local school systems within the United States. Poor teacher preparation, the extensive reliance on calculators in early- and middle-level instruction in mathematics, and the reformist standards of the 1990s are recognized as contemporary issues in math education in the twenty-first century. Changing expectations for math knowledge, coupled with increased uses of technology applications for school mathematics instruction, has directed the rethinking of the current curriculum and preparation that is needed in the math education of prospective teachers (Clements, Sarama & DiBlase, 2004).

The de-emphasis on computational skills in the Standards soon came under attack and was often inappropriately publicized as the elimination of such skills from the curriculum. With the driving force of the Standards being mathematics for all, conservative mathematicians and some mathematics educators feared that the mathematics curricula would become “dumbed-down” in order for more students to be successful. Nevertheless, the National Science Foundation (NSF) called for and funded proposals for the development of curricula that would align with the ...