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APRIL 2005

Dr. Alfred S. Posamentier

New Math Standards Will Make A Difference

By Alfred S. Posamentier, Ph.D.

Although for years there was a modicum of unhappiness with the New York State mathematics curriculum—one which differs from the other 49 states—real anger did not emerge until the fiasco of the June 2003 Math-A Regents examination, where about 70 percent of the students failed the exam and where for the first time, passing this exam was a high school graduation requirement. In response to this outcry, Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills established a panel (of which I was a member) to study the situation and make recommendations to remedy the situation. Among the recommendations in the panel’s extensive report was rewriting the standards, for it was believed that the then-current standards were not clearly written and provided teachers little guidance.

Thereupon the commissioner empowered a committee to redefine the math standards for the state. Our work is now completed and the commissioner will ask the Regents at their March meeting to adopt the math standards for grades 9-11 (the standards for grades Pre-K to 8, were adopted in January).

Aside from making the standards clearer and more usable for teachers at all grade levels, what changes can one look for in these new standards? Those who have followed the development of the mathematics curriculum over the past few decades will acknowledge that there have been (and continue to be) “fads” where some feel they have the solution to establishing a universal understanding of mathematics. This is not the case here. We have been driven largely by the one irrefutable factor affecting our schools: technology. Not only does the infusion of the calculator and computer affect what we should be teaching, but also how we should teach it. For example, we don’t teach logarithms the way we did before the calculator appeared, and we can inspect geometric theorems much more effectively using the computer than was ever possible before. As we returned the 10th grade course to a full year of geometry, we did so with a de-emphasis on formal proofs and a greater understanding of what the many wonderful geometric relationships mean and how they interrelate.

Besides more geometry (including three-dimensions and transformations) being taught, more algebra is being suggested for the lower grades than before. Statistics and probability, earlier relegated to later study, is now an integral part of the standards. We are aware that some of our changes will require stepped up professional development of teachers—something that should be done regularly under any circumstances.

In addition to redefining what topics should be taught at the various grade levels, the standards also require certain processes to be included in the mathematics instruction. To my mind, chief among them is the instruction of problem solving, since that is one skill that transcends mathematics to a multitude of other areas and is an invaluable talent in one’s everyday-life decision making.

When we began our yearlong work we studied the standards of many other states and countries so we could determine the appropriateness of teaching topics at the various age levels. At the same time, local concerns were voiced and added additional considerations to the mix. The business community wanted us to incorporate more statistics into the curriculum, the colleges wanted us to provide better prepared students for studying higher mathematics and science, and at the same time the schools were looking for us to create courses (especially at grade 9) that would suit the college-bound students as well as those not planning to go to college. This made for a daunting task.

The new standards will revitalize professional development; teachers will become stronger in mathematics, which will in turn improve the stature of the teacher. These standards should have remedied the criticism that American math curricula usually get, namely, that it is an inch thick and a mile wide.

The new standards will not correct all the ills currently inflicting the study of mathematics in the United States today. We still face a severe shortage of math teachers, especially in our urban centers. However, the attraction of the new standards should liven up the classrooms and make teaching math more attractive. We believe that these standards, implemented properly, will spur on more professional development and will ultimately prepare our youngsters well for at least the next decade.#

Dr. Posamentier is the Dean of the School of Education at The City College of New York (CCNY).

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