Common Core State Standards, MA Frameworks and the Work of the Center

Since it became evident that Massachusetts, as well as 45 other states, was adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) we have struggled with how best to serve the needs of the teachers with whom we work. The staff of the Center for Math Achievement (CMA) at Lesley University is committed to supporting the mathematical needs of teachers in any way possible. We will continue to offer courses on site in districts and weekend workshops, participate in dine-and-discuss meetings with the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts (ATMIM), mentor/coach teachers, and publish materials that will promote effective teaching and learning.

Sol Garfunkel, mathematician, author, and professional development provider, in an email delivered through Jerry Becker’s list serve describes himself as “schizophrenic” when it comes time to deal with the CCSS. His dilemma, as with many mathematics educators, is how to reconcile an untested set of standards which he does not support with his commitment to best support teachers who have to implement them. I am in agreement with Sol, who went on to articulate how well-written the 1989 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards were and how we, as a nation, never truly implemented those standards as articulated. I would add that the revision of those standards as articulated in Principles and Standards for School Mathematics 2000 have also been largely ignored. Yet, after spending time at the International Congress of Mathematics Educators-12 (ICME-12) in Korea, I heard from many educators from around the world how much they value the work of NCTM and use their standards and publications religiously. In fact, many presenters from countries which out-perform the US on international assessments stated that the reason their students do so well is because their curriculum is based on the NCTM standards.

More information on the PARCC assessment will be released in the coming weeks and we will pass on that updated information as soon as it becomes available. Until then, feel free to ask any questions you might have, or to provide us with information you may have that we are missing.

Anne