News Brief
Supporting the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (08/01/2013)The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) will help educators interpret and understand the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and support efforts to create comprehensive and coherent instruction and assessment systems at the school, district, and state levels. According to NCTM's position statement, "When properly implemented, the Common State Standards will support all students' access to, and success in, high-quality mathematics programs. Such programs lead to knowledge of mathematics content and reasoning skills that enable students to apply mathematics effectively in a myriad of careers and in everyday life." However, in order to realize the potential of the standards, the organization says ongoing professional development must be offered for educators; teacher evaluation systems must give teachers time to adjust and adapt to the standards before taking student achievement into account; preschool funding is necessary for students to enter kindergarten with basic knowledge; funding for research and implementation of Common Core assessments also is necessary; and all stakeholders must recognize that systemic improvement takes years and provide long-term support for the standards regardless of initial assessment results. NCTM adds that the standards "must be updated periodically to reflect both emerging research on students' learning and practitioners' experiences with the current standards."
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