Mathematics The Bigger Picture

Mathematics is not arithmetic… Arithmetic is about –math facts –computation –algorithms –word problems Mathematics is about –conceptual understanding –problem solving –application of facts & computation

An Arithmetic Test of the Past

Today’s Math Assessments

Connecticut Mastery Test

Arithmetic is necessary, but not sufficient.

NAEP National Assessment of Educational Progress The Nation’s Report Card Mathematics performance improved for the nation, for the majority of states, and for many student groups. –Fourth-graders ’ average score was 3 points higher and eighth-graders ’ average score was 1 point higher in 2005 than in 2003 … – … on a 0 to 500 point scale.

TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study NEW INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT FINDS ASIAN COUNTRIES AGAIN DOMINATE IN STUDENT MATH AND SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT –Grade 4 - Singapore 1st, USA 12th –Grade 8 - Singapore 1st, USA 15th –Grade 4 - Singapore 594, USA 518 –Grade 8 - Singapore 605, USA 504

PISA Program for International Student Assessment 30 “developed”countries participate as well as 11 additional countries Assesses 15-year olds, the age when compulsory schooling ends in most countries Considered more rigorous than TIMSS or NAEP

US Results on PISA The United States ranks 29th in math. US performance on math literacy and on problem solving was lower than the average for “developed” countries US had fewer students at the highest proficiency levels on math literacy and on problem solving than other developed countries

While change is uncomfortable, it appears necessary.

21 st Century Expectations Math Literacy - –Identify and understand role of math in the world –Use math to make judgments –Use math in life situations Problem Solving - –Capacity “to confront and resolve cross- disciplinary situations where the solution is not immediately obvious…”

The World Is Flat By Thomas Friedman An astronaut, a doctor, an author, a pediatrician, a detective, a surgeon, chemistry and physics Too few replacements for American mathematicians, scientists, engineers “We cannot hope to fight jobs lost to international competition without a well-trained and educated workforce.”

Business Week, 1/12/06 “ The challenge facing the U.S. now is twofold. On one hand, the country must breed more top-notch mathematicians at home, especially as foreigners find greater opportunities abroad. This will require revamping education, engaging more girls and ethnic minorities in math, and boosting the number of students who make it through calculus, the gateway for math-based disciplines. "It's critical to the future of our technological society," says Michael Sipser, head of the mathematics department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the same time, school districts must cultivate greater math savvy among the broader population to prepare it for a business world in which numbers will pop up continuously. This may well involve extending the math curriculum to include more applied subjects such as statistics. ”

Arithmetic (the old math) is necessary, but not sufficient.