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  USDE Press Release: National Mathematics Advisory Panel Releases Final Report March 13, 2008: The National Mathematics Advisory Panel released its final report, Foundations for Success: Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. The panel, created by President Bush in April 2006, was charged with making recommendations to the President and the Secretary on the best use of scientifically based research to advance the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a specific focus on preparation for and success in algebra (grades PK-8). Panelists, including mathematicians, cognitive psychologists, and educators, held 12 meetings across the country reviewed 16,000 studies, and scrutinized surveys from 743 algebra teachers. The result is 45 findings and recommendations on a range of items, including instructional practices, materials, assessments, and teacher professional development. Below are some highlights. Core Principles of Math Instruction: * The areas to be studied from pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade should be streamlined, and a well-defined set of the most important topics should be emphasized in the early grades. Any approach that revisits topics year after year -- without brining them to closure -- should be avoided. * Proficiency with whole numbers, fractions, and aspects of geometry and measurement are the foundations for algebra. Of these, knowledge of fractions is the most important skill not developed among American students. * Conceptual understanding, computational and procedural fluency, and problem-solving skills are equally important and mutually reinforce each other. * Students should develop immediate recall of arithmetic facts to free the "working memory" for solving more complex problems. * More students should be prepared for and offered an "authentic" algebra course in the eighth-grade. The major topics of school algebra include symbols and expressions, linear equations, quadratic equations, functions, polynomials, and combinatorics and finite probability. For more information on this USDE press release, click on the URL link below. To download a free PDF version of the report, click on Department of Education: Foundations for Success: Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Related Resources from SchoolsMovingUp: SchoolsMovingUp's Reading Room section provides articles, books, and abstracts offering practical ideas and models for school improvement. For easy reference, resources are organized by major topics. For related information on math instruction, go to the Curriculum & Instruction section of SchoolsMovingUp's Reading Room. URL: http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/index.html |
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