">

United STATES Coalition for World Class Math

       Welcome to the United STATES Coalition for World Class Math!

We have actively been following the Common Core State Standards Initiative and are very concerned that the Career and College Readiness Standards for Mathematics draft does not even meet minimum requirements for non-STEM careers and DOES NOT ADDRESS readiness for students pursuing STEM careers at all.

The College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics Draft for Review and Comment was released on September 21, 2009 as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (see them here: http://www.corestandards.org/Files/MathStandardsSources.pdf ). The U.S. Coalition for World Class Math provided review and comments in response to the draft which we submitted to CCSSI. 

A copy of our comments can be found here:  USCoalitionComments.pdf

Important Note:

The comments we submitted on 10/21/09 emphasized our concern that the Common Core Standards fail to specify the optional, higher-level mathematical content necessary for college-readiness in STEM disciplines.  It has now come to our attention that enrollment prerequisites for BA programs in non-STEM fields of many, perhaps most, state universities also require mastery of numerous Algebra II and Geometry topics that are not included in the current draft.  This includes the California State University and University of California systems, the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems, University of Illinois and Illinois State University systems, Florida State and University of Florida, Ohio State University, and many others.

This omission of significant portions of essential Algebra II and Geometry content renders the Common Core Standards inadequate for students who will enter undergraduate programs in STEM or even non-STEM disciplines in much of the country.  We recommended in our comments that the authors of Common Core Standards follow the methodology Achieve, Inc. used in developing the ADP Benchmarks: Create standards appropriate for all students by specifying essential content up to and including that needed in preparation for study in STEM fields, and identifying as optional those topics required only for students wishing to prepare for study in STEM disciplines.  States should not adopt the "College-Readiness" Standards unless they adequately identify the content required for success in credit-bearing mathematics courses in their state universities.  The current Common Core Standards draft falls significantly short of this requirement for many states.

 

The U.S. Coalition for World Class Math Presents

 Design Principles for K-12 Mathematics Standards and Assessments 

Mathematics education in the United States is at a pivotal moment. The participation of 48 states in the Common Core Hope PosterState Standards Initiative (CCSSI)1  is based on hope that the outcome will improve mathematics and English-language education in our public schools. However, we fear that this initiative may actually make the situation worse; if the math standards that result from the Common Core Initiative are mediocre - or worse - it will reignite the math wars and create a national crisis in mathematics education.  This possibility cannot be ignored.

Accordingly, the US Coalition for World Class Math worked in concert with our national affiliates to create the World Class Math Design Principles for  K-12 Mathematics Standards and Assessments. The Design Principles are intended to address the major deficiencies and defects that currently plague far too many of our state mathematics standards. Our Coalition will use these Principles in evaluating the work of the CCSSI; we offer them for consideration to help inform those who represent us, our children, and our public schools at this critical time. 

 

 

 

 

   

           Please Read Our World Class Design Principles

 1The Common Core State Standards Initiative is being undertaken by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to "develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K- 12 "http://www.ccsso.org/whats_new/press_releases/13359.cfm    

 

Do you know how your state math standards rank compared to the rest of the USA?  

Click Here to Find Out

 

 How Do State Standards Influence Your Children's Education?

State core curriculum content standards give school districts the framework to use and the goals to set when teaching a particular subject matter.  State standards drive a district's choice of programs, textbooks, and the assessments used to measure student achievement.                   

That can be a very good thing if the standards are excellent.  But if they're not,  kids may not be well-prepared to achieve success in college, or the workplace in a global economy.

Are your State Mathematics Standards preparing the students of your state for future success? 

Are the State Proficiency Tests, reflecting the standards in your state, meaningful enough? 

Remedial Courses for College Freshmen

According to a report called Diploma To Nowhere. pdf , a conservative analysis of the data on college students in 2004 shows that:

Forty-three percent of all students at public two-year institutions have enrolled in a remedial course.  Twenty-nine percent of all students at public four-year institutions have enrolled in a remedial class.

Nationwide 63% of the students taking remedial math do not earn degrees. (source: "Ready For the Future" Presentation by The New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee, also quoted by the NJDOE Commission on Higher Education and Achieve, Inc.) 

 This adds up to tremendous financial expenses for families and lower graduation rates for students.      

 

 

 

      UNLV researching why so many freshmen aren't ready for college - Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

That's in Nevada...but there is a crisis nationwide!    

 We believe the problem stems from a weak foundation in math skills beginning in elementary school.  Our coalition wants students in our nation to learn Arithmetic and Algebra I well enough so that they will not need to take Remedial Math, namely Arithmetic and Algebra I.

Read Notes on Remedial Math Problem by Professor Jerome Dancis of the University of Maryland.