The Mathematics Teaching, Learning and Writing Committee was formed in March of 1994 as an integral part of the Madison Schools 2000 Strategic Plan. Committee members were charged with the responsibility of identifying Mathematics Standards.
District Mathematics Leadership Team members then developed a draft of K-8 Grade Level Performance Standards, and approximately 600 teachers provided feedback and recommendations in various area teams, as well as individually, during the 1996-97 school year. During the summer of 1997, participants in various mathematics workshops and teams of teacher-editors worked with and further scrutinized the Standards to reflect the feedback to make sure each performance standard
Two important features of mathematics are embedded in the MMSD Standards, as well as the Wisconsin Academic Standards. First, "knowing" mathematics is "doing" mathematics. Students gather, discover, or create new knowledge in the course of activity having a purpose. This active process is different from the traditional model of mathematics as solely confined to memorizing concepts and procedures.
Second, some aspects of doing mathematics have changed in the last decade. The computer's ability to process large sets of information has made quantification and the logical analysis of information possible in such areas as business, economics, medicine, biology, and sociology. Change has been particularly significant in the social and life sciences. Because mathematics is a foundation discipline for other disciplines and grows in direct proportion to its utility, the learning opportunities must include access to developing an understanding of mathematical models, structures and simulations applicable to many disciplines.
In the Mathematics Standards, the content is appropriate for all students. It is recognized that students develop different talents, abilities, achievements, needs, and interests in relationship to mathematics. The mathematical content outlined in the Standards is what all students will need if they are to be productive citizens of the twenty-first century.
We are all involved in the teaching and learning of mathematics. What you have now is the result of all those hundreds of hours of MMSD teachers' professional expertise, energy, commitment, and time. These Grade Level Performance Standards continue to be "works in progress." We invite you to read the standards with a critical eye, and to reflect on best practices – the promise and possibilities.
The following shows the relationship between the State of Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Mathematics and the Madison Metropolitan School District's Grade Level Performance Standards.
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http://www.madison.k12.wi.us
Last Updated: 1998-11-03