The Significance of the NCTM Standards to the

Pathways Critical Issues in Mathematics

Educators, researchers, and other partners in education reform have carefully articulated a
new vision of mathematics learning and curriculum in the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics' (NCTM's) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School
Mathematics (1989). NCTM took the first step toward preparing today's students for
tomorrow's challenges in 1986, when it charged the Commission on Standards for School
Mathematics to create (1) a coherent definition of what it means to be mathematically
literate, and (2) a set of standards that would guide efforts to revise and improve school
mathematics curricula and to evaluate the success of mathematics reform. The resulting
NCTM Standards should be viewed as facilitators of reform, rather than as a set of
directives. They are designed to help schools achieve national expectations, while
allowing and encouraging local initiatives.
The Standards represent a major effort to develop mathematically literate citizens. They
are intended "to ensure quality, to indicate goals, and to promote change" (NCTM, 1989,
p. 2). They stress the need to provide all students with "opportunities to share the new
vision of mathematics and to learn in ways consistent with it. Students should be
encouraged and enabled to explore, reason logically, draw inferences, and employ a
variety of mathematical methods to become mathematically literate." (NCTM, 1989, p. 6)
To help students develop their mathematical power, the Standards list five goals for
students. They also offer a summary of changes in content and emphasis in mathematics
that focuses on problem solving, reasoning, communicating, representing mathematical
situations in a variety of ways (verbally, numerically, graphically, geometrically, or
symbolically), and connecting mathematics to other academic subjects and to the world
outside of school. Content-specific standards have been written for three grade- level
groups: K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Each set of standards discusses the need to accommodate
students' differing talents, abilities, interests, achievements, and special needs.
Soon after the Standards appeared, mathematics educators asked for greater direction to
help them achieve the type of teaching and learning described in the Standards. In
response, NCTM developed a second set of standards, Professional Standards for
Teaching Mathematics (NCTM, 1991). The Professional Standards address changes that
must occur in the role of teachers in the classroom and in the school environment itself,
as well as the systematic, long-term support needed for those changes to occur. NCTM
also developed a set of resource materials, the Addenda Series, to provide teachers with

exemplary classroom ideas and dynamic activities to realize the vision of both the
Curriculum and Evaluation Standards and the Professional Standards.
NCTM developed its Standards in response to a recognized need for change in the
teaching and learning of mathematics. Such change is needed because our world is
becoming more mathematical - more technological. We are surrounded by mathematical
situations and are regularly required to make mathematical decisions. These decisions
require a sense of number; the ability to estimate and to analyze and reason with data; an
understanding of probability and two- and three-dimensional geometry; and many other
mathematical abilities that are not taught in a traditional arithmetic-focused mathematics
curriculum.
Educators must understand not only why these changes are needed, but also how change
is taking place in their schools. Therefore, knowledge about the process of change can
help mathematics educators make decisions and build their capacity to influence change
in local contexts.
The NCTM Standards have gained widespread support and have greatly influenced
curriculum writing at the state and local levels and the content of textbooks,
supplementary curriculum materials, and tests. For this reason, the NCTM Standards
appear throughout the mathematics critical issues of Pathways:

Locating, Using, and Integrating Internet-Based Mathematics Materials

Ensuring Equity and Excellence in Mathematics
Providing Hands-On, Minds-On, and Authentic Learning Experiences in
Mathematics
Aligning and Articulating Standards Across the Curriculum
Implementing Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Standards

The Standards hold great promise for helping teachers and the broader education
community shape the mathematics curriculum and the teaching of mathematics. We hope
that the synthesis of research and best practice in the mathematics critical issues of
Pathways will further guide teams of educators working to create exemplary mathematics
programs and to improve mathematics teaching and learning for all.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/math/ma0.htm