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Curriculum Focal Points Released
Posted:
Sep 20, 2006 12:29 PM
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From an NCTM e-mail to members, Friday, September 15, 2006.
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From: Francis (Skip) Fennell <president@nctm.org>
Subject: Curriculum Focal Points Released
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:19:47 -0400
Skip Fennell announces Curriculum Focal Points to NCTM
Dear NCTM Members:
I am pleased to announce that Curriculum Focal Points for
Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics: A Quest for Coherence
was released on September 12. The Curriculum Focal Points are the
next step in the implementation of the Standards. The focal points
fully support the Council's Principles and Standards for School
Mathematics. The appendix in Curriculum Focal Points directly links
the focal points to virtually all the expectations in Principles and
Standards.
Curriculum Focal Points presents the most important mathematical
topics for each grade level.
A focal point specifies the mathematical content that a student needs
to understand thoroughly for future mathematics learning. The focal
points are compatible with the original Standards and represent the
next step in realizing the vision set forth in Principles and
Standards for School Mathematics in 2000. The focal points are
intended for use by mathematics leaders as they examine their state
and local mathematics expectations and seriously consider what is
important at each grade level. This discussion, dialogue, or perhaps
debate is designed to influence the next generation of curriculum
frameworks, textbooks, and assessments.
Unfortunately, some of the media coverage has raised questions and
caused concern among our members. Despite several conversations with
a reporter from the Wall Street Journal explaining what the
Curriculum Focal Points are and are not, a September 12 Wall Street
Journal article did not represent the substance or intent of the
focal points. The focal points are not about the basics; they are
about important foundational topics. The Council has always
supported learning the basics. Students should learn and be able to
recall basic facts and become computationally fluent, but such
knowledge and skills should be acquired with understanding.
Unfortunately, some of the other news media have followed the Wall
Street Journal's lead and have similarly misrepresented the
Curriculum Focal Points.
The Council's goal is to support teachers in guiding students to
learn mathematics with understanding. Organizing a curriculum around
a set of focal points can provide students with a connected,
coherent, ever expanding body of mathematical knowledge. The focal
points describe what should be the focus of what students should know
and understand thoroughly.
I encourage you to explore the complete
<http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/>Curriculum Focal Points
[http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/] and related resources. You can
view a video overview and introduction to
<http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/intro.asp>Curriculum Focal Points
[http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/intro.asp], and you can see answers
to some questions or <http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/qa.asp>submit
your own questions [http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/qa.asp] about the
focal points. The
<http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/news_cfpnctm.asp>news release
[http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/news_cfpnctm.asp] on the focal
points and a video of the <mms://205.178.152.121/1090899/cfp.wmv>news
conference at the National Press Club announcing the release, as well
as an article on the focal points from Education Week, are also on
the Curriculum Focal Points section of the NCTM Web site.
Sincerely,
Francis (Skip) Fennell
President
See http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/ for Curriculum Focal Points.
<http://www.nctm.org/focalpoints/>
***************************************
--
Jerry P. Becker
Dept. of Curriculum & Instruction
Southern Illinois University
625 Wham Drive
Mail Code 4610
Carbondale, IL 62901-4610
Phone: (618) 453-4241 [O]
(618) 457-8903 [H]
Fax: (618) 453-4244
E-mail: jbecker@siu.edu
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