Links to the standards

NCTM standards: http://nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=4294967312 or go to http://nctm.org/standards/ and then look for Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

Common Core Math Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/mathematics/

Key things to know about math standards:

The NCTM standards are:

• Well thought out and well written--if you sign up for a student NCTM membership, and can look at the full text of the standards on line, or if you check it out from the library, you'll see that there is a lot of detail and explanation out there to explain what the standards mean.
• Divided into content standards (what to know--Number and Operations, Algebra, etc.) and process standards (what to do with the stuff you know--Problem Solving, Communicating, making Connections, etc.)
• Divided into 4 grade bands: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12
• Written by interested educators (college faculty) and teachers (K-12)
• Trying to influence the way that math is taught to include more flexible strategies and deep understandings
• Influential for states writing their own standards

The NCTM standards are not:

• A document written or authorized by the federal government
• Mandatory for "you" to teach.
• Perfect--there have been changes made between the 1989 and the 2000 standards: in particular, the role of being fluent with computations (memorizing addition and multiplication facts, computing with confidence) was hotly debated, and if you compare the documents, you will see that the need to be fluent with computations is more emphasized in the later standards than the earlier ones. More changes will happen. Look for the good ideas in the standards, and try to implement those, but don't expect it to stay the same and tell the "one true way" to teach.

The Common Core Standards are:

• Written by a representatives of several states
• Adopted by many states, including Wisconsin (but maybe not Minnesota?)
• Mandatory for teachers to teach who are teaching in states which have adopted it.
• Influenced by the NCTM standards and the National Research Council's report: Adding It All Up
• Implicitly includes the NCTM process standards, and National Research Council's recommendations (see the Introduction: Standards for Mathematical Practice)
• Include grade-by-grade content standards for grades K-8
• Very new--adopted first in 2010, there hasn't been much time for feedback and push-back from the states. It has the same flaws all first editions have.

The Common Core standards are not:

• Clear and detailed. There are a lot of specifics and details, but not much in the way of examples. You need to go back to other documents for insight if you are confused about what something means.
• The only useful documents Wisconsin teachers have about teaching math. As a teacher, you will also want to look at information about how standardized tests are written and graded, since these tell you how the state is assessing your teaching of the standards