Missed Opportunities: How Mathematics Education in the U.S. Puts Our Students at a Disadvantage and What Can Be Done about It. Policy Report No. 7

Autor/in	Schmidt, William
Institution	Michigan State University, Education Policy Center
Titel	Missed Opportunities: How Mathematics Education in the U.S. Puts Our Students at a Disadvantage and What Can Be Done about It. Policy Report No. 7
Quelle	(2002), (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Grade 8; Textbooks; Scoring; Mathematics Education; Algebra; Academic Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Cross Cultural Studies; Mathematics Skills; Academic Standards; National Standards; Course Content; Educational Improvement; Advanced Courses; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; Textbook; Text book; Schulbuch; Lehrbuch; Bewertung; Mathematische Bildung; Schulleistung; Mathmatics sikills; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematical ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Cultural comparison; Kulturvergleich; Mathematics ability; Kursprogramm; Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Fortgeschrittenenunterricht; USA
Abstract	The Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) has tested large and representative samples of students from around the world to measure their math and science knowledge and skills. The results place U.S. 8th grade students below the international average in mathematics, with 20 countries scoring significantly higher than the U.S. and only seven countries scoring significantly lower. These results show that the U.S. is far from achieving the goal, established by the National Education Goals Panel, of U.S. students ranking first in the world in math and science. TIMSS data also show that, by the final year of high school, only two countries perform worse than the U.S. in general math knowledge. The U.S. ranks at the bottom in performance of advanced math students. TIMSS also collected detailed information about the kinds of math courses available to students, and about the textbooks and curricula they use. Findings include a wide disparity in the number and types of courses available to students and courses with the same course title differ widely in content, emphasis and rigor. One unsurprising finding from the analysis is that students who took more demanding courses fared better on the TIMSS exam than their peers who did not. Math education in this country could benefit greatly from the current trend of establishing educational standards, although in this case the standards needed first are not those for student achievement, but rather standards for course, textbook and topic rigor. Expecting all students to pass algebra before graduation, for example, will mean little if algebra means one thing in Maine but something else in Arizona. Policymakers should also consider the implications of these findings for other grades and subjects. It is unlikely that differences in opportunities to learn suddenly appear in the 8th grade; these differences almost certainly begin in earlier grades. It is also unlikely that differences in opportunity to learn are unique to the subject of math; science, reading, writing and other subjects equally important to the success of U.S. students are likely to suffer similar problems. If there is a silver lining to this story about the challenges of improving mathematics education in the U.S., it is that opportunity to learn is a solvable, if formidable, problem. Solving it will require more uniform standards, curricula and materials than Americans are currently accustomed to, but it is clear that the current diversity in opportunities to learn costs students, and the nation, dearly. (Contains 3 figures.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Education Policy Center. Michigan State University, 201 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1034. Tel: 517-355-4494; Fax: 517-432-6202; e-mail: EPC@msu.edu; Web site: http://education.msu.edu/epc
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10