Zach Boness

MATH 540

MATHEMATICS EDUACTIONAL STANDARDS

Course Reflection

This course gave me a better and deeper understanding to the perspectives of math
contents, variety of standards, and the pedagogy that is embedded within mathematics. Being a
social studies teacher, I had very little understanding of what goes into teaching mathematics at
any level. This course allowed me to see 3 different math standards that are in use within the
United States.

When taking this course the purpose of it was to analyze, critique, and compare all 3
math standards to one another and decide which ones were better, in my opinion based on the
information that I gathered. The three sets of standards that were analyzed were the NCTM
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, State Standards for Mathematics, and
Common Core Mathematics Standards.

Most states now are utilizing the Common Core Math Standards so it aligns all states to
one another in each grade level. One can see how this can be beneficial for the student when
they have to transition to another school. At the same time not all areas of the United States
have the same type of students stepping within the classrooms. Since that is the case it is
important to meet the needs of the students that will be walking into their classroom.

The NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics was a set of standards that
could be easily utilized within a math class. This set of standards is the most utilized set of
standards available to school districts but it can be helpful. Since most states use the Common
Core Standards, the NCTM standards can be beneficial to supplement along with the Common
Core Standards. These two set of standards from what I analyzed align with one another for the
most part. The key difference is that each one comes at the standard in a different way. Since
not all students learn the same way this can be a form of differentiated instruction that can help
reach and increase the chances of improving math skills with the students involved.

There were benefits to the 3 set of standards that were presented throughout the
course and with my final project what I learned is that all 3 can benefit one another. Educators
shouldn’t just limit themselves to one set of standards. Instead they should utilize as many as
they can to help differentiate instruction. This allows for instruction to have a better impact on
the student so all have a better possibility of reaching their academic potential in mathematics.