The use of restricted item response models to test hypotheses regarding item difficulty ordering and slope uniformity was demonstrated in a study in which 597 algebra students were asked to solve word problems reflecting various types of cognitive processing. Benefits and limitations of the procedures are discussed. (SLD)

This study examined the benefits to teachers who used impromptu writing prompts in first- and second-year algebra classes. Interpretive research methodology was used to collect and analyze data. Concluded that teachers' assessment of students' understanding was enhanced by reading their students' responses to impromptu writing prompts, thus…

Discussion of involving teachers and students in the learning process focuses on an approach that combined microcomputers, video cassette recorders, and print materials to design a high school algebra class. Course design is explained, software and hardware are described, improvement in student motivation is reported, and costs are considered.…

Describes the underlying philosophical and cultural changes associated with classroom organizational changes in one eighth-grade teacher's attempts to implement National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. Observations and interviews indicated that there were two distinct cultures ("book world" and organic or…

Describes the results of a study that tracked college algebra students who had previously completed an Academic Assistance mathematics course that facilitated collaborative learning. Only 53% of all students who enrolled in college algebra in fall 1994 earned grades of C or higher, but 95% of students who had previously participated in the…

Currently, the teaching of retake GCSE mathematics in further education is predominantly teacher-centred and transmission-oriented. This paper argues that this approach is ineffective for students' learning and for their attitudes towards learning and that a student-centred, collaborative approach to learning, where discussion and reflection are…

For decades, researchers examined the "achievement gap" between minority and nonminority students. This singular definition of "achievement gap" ignores important within-group differences. This article uses National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) data to examine within-group differences and compares those across Latino, African American,…

This article addresses some important issues in mathematics instruction at the middle and secondary levels, including the structuring of a district's mathematics program; the choice of textbooks and use of calculators in the classroom; the need for more rigorous lesson planning practices; and the dangers of teaching to standardized tests rather…

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables that are associated with the percentage of students who pass Tennessee's Gateway exams in high school. Associations were examined between the Gateway exams and variables such as: socioeconomic status, ethnicity, dropout rate, graduation rate, attendance, average daily membership, per-pupil…

"Everyday Mathematics," published by Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, is a core curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 6 covering numeration and order, operations, functions and sequences, data and chance, algebra, geometry and spatial sense, measures and measurement, reference frames, and patterns. At each grade level, the…

The State of Florida Department of Education provides pre-and-post-graduation data for public high school graduates throughout Florida. These data were used for the present report to produce data sets for all M-DCPS regular high schools and charter high schools graduating students in 2007 and 2008. Summary data for the district are also provided.…

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) "Special Education at a Glance," which includes a copy of the "Guide to Planning and Assessing School-Based Special Education Programs," provides in a single document, information about the special education population at each Montgomery County (Maryland) public school, including…

This paper argues that operations with negative numbers should be taught using a curriculum that is grounded in algebraic geometry. This position is supported by the results from a study that compared the conceptual understanding of grade 9 students who received the Algebra Project transition curriculum to a control group of grade 6 gifted…

This collection of 11 applied algebra curriculum modules can be used independently as supplemental modules for an existing algebra curriculum. They represent diverse curriculum styles that should stimulate the teacher's creativity to adapt them to other algebra concepts. The selected topics have been determined to be those most needed by students…

A pentagonal model, based on the star model of function understanding of C. Janvier (1987), is presented as a framework for the design and interpretation of research in the area of learning the concept of mathematical function. The five vertices of the pentagon correspond to five common representations of mathematical function: (1) graph; (2)…