This publication is designed to help students in Washington's classrooms become proficient in the skills and processes of mathematics. Washington's school reform efforts focus on setting clear, high expectations for what students should know and be able to do. The Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) articulate the state's expectations…

The Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education finds itself confronted with problems of great difficulty in recommending a reorganization of the mathematical studies of the secondary school. Antecedent to new courses, there should be an agreement among psychologists and educators such as has not yet been reached. It seems, therefore,…

Explored the construction of mathematical proofs through a hidden figure task and a variant of "Mastermind" game with children ages 7-12 years old. Older children were better able to distinguish necessary moves and to recognize sufficient evidence. Modifying the original hidden figure task to reduce its information-processing demands improved…

Based on a systematic search of literature published from 1988 to 1995, 20 math interventions for secondary students with learning disabilities were identified and analyzed. Effective methods include teacher-directed instruction, instructional design curriculum variables, three-term contingency trials, strategy instruction, self-monitoring…

Reviews literature on mathematics achievement trends and discusses relevant population trends. Examines the literature on mathematics achievement by demographic group-race, class, gender, and language proficiency. Also highlights important findings including the improvement of all demographic groups in basic mathematics skills over the last 15…

Describes establishing and running a credit union in a sixth-grade classroom. By establishing a classroom credit union, students can develop independence in solving real problems and model situations that occur in the real world to solve similar problems. (ASK)

Investigated understanding and use of numerals in 48 children ages 3 and 4. Found that children rarely noticed the absence of numbers if they were not able to explain their purpose. They used several methods to represent number on notes for the milkman, party invitations, and labels. Results suggest that understanding preceded use of numerals.…

Interviewed 70 children learning multidigit addition and subtraction in 2 different learning environments. Found that understanding and skill were closely related for tasks in which students had received no instruction and on more difficult tasks even after instruction. The alternative instruction, which encouraged students to develop their own…

This article describes three math units that teach statistics to middle school students with deafness. Students learn about ratios, percentage, and graphing; sampling and descriptive statistics; and means and medians. Students discuss the statistical processes in sign language, and write about them in English. (CR)

Presents an activity that requires middle level students to use mathematics and measurement skills to estimate the mass of an extinct dinosaur using museum-quality models. (JRH)

Comments on Gregory Trandel's article that explores two teaching strategies using geometry and algebra to demonstrate the equivalence between two methods of measuring excess burden. States that for students with limited mathematics skills, measuring excess burden can be expressed algebraically using a simple formula (excess burden…

Reports on numeracy in the United Kingdom, presenting findings from interviews with principals and numeracy coordinators about numeracy education and the government's National Numeracy Strategy. Most respondents rated the numeracy strategy positively. Teachers noted that the effort was driven by the pursuit of standards, yet introduction of a…

Reports on the results of the reform curriculum of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project's elementary curriculum, Everyday Mathematics, for third-grade students. Results included the fact that only 2% of UCSMP students failed to meet state goals. UCSMP students also scored well in all mathematical areas including number skills and…

This article describes the activities of the Continental Mathematics League, which offers a series of meets for children in grades 3 though 9. In addition, a Calculus League and a Computer Contest are offered. The league allows schools to participate by mail so that rural schools can participate. (CR)

Outlines a model of mathematical understanding as a whole, dynamic, nonlinear, recursive growing process, entailing "folding back" for the reconstruction of inner level knowing. Presents examples from seventh graders' work. Discusses teacher awareness of student level of understanding, and implications for development of mathematics…