Mathematics Curriculum Overview for Grades K-12

The following is a draft of the Mathematics Curriculum Overview narrative. The purpose of this document is to supply a brief but comprehensive statement of an articulated K-12 (vertical) mathematics education narrative for all interested stakeholders. A final version of this narrative will be due in the early part of 2009. I will try to post other narrative overviews throughout this week.

The overall goal for the mathematics curriculum is to provide the students of Hoboken with the necessary tools in order to be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century- whether those challenges are to be in higher education or embarking on a meaningful career. In accordance with the NJCCCS for mathematics, the focus of this curriculum is on achieving one crucial goal:
To enable ALL of New Jersey’s children to acquire the mathematical skills, understanding, and attitudes that they will need to be successful in their careers and daily life (D-1 NJCCCS)

Keeping this mandate as our mantra, the Hoboken Mathematics Curriculum has decided to closely align its curriculum with that of New Jersey with the emphasis on the five core curriculum standards:
• Number and Numerical Operations
• Geometry and Measurement
• Patterns and Algebra
• Data Analysis, Probability and Discrete Mathematics
• Mathematical Processes
The mathematics department is committed to teaching every student the standards by grade 12. These standards permeate throughout the k-12 curriculum.
For grades k-5, the primary focus is on helping all elementary children to understand the fundamental ideas underlying numbers and arithmetic, geometry, data, measurement and algebraic thinking. The overall goal is to invite all students into the wonderful world of mathematics providing opportunities and experiences to develop mathematical thought and proficiency.
For grades 6-8, the focus continues to be developing a deeper understanding of the number sense introduced in the earlier grades. Students have done extensive work with fractions and decimals in previous grades and are now prepared to learn how to multiply and divide fractions and decimals with understanding. They can solve a wide variety of problems that involve the numbers they see every day—whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. By using approximations of fractions and decimals, students estimate computations and verify that their answers make sense.
For grades 9-12, the problem-solving strategies learned in earlier grades should have become increasingly internalized and integrated to form a broad basis for the student's approach to doing mathematics, regardless of the topic at hand. Language and symbolism becomes a mainstay in the teaching of mathematics in grades 9-12. The student ability to communicate their understanding is critical to building a solid mathematical foundation.