Embargoed Until 11 A.M., EDT
NSF PR 97-43 - June 10, 1997
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone
numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current
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contacts.
Solid Curriculum and Strong Teaching Outweigh Negatives
in Math and Science Learning
U.S. fourth-graders' performance on the Third
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
proves that students can overcome factors that traditionally
are blamed for poor learning, if challenged by a solid
curriculum based on national education standards coupled
with competent teaching, according to officials of
the National Science Foundation (NSF).
"The fourth-grade scores, released today in Boston
and Washington, D.C., confirm NSF's policy to require
standards-based curriculums and thorough teacher professional
development in all of its education programs," noted
Joe Bordogna, NSF's acting deputy director, at a press
conference in the nation's capital.
"The TIMSS results are proof of what
is possible in a competent educational system," said
Luther S. Williams, who heads NSF's education and
human resources directorate. "As the TIMSS
report notes, factors such as the amount of television
watching, class size, and time spent in school cannot
explain student performance. What really matters is
the quality of the day-to-day interaction between
teachers and students around a coherent curriculum.''
The TIMSS fourth-grade results indicate
that in science, U.S. students outperformed most participating
nations in the study. In math, U.S. fourth-graders
made a stronger international showing than U.S. eighth-graders,
but were not yet among the best in the world.
Even so, Williams notes that the performance of fourth-graders
has improved markedly on international comparisons
between 1990 and 1995, a period which coincides with
the application of standards-based curriculum and
teaching methods in math supported by NSF. Even so,
he added, too few school systems yet offer what NSF
considers a competent math and science curriculum
at any level.
Margaret Cozzens, who heads NSF's elementary, secondary,
and informal education division, noted that U.S. students'
showing in math can be traced directly to the influence
of national standards for exemplary math teaching
as well as NSF-developed instructional materials based
on the standards.
Published in 1989 by the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics, the standards have slowly been incorporated
into elementary school teaching, more so than at the
middle-school level, and can be expected to have influenced
student performance by the mid-1990's, when the latest
TIMSS data were collected, she noted.
Williams also pointed out that the TIMSS
also indicates that the sharp decline in US student
performance between the fourth and eighth grades is
probably a result of an unfocused curriculum. He noted
that a report released last October as part of TIMSS
showed that the U.S. eighth-grade math and science
curriculum is vague and repetitive. The U.S. fourth-grade
curriculum more closely resembles those in high-scoring
TIMSS countries.
He added that the U.S. fourth-grade curriculum contains
many more of the topics studied by a majority of children
around the world than does its eighth-grade curriculum.
He also notes that the basics-oriented arithmetic
curriculum that U.S. students study in fourth grade
still is found in schools in the eighth grade. Many
foreign countries consider algebra and geometry "basic"
in middle school.
Attachment: A list of
NSF math curriculum projects and contact names.
See also:
Attachment
NSF-Funded Mathematics Curriculum Projects
University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
(UCSMP)
Elementary math: Max Bell (312) 702-1563
Secondary math: Zalman Usiskin (312) 702-1560
Elementary School:
Cooperative Mathematics Project
Laurel Roberston
Developmental Studies Center
Oakland, Ca.
(510) 533-0213
Investigations in Number, Data and Space
Susan Jo Russell
TERC
Cambridge, Mass.
(617) 547-0430
TIMS: Teaching Integrated Math and Science
Phil Wagreich
University of Illinois, Chicago
(312) 413-3019
Middle School:
The Connected Mathematics Project
Kathy Burgis
Michigan State University
(517) 432-3635
Mathematics in Context: A Connected Curriculum
for Grade 5-8
Thomas Romberg
University of Wisconsin
(608) 263-4285
Middle School Mathematics Through Applications
Project
Shelley Goldman
The Institute for Research on Learning
Palo Alto, Ca.
(415) 497-7963
Seeing and Thinking Mathematically
Glen Kleinman
Education Development Center (EDC)
Newton, Mass.
(617) 969-7100
Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM)
Rick Billstein
University of Montana
Missoula
(406) 243-2603
High School:
Applications/Reform in Secondary Education (ARISE)
Landy Godbold
(404) 355-8673
Connected Geometry
E. Paul Goldenberg
EDC
Newton, Mass.
(617) 969-7100
Core-Plus Mathematics Project
Christian R. Hirsch
Western Michigan University
(616) 387-4526
Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP)
Diana Resek
San Francisco State University
(415) 338-2071
Math Connections: A Secondary Mathematics Core
Curriculum Project
June G. Ellis
Connecticut Business and Industry Alliance
(203) 244-1942
Systemic Initiatives for Montana Mathematics and
Science (SIMMS)
Glenn Allinger
Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Billings, Mont.
(406) 994-5351
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