Date of Award

3-1-1991

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Center for the Advancement of Education

Abstract

This report describes a plan for implementing appropriate developmental mathematics practices in the primary grades so that assessment of student needs and knowledge correlated with state required assessment procedures. A large percentage of students beginning at the third grade level had been scoring at or below the national norm on the mathematics portion of the California Achievement Test and had consistently made lower report card grades beginning at the third grade level. Observations and documentation indicated a need for developmentally appropriate mathematics instruction during the beginning years of school so that learning in the mathematics areas was not superficial. Probable causes of the problem that were considered included: minimal staff development in the area of mathematics for elementary teachers, no consistent or reliable accountability procedure for ensuring appropriate delivery of the goals and objectives as outlined in the North Carolina Course of Study, paper and pencil tasks from textbooks had been extensive, limited student experiences into inquiry with mathematics along with the repetition of routines by managerial teachers. A review of the literature and interviews were done to determine the current status of the problem. Solution strategies include: presentation of test data to all staff members to emphasize areas where improvement was needed, strategies were put into place for improvement in mathematics teaching, training sessions were held for the school staff and parents to educate them on appropriate developmental mathematics practices, mathematics manipulatives were secured and placed in classrooms, and close monitoring of the program with on going evaluation and continuous updating has been put into place. The goal of the project was to improve the mathematics achievement of students at Central School. The projected gains in test scores were not accomplished during the MARP intervention time, but gradual progress was documented. Two primary interrelated objectives to reach the goal included increased parent attendance at specially designed training sessions and parent-teacher conferences, and teacher adjustment of instructional approaches to improve mathematics instruction. It was evident from data collected that this was accomplished during the MARP intervention.

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