Before the Standards . . .

Before there was the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (the Standards), there was a set of three documents whose sole purpose were to provide a set of national standards in the areas of curriculum, assessment, and the profession of mathematics education. The first of these standards, Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, was “the first contemporary set of subject matter standards in the United States” (Ferrini-Mundy, p. 869). From these three documents arose the Standards which was written to “build upon the foundation” and “integrate the classroom-related portions” of the original standards (Ferrini-Mundy, p. 869). This is evident especially in the Geometry Standard where ideas such as understanding two- and three-dimensional geometry are prevalent. The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics stresses many geometric skills, including spatial reasoning and ability that school age children should acquire in the course of their learning that are still important ideas resonating throughout the Standards.

K – 4

5 – 8

9 – 12

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