Questionnaire on New Jersey's Mathematics Standards

Please provide the following information:

Position:
(circle one)

        Classroom Teacher
        Math Chair/Supervisor
        Principal
        Other School Employee
        Corporate/Industry
        Other _______________

Grade Level:
(circle one)

        K-2
        3-6
        7-8 
        9-12
        College
        Not applicable

Type of school:
(circle one)

        Public
        Private
        Parochial

Type of community:
(circle one)

        Urban
        Suburban
        Rural

We would also appreciate the following information, so that we can, if needed, follow up with additional questions, but recognize that some respondents might prefer to respond anonymously:

Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Day Phone: ________________________ Evening Phone: ________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________

Email Address: ____________________________________________________________

School: _______________________________ District: _________________________

Although the questions below are open-ended, we would appreciate it if you made your responses as specific as possible – including commenting on specific standards, and also on the specific "cumulative progress indicators" that are associated with the standards.

It would therefore be useful for you to refer to a copy of the state's Math Standards as you answer some of the following questions. (The document is available at http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/archive/nj_math_coalition/framework/standards/std_standards.html). Please feel free to continue your responses on additional pages.

1.  Overall, what has been your impression of the New Jersey Core
Curriculum Content Standards in Mathematics over the first three years
since they were adopted.

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The short names of the sixteen math standards are:

  1. Problem         5. Tools &          9. Measurement    13. Algebra
     Solving            Technology
  2. Communication   6. Number Sense    10. Estimation     14. Discrete Math
  3. Connections     7. Geometry/       11. Patterns/      15. Calculus
                        Spacial Sense       Functions
  4. Reasoning       8. Numerical       12. Probability/   16. Excellence/
                        Operations          Statistics         Equity

Please respond to the following questions with the numbers of the
appropriate standards.  Include explanatory comments as you see fit.

2.  Do you think any of the standards or cumulative progress
indicators are poorly written or could be re-written to better reflect
the goals of a good mathematics education?  If so, which ones and
why.

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3.a.  Do you think any of the standards or cumulative progress
indicators reflect expectations that are too low for all of New
Jersey's students?  If so, which ones and why.

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3.b.  Do you think any of the standards or cumulative progress
indicators reflect expectations that are too high for all of New
Jersey's students?  If so, which ones and why.

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4.  Is there any way in which the standards and cumulative progress
indicators could be re-written so that they would better support the
following tasks:

Local curriculum development:
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The state's assessment program:
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Classroom mathematics teaching:
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5.a.  In what ways has your school (or district) implemented the standards?

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5.b.  Have your curricula been reviewed from the perspective of the standards?

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5.c.  Have teachers had an opportunity to learn about the standards
through planned professional development activities?

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5.d.  What obstacles have impeded the implementation of the standards
in your school (or district)?

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6.a.  Is there anything that the New Jersey Department of Education
ought to be doing to assure that the standards are more fully
implemented in the classrooms around the state?  What would you
suggest?

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6.b.  Is there anything that the New Jersey Mathematics Coalition
ought to be doing to assure that the standards are more fully
implemented in the classrooms around the state?  What would you
suggest?

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Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to this questionnaire.


Please respond by November 15, if possible, to:

Standards Review
New Jersey Mathematics Coalition
P.O. Box 10867
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08906