Iowa Core Curriculum - Mathematics

Thanks for visiting the Iowa Department of Education's Iowa Core Curriculum website! Here are a few tips about the site and how to make your visit easier.

Left-hand Side: Navigation
One way users can navigate the site is by using the menu on the left side of the page. This menu includes the five content areas (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies and 21st century skills) included in the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Select a content area from the menu on the left side of the page.
Select a choice from the second level of navigation, which will automatically appear.
Choose a "grade " or "grade span" to see the specific results for that "grade" or "grade span."

The essential concepts and skills of the Iowa Core Curriculum are presented in grade spans, while the content standards and performance standards are listed for selected individual grades. Only the "grades" or "grade spans" where information is available will be listed in the dropdown menu on the left side of the page. Once a "grade" or grade span" is selected the results of the request will be listed in the center of the page.

If the resulting items have additional details available an icon will appear next to the items in the list. Click on the icon to reveal the details for individual items listed or select "View All" to see all of the details for the whole list. It is also possible to "Collapse All" the list items.

The site also provides breadcrumb navigation at the top of the central area of each page. The purpose of the breadcrumb is to show how pages are categorized on the site allowing users to retrace their steps.

Right-hand Side: Search
The right side of the page is devoted to searching the site content in a way the user determines. The content of the site can be searched in one of two ways

a combination of content areas, disciplines, and grades or
keyword(s).

The content filter and the keyword search functions work independent of each other. Users cannot use the two ways of searching the site at the same time. If a user enters any information into the keyword search box it will disable the content filter fields. To re-enable the user needs to delete the content in the keyword text field.

Printing

To print individual pages of the site, select the print button located in the upper right side of the page.
For the content areas of literacy, mathematics, and science, a complete document containing all of the information is available by clicking the download button in the upper right side of the page. Documents for social studies and 21st century skills will be added as they become available.

Questions about the Iowa Core Curriculum
Use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page for a listing of Department and AEA contacts working with the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Website Feedback
Use the Website Feedback link at the bottom of the page to provide feedback or report problems experienced fining information on the Iowa Core Curriculum website.

Still need help?
Email Lisa Albers at lisa.albers@iowa.gov for additional help.

Search:

Content Areas:

Discipline:

Grade:

Keyword(s):

Home

Mathematics

Recent results of national and international tests show that the United States is facing a crisis in mathematics education. American high school students score near the bottom on the international TIMSS and PISA tests, while students in elementary and middle school perform only somewhat better. A common criticism of the U.S. mathematics curriculum is that it is "a mile wide and an inch deep," trying to cover too many topics in not enough depth. All Iowa students must be better prepared in mathematics to successfully compete in the technology-rich, information-dense, global society. To achieve this we must redesign our mathematics curriculum so that it is focused on providing deep understanding of important mathematics.

The Iowa Core Curriculum for K—12 Mathematics identifies the essential characteristics, skills, and content of the world-class mathematics curriculum that Iowa needs. This Iowa Core Curriculum for school mathematics is based on recommendations from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, 2000, and Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics, 2006), five years of experience with Iowa's Every Student Counts mathematics initiative (ESC), and best practices identified from reviews of research conducted by the National Research Council (2001), the International Bureau of Education (Grouws and Cebulla, 2000), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (Kilpatrick, 2003), the federal What Works Clearinghouse, and Iowa's Mathematics Content Network research review project.

In addition, the essential skills, concepts, and characteristics recommended here have been informed by a careful review of many background resources, including the Mathematics Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2005 and 2007), Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE Report, American Statistical Association, 2005), mathematics standards recommended by Achieve (2007), mathematics standards recommended by the College Board (2007), ACT college readiness standards (2007), the mathematics curricula of Japan and Singapore, the National Center for the Study of Mathematics Curricula, mathematics standards in other states, and recommendations from the Iowa Core Curriculum Project Lead Team. Further resources consulted are included in the Bibliography.

In order to provide effective guidance and technical assistance for Iowa's schools, the Iowa Core Curriculum for K—12 Mathematics draws from the above resources to identify the essential skills, content, and characteristics of a world-class school mathematics curriculum.