Mathematics

The 2011 – 2012 school year marks the beginning of the Pittsfield Public Schools’ transition to the new 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics. A key component in this effort is to increase the rigor of our current 2001 standards to meet those addressed in the overlapping new 2011 standards, while also monitoring any gap areas in content during the transition to ensure our students are receiving a comprehensive mathematics education. This preparation is essential for our successful implementation of the new 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics in the 2012-2013 school year.

The Critical Areas defined for each grade in the 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics provide definition and structure for a focus and cohesive mathematics education. (Please see this document that highlights just the Critical Areas for grades PK – Pre-Calculus). 

The new 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics redefines and reorganizes mathematical content with a clearer definition of depth rather than breadth—and a focus on fluency and mastery of concepts for the application and foundation for future mathematical development. 

Highlights at each level include:

  • Elementary Level: a focus on numbers, fractions and properties of operations provides the foundation for all levels of mathematics in future years.
  • Middle School Level: a focus on rates, ratios, proportions, and linear relationships provides the means to further develop students’ foundation in mathematical content and the strengthening of mathematical reasoning.

  • High School Level: a focus on the necessary mathematical foundation to launch students into applications of mathematics and the interwoven concepts between Algebra, Geometry and Calculus, including further depth of functions to be ready for college and career.

Along with new content standards, the 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics defines an education that must include the emphasis of the Standards for Mathematical Practices, so that students are able to:

  1. Make sense of problems and persevere through solving them
  2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
  3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
  4. Model with Mathematics.
  5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
  6. Attend to precision.
  7. Look for and make use of structure.
  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

The development of new curriculum guides for mathematics is currently underway.

 

The 2011 MA Framework for Mathematics docume

Mathematics Literacy Framework