NCSM Joint Position Papers
NCSM has collaborated with AMTE, ASSM, and NCTM to make joint public statements to help our members interpret important national documents that impact their work.
NCSM Joint Position Papers
Mathematics Education Organizations Unite to Support Implementation of Common Core State Standards
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The Role of Elementary Mathematics Specialists in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
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NCSM Improving Student Achievement Series
NCSM Position Papers are designed to provide our members with support regarding critical actions that lead to improved student achievement in mathematics. The papers are a product of the collaborative efforts of many individuals who offered their writing, editing and critiquing skills. These papers provide our members with answers to two questions:
- What does NCSM believe about important issues in mathematics education leadership?
- How is NCSM helping mathematics education leaders provide research-informed answers to the issues we face in our local district?
History
Upon receiving the Glenn Gilbert Award at the 2005 St. Louis Annual Conference, long-time NCSM member and past President (1993-1995), Carey Bolster challenged NCSM as an organization to "mind the gap" and step forward with a clear platform of direction to its membership. The Improving Student Achievement Series: Researched-Informed Answers for Mathematics Education Leaders was inspired by this challenge. The concept received unanimous approval from the NCSM Board as part of the NCSM's 2007-2008 annual strategic plan. In September 2007, the first two Position Papers were released, coinciding with the launch of a year-long celebration of NCSM's 40th anniversary of leadership in mathematics education.
Permissions
NCSM grants permission to reprint these papers for distribution.
Inquiries
The NCSM Board hopes that you will find our positions, the research and literature that support them, and the practical steps you can take to implement each position, to be of use to you and your colleagues.
Please let us know your reaction to the NCSM Position Papers. You may write directly to any of these NCSM representatives:
- Diane J. Briars, NCSM President
- Kit Norris, NCSM Position Papers Editor
- Terri Belcher, NCSM Executive Director ()
Position Papers
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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics by Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners (Fall 2009) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper offers clear insights and action steps necessary to support the needs of ELL students. This paper is the sixth in a series that provides information, research and action steps to support our membership and education leaders in mathematics as they work to improve student achievement. |
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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics by Leading Highly Effective Assessment Practices (Spring 2009) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper emphasizes the need to balance assessment-for-learning with assessment-of-learning. Adult collaboration that clarifies what students should learn, how their learning will be assessed and what the evidence of learning reveals, occurs frequently and regularly in order to promote equity and reduce bias. |
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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics for Students with Special Needs (Winter 2008) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper provides direction for meeting the needs of students with special needs through strategic customization of instruction and assessment and through collaboration among those with content expertise and special education expertise. |
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Improving Student Achievement by Leading the Pursuit of a Vision for Equity (Spring 2008) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper provides direction for systematically addressing equity in student achievement by reframing the inequity perspective of "achievement gap" to an "opportunity gap" (Flores, 2007) and by promoting the effective use of professional learning communities to impact adult and student development in mathematics. |
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Improving Student Achievement by Leading Sustained Professional Learning* for Mathematics Content and Pedagogical Knowledge Development (September 2007) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper provides direction for creating ongoing context-based adult learning (or professional development) for the express purpose of impacting student learning. * In the words of Michael Fullan (2007): "Professional development as a term and as a strategy has run its course. The future of improvement, indeed of the profession itself, depends on a radical shift in how we conceive [teacher] learning". |
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Improving Student Achievement by Leading Effective Collaborative Teams of Mathematics Teachers (September 2007) Download the entire Position Paper Listen to this Position Paper |
This paper provides direction for the elimination of inequities often caused by the privatization of teacher practice. The paper establishes the necessity for the use of high-performing grade level and course-level teacher teams. |
Position Paper Archive
- Improving Student Achievement Through Designated District and School Mathematics Program Leaders (March 1998)
- Designated Mathematics Leaders at All Levels: A Position Statement of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) (April 1988)
- NCSM Position Paper on Basic Mathematical Skills (January 1977)
Contact NCSM at or (303) 758-9611 for further information.
