Georgia Department of Education E-Newsletter [June 2007]

My Fellow Georgians,
Summer is upon us, and as we wrap up another great school year, our thoughts turn not only to the successes we have seen but how to prepare for the important and ongoing work ahead. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the exciting things going on with mathematics education in Georgia.
In fall 2005, Georgia began implementing a new mathematics curriculum called the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) for Mathematics. It was created by Georgia teachers, subject experts, and college and university academics with input from community and business leaders. And, it is gaining recognition for its alignment to state and national organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Focal Points, the College Board, the American Statistical Association, and Achieve, Inc.
In fall 2005, schools throughout Georgia began implementing a new mathematics curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) for Mathematics. These standards were developed by master classroom teachers, district and regional mathematics leaders, and university faculty to lay a foundation for a more advanced mathematics education than that previously provided to Georgia students. When Georgia began its curriculum revision, it looked to those countries that had the highest student performance on international assessments for mathematics. Those countries with the highest student achievement in mathematics typically use a math curriculum that integrates topics like algebra, geometry and statistics, making math easier to understand and apply. Our new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), follows that same approach.

Division Newsletters Georgia Virtual School Newsletter May 2007
Volume 51, Issue 3
Media Matters Instructional Technology & Media Newsletter May 2007
Volume 5, Number 10
Resources Print Materials

Math Resources Grade 6-12 Math Implementation Plan

Secondary School Acceleration
q Acceleration Under the GPS q Acceleration for the 2007-2008 and
2008-2009 School Years
Math PowerPoint for Parents and Community Members
Inside a Standards-based Classroom (Video)

Performance standards go into much greater depth than the content standards used in the previous curriculum. The performance standard incorporates the content standard, which simply tells the teacher what a student is expected to know (i.e., what concepts he or she is expected to master), and expands upon it by providing three additional items: suggested tasks, sample student work, and teacher commentary on that work.
Performance standards provide clear expectations for assessment, instruction, and student work. They define the level of work that demonstrates achievement of the standards, enabling a teacher to know "how good is good enough." The performance standards isolate and identify the skills needed to use the knowledge and skills to problem-solve, reason, communicate, and make connections with other information. Performance standards also tell the teacher how to assess the extent to which the student knows the material or can manipulate and apply the information.

Georgia Standards.Org Website Frequently Asked Questions about Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)

2007 Georgia Department of Education, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive S.E., Atlanta, GA 30334. Feedback | Privacy Policy To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please click here.