The Standards Revision Process: Examining States’ Mathematics Standards Documents

• In Event: Curricular Policy Development and Implementation: Understanding State and Local Dynamics and Their Implications

Abstract

All states eventually revise their educational content standards, but how the revisions are handled differs between states. To provide clarity and transparency to the revision process, we examined 24 states’ revised mathematics standards documents to determine how states described the process of writing standards. Through thematic document analysis, we found that states employed one of three committee structures for the revision of mathematics standards, involving a range of different stakeholders. We also found that states centered the scope of their standards to their specific state, while providing flexibility for local interpretation by teachers and schools. Additionally, most states described the learning outcomes of their standards around mathematical proficiency, drawing upon a variety of sources of evidence and research.

Authors

• Phi Nguyen, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Ashley N. Schmidt, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee