K-16 Mathematics Alignment
2000 - present

The K-16 Mathematics Alignment was funded by generous grants from the National Science Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Incorporating key elements of the El Paso Collaborative’s work to date, including content standards and a K-16 focus, the aim of the Mathematics Alignment Initiative was to align mathematics content, performance and assessment standards and courses, K-16.

The goals established for the project were:

  1. to facilitate dialogue that led to a shared vision about mathematics teaching and learning and common expectations regarding student readiness for college by mathematics faculty, K-16;
  2. to assemble existing and new data to illuminate some of the less well-understood issues related to mathematics alignment and student achievement;
  3. to develop a reliable and valid system for placing students into college mathematics courses; and,
  4. to develop policy recommendations for state action and broad dissemination of the El Paso Collaborative’s mathematics alignment process.

The accomplishments over the four years of the “K-16 Mathematics Alignment” initiative fully met the four goals that were set out at the beginning.

Goal One

Under goal one, key leaders, from presidents of IHEs through K-12 schools leaders to heads of community organizations, came together as an Advisory Group to engage in focused dialogue on K-16 mathematics curriculum, instruction and assessment. K-16 Mathematics Leaders’ Institutes, originally scheduled for only a year, were carried out for four years, at the leaders’ request, and were enriched with many other point people from related departments. At another level, classroom mathematics teachers, from all levels across districts, along with university and community college mathematics education and engineering faculty were convened as the K-16 Mathematics Working Group. The Group produced a significant amount of work, including the curriculum frameworks for Algebra II, Geometry, Algebra I and Mathematics K-8, which give teachers an organization of topics in matrix form together with cognition levels that are focused, coherent and deep in understanding concepts. The Working Group continued to work beyond the grant to complete the frameworks for mathematics (Geometry and Pre-calculus). A plan to implement the curriculum frameworks throughout schools was developed.

Goal Two

Under goal two, data illuminating issues related to mathematics alignment and student achievement were collected and presented to a great variety of groups involved in the work. Data and results for students at all levels (K-16) were selected and organized to fully inform the specific group being addressed.

Goal Three

For goal three, the participation of the university and community college in the initiative led to their examination of the overall student placement system, mathematics remedial programs, and the success of first year university students. Among other positive changes, both college and university went to a more updated assessment tool to place students in mathematics courses and continued to study placement to further ensure student success.

Goal Four

Under goal four, the participation of leaders from every educational level in the alignment work had an impact at local, state and national levels. For example, two districts in the El Paso area began requiring students 4 years of high school math in order to graduate. The initiative’s director’s participation in many state (e.g. Mathematics Advisory Group of the UT system) and national (e.g. Mathematics Achievement Partnership of Achieve, Inc.) mathematics groups, focused on research, reform and formulating policy in mathematics education, gave ample exposure to the work of alignment and frameworks and influenced their deliberations. In addition, the El Paso Collaborative leadership made numerous presentations to national (e.g. National Science Foundation), state (e.g. TEA, THECB), and local (e.g. school districts and IHEs) audiences that has further served to clarify, disseminate, and call to action the importance of mathematics alignment.

View the mathematics frameworks discussed above.