The National Mathematics Advisory Panel is expected to
call for the fol lowing
"critical foundations" or benchmarks for U.S. school children.a
Fluency with whole numbers:
1. By the end of grade three, students should be
proficient with the addition and
subtraction of whole numbers.
2. By the end of grade five, students should be proficient
with multiplication and
division of whole numbers.
Fluency with fractions:
1. By the end of grade four, students should be able to
identify and re present fractions
and decimals, and compare them on a number line or with other common
representations of fractions and decimals.
2. By the end of grade five, students should be proficient
with comparing fractions and
decimals and common percents, and with the addition and subtraction of fractions
and decimals.
3. By the end of grade six, students should be proficient
with multiplication and division
of fractions and decimals.
4. By the end of grade six, students should be proficient
with all ope rations involving
positive and negative integers.
5. By the end of grade seven, students should be
proficient with all operations involving
positive and negative fractions .
6. By the end of grade seven, students should be able to
solve problems involving
percent, ratio and rate and extend this work to proportionality .
Geometry and measurement:
1. By the end of grade five, students should be able to
solve problems involving
perimeter and area of triangles and all quadrilaterals having at least one pair
of
parallel sides (i.e. trapezoids).
2. By the end of grade six, students should be able to
analyze the properties of two
dimensional shapes and solve problems involving perimeter and area, and analyze
the properties of three -dimensional shapes and solve problems involving surface
area
and volume.
3. By the end of grade seven, students should be familiar
with the relationship between
similar triangles and the concept of the slope of a line .
(Source: Draft of National Mathematics Advisory Panel
final report) 3/10/08
