| Mathematics is much more than a collection of concepts and skills; it is a way of approaching new challenges through investigating, reasoning, visualizing, problem solving and communicating relationships observed. Students at O'Fallon Township High School (OTHS) must have the opportunity to think and reason mathematically and use mathematics to solve problems in authentic contexts. Without a formal curriculum, O'Fallon Township High School cannot gauge whether its students have achieved mathematical proficiency as defined by both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.;The purpose of this project was the development of an Algebra I mathematics curriculum for OTHS. This curriculum framework will integrate both mathematical concepts and processes essential for the meaningful understanding of mathematics as it outlines O'Fallon Township High School's curricular goals, defines a vision of instruction and assessment, and specifies what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of the Algebra I course. The curriculum is designed to inform teachers and parents of these curriculum goals and will set forth a vision for curriculum, instruction and assessment.;According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the concepts of mathematics are organized under five content strands: Number and Operations, Measurement, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis and Probability. These concepts are developed through the five mathematical processes that are organized into five process strands: Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation. The Illinois State Learning Standards for Mathematics are content standards that describe "what students should know or be able to do" while the Performance Standards indicate "how well" students should perform to meet the learning standards. Each content standard includes five benchmarks that describe what students should be able to do at early elementary, late elementary, middle/junior high, early high school and late high school. The Performance Standards are a supplement to the Learning Standards and help teachers to align the curriculum to the standards. The O'Fallon High School Algebra 1 curriculum will be aligned with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Content and Process Standards and the Illinois State Learning and Performance Standards. |
