A comparison of the algebra content in the accelerated eighth grade curricula in two Delaware school districts

Despite marked improvements in the teaching and learning of mathematics at the elementary and middle school levels, research indicates that the nature and emphasis of many beginning algebra courses still remain focused on what some would describe as the traditional aspects of algebra. These traditional aspects view algebra as a language in which the sole intended purpose of the course of study is to develop proficiency in symbolic manipulation and rule-based operations. According to the findings of the National Research Council, this traditional view of algebra has many shortcomings (National Research Council, 2001, p. 259). In Adding It Up, Helping Children Learn Mathematics, Kilpatrick, Swafford, et al. make the claim that most algebra courses focus on one kind or type of algebra to the exclusion of other aspects of algebra. The three types of algebra as related in Adding It Up include transformational or symbolic activities, modeling or representation activities, and justifying or proof-based activities.; Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) suggests that mathematics teachers tend to rely heavily on their textbooks as the main resource for instruction. Thus the focus of the enacted curriculum is heavily reliant on the resource materials used for the courses. This researcher used a coding system to evaluate and categorize the intended, enacted, and assessed curricula used with accelerated eighth grade students in two Delaware school districts (Lake Forest and Caesar Rodney) in an effort to determine whether or not the curriculum used with these beginning algebra students is characteristic of those researchers describe as primarily transformational in nature. Furthermore, in an effort to gain additional insights as to the culture that exists within the school and the perceptions teachers have about the focus of algebra instruction, the algebra teachers in this study were interviewed and their responses summarized. The teachers' beliefs and backgrounds provide a more comprehensive view about what motivates teacher choices and decisions related to curriculum foci when it comes to algebra instruction.; The results of the analysis of the intended, enacted, and assessed curricula showed that the two districts involved in the study used vastly different approaches related to algebra instruction. Furthermore, although teacher beliefs and perceptions appear to be influence the enacted and assessed curricula, the analysis of the intended, enacted, and assessed curriculum showed that the intended curriculum used in each of the two districts very much foreshadows the enacted curriculum.