Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Standards, standards, everywhere

Comparing Common Core, NCTM and CMP standards, in regards to LP assignment: Measurements
Common Core: (grade 5) M5.MD.1. Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
NCTM: (grades 6-8) Understand both metric and customary systems of measurement; Understand relationships among units and convert from one unit to another within the same system; Understand, select, and use units of appropriate size and type to measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume.
CMP: (grades 6-7) Relate units within and between the customary and metric systems.


There doesn't appear to be a specific Common Core for measurements in the middle grades (6-8). The closest one I found was the Measurement and Data listing under grade 5 of the Common Core standards. But it closely reflects the same standards expressed by NCTM and CMP. All three of these seek to relate units of measurement to each other, though the CMP also include converting measurement units between both metric and customary systems, whereas Common Core and NCTM specifically state within the same system of measurement. It also appears the Common Core and the CMP standards already expect a background knowledge and understanding of the differences between the two measurement systems. The NCTM standards also include a few other expectations (measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area and volume) that the other two standard categories have listed as expectations separately (i didn't include them here). The application to "real world problems," as expressed by the Common Core standards, seems to me to be understood in the general presentation of information in the classroom, but I like how it is explicitly spelled out. In short, the curriculum standards of all three are very closely aligned in regards to this specific topic, measurement.

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