Do New Teaching Standards Undermine Performance on Old Tests?

As almost every state attempts to reform mathematics instruction by implementing new teaching standards, state testing practices remain largely unchanged. Do these new standards undermine student performance on old tests? This question is investigated by examining whether middle and high school algebra students taught in a manner consistent with the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics Professional Standards performed differently on three standardized algebra assessments than students taught in traditional classrooms. The data come from 94 teachers, 2,369 students, and 40 schools in one of the nation’s largest school districts. Results indicate that the Standards do not undermine performance on the old tests. In fact, middle school algebra students whose teachers spent more time using the NCTM teaching approach had higher growth rates than students whose teachers spent less time using the approach. However, students with higher ability levels benefited more. The growth rates of the lowest achieving students, the high school students (who are disproportionately Black and poor), were not helped or hindered by the NCTM teaching approach. If, as other studies indicate, the new standards help students on more novel tests, the finding that students benefit or at least are not hurt on traditional tests strengthens the case for implementing the NCTM reforms.