Assessment: The STEM Model

The Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM) project is one of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) funded middle school mathematics curriculum projects. The project received initial funding in 1992; the finished product is expected to be available in 1998. The STEM curriculum is organized in teaching units called modules. Each module is organized around a conceptual theme, such as “flight” or “wonders of the world.” The use of thematic modules promotes students' developing and applying mathematical concepts in broad contextual situations so that they do not view mathematics as a collection of separate and unrelated topics.