At AMTE we reported the results of a study on the alignment of curriculum materials to learning standards. Specifically, we chose two popular textbook series to examine how well they align with ratio and proportion learning standards from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in grades 6-8. Although both textbooks advertise alignment with these learning standards, our results indicate shortcomings in terms of opportunities in the text for students to do the mathematical work expected of them. For example, in 6th grade students are expected to use a constant multiple to relate two quantities, but by our analysis it is rare for these textbooks to encourage this strategy.
These results are important for a variety of individuals with interest in mathematics education. Curriculum developers might find ways to provide more opportunity for students to learn important mathematics at the appropriate level. Teachers can plan more effectively for instruction as they gain knowledge about how well their curriculum materials align with learning standards. Also, parents, teachers and administrators can work together to select curriculum materials with more complete information about the content of these textbooks