ABSTRACT
Students in our nation’s schools consistently perform poorly on state (e.g., Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test; FCAT), national (e.g., National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP, 2003), and international mathematics tests (e.g., Third International Mathematics and Science Study; Beatty, 1997). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) fi rst responded to the poor performance of students in 1989 with the publication of Curriculum and Evaluation NCTM Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989) and again in 2000 with the revised Principles and NCTM Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). NCTM called attention to the dismal mathematics performance of students and called for a more meaningful approach to teaching and learning mathematics. While these standards have helped educators generally to improve many students’ mathematics learning, they have had little impact on mathematics instruction for students with learning and behavioral disorders, who represent a signifi - cant challenge for teachers.
