ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the research regarding what students learn and can do after studying from Standards-based mathematics curriculum materials in high school. It provides a context for the research and development of these high school projects. The chapter describes the typical high school mathematics curriculum used in schools prior to the development of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)), and the state of high school mathematics achievement during the 1980s as measured by national and international assessments. It discusses the recommendations made by the NCTM for a reformed curriculum in Grades 9-12, as well as the call for the development of instructional materials at this level from the National Science Foundation. The 9-12 Standards assume that high school students will have experienced the broad mathematics curriculum envisioned at both the elementary and middle school levels.
