ABSTRACT
The NCTM's Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics document recommended principles for the professional development of mathematics teachers and for the evaluation of mathematics teaching. It provided guidelines for helping teachers create a rich mathematical environment in which students are engaged in challenging mathematics to make them mathematically powerful. Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), administered every four years, is now called Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. It continues to compare the mathematics and science knowledge and skills of fourth- and eighth-graders, and its reports have the goal of helping countries make informed decisions about how to improve teaching and learning in mathematics. NCTM's call for changes toward a more focused, rigorous curriculum, as well as an integrated approach to teaching and assessment practices, is critical to helping students develop the understanding and ways of thinking necessary to address the challenges of the 21st century.
