Core-Plus Mathematics Project

[10] The course was re-organized around interwoven strands of algebra and functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and discrete mathematics.

[11][12] The course was aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) mathematical practices and content expectations.

There are multiple research studies and evaluations in which students using Core-Plus Mathematics performed significantly better than comparison students on assessments of conceptual understanding, problem solving, and applications, and results were mixed for performance on assessments of by-hand calculation skills.

[16][17][18] The research was conducted as part of the Comparing Options in Secondary Mathematics: Investigating Curricula project, supported by the National Science Foundation under REC-0532214.

Results in the second study showed that Core-Plus Mathematics students scored significantly higher on a standardized achievement test, with no differences on the other measures.

Results in the third study showed that Core-Plus Mathematics students scored significantly higher on a test of common objectives, with no differences on the other measure.

[19] A study on field-test versions of Core-Plus Mathematics, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Award MDR 9255257) and published in 2000 in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, reported that students using the first field-test versions of Core-Plus Mathematics scored significantly better on tests of conceptual understanding and problem solving, while Algebra II students in conventional programs scored significantly better on a test of paper-and-pencil procedures.

[27] Several studies examined the subsequent college mathematics performance of students who used different high school textbook series.

These studies did not detect any differential effect of high school curriculum on placement in college mathematics courses, in subsequent performance, or in course-taking patterns.

[35] In an in-depth analysis by The Center for Research on Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, Core-Plus Mathematics was given a "moderate" evidence rating, and is the only comprehensive three-year high school mathematics program to be rated at any level (strong, moderate, or promising) for meeting federal ESSA Standards for Evidence in terms of promoting student achievement.

[40] Prof. Klein asserts that the mathematics programs criticized by the open letter had common features: they overemphasized data analysis and statistics, while de-emphasizing far more important areas of arithmetic and algebra.

[41] Specifically, Core-Plus Mathematics was criticized for exhibiting "too shallow a coverage of traditional algebra, and a focus on highly contextualized work".

R. James Milgram, Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University, analyzed the program's effect on students in a top-performing high school.

The effectiveness of Core-Plus and the other NSF-funded high school curricula programs became a significant issue for college mathematics faculty.

The percentages of students who eventually passed a technical calculus course showed a statistically significant decline averaging 27 percent a year; this trend was accompanied by an obvious and statistically significant increase in percentages of students who placed into low-level and remedial algebra courses.

[48] From the outset, Prof. Harel noted that the content presentation in Core-Plus program is unusual in that its instructional units, from the start to the end, are made of word problems involving "real-life" situations.

[48] According to Prof. Harel, the Core-Plus program "excels in providing ample experience in solving application problems and in ensuring that students understand the meanings of the different parts of the modeling functions.

[48] Professor W. Stephen Wilson from Johns Hopkins University evaluated the mathematical development and coherence of the Core-Plus program in 2009.

In particular, he examined "the algebraic concepts and skills associated with linear functions because they are a critical foundation for the further study of algebra", and evaluated how the program presents the theorem that the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees, "which is a fundamental theorem of Euclidean geometry and it connects many of the basics in geometry to each other".

[49] Prof. Wilson says that the Core-Plus program "has a multitude of good problems, but never develops the core of the mathematics of linear functions.

In a master's degree research paper at the time, interviews with teachers at four schools that had dropped Core-Plus Mathematics suggested that many teachers "did not feel that Core-Plus emphasized mastering skills enough", while parents "felt that it did not prepare students for college" and some parents commented that the text was difficult to read.