"This study extends our understanding of the relationship between the use of Standards based middle grades curricula and the learning of traditional mathematics topics as measured by two widely used standardized tests, the SAT-9 and the New Standards Mathematics Reference Exam. Sixteen hundred middle grades students in 43 classrooms from five districts with varying demographic profiles participated. These districts had participated in a Local Systemic Change (LSC) project supported by NSF. Students had used either the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) or the MATH Thematics (STEM) program for three years. ... A group of "value added" students were tested on three separate occasions over a two-year period of time to permit examination of achievement trends and achievement gaps among the various subpopulations. ... Results suggest that Standards based students do learn traditional mathematics topics, at least those topics assessed by the two tests used. This study continues to raise the question "What mathematics is most valued and what type of a curriculum is most likely to provide it?"
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