1. The main goal of mathematics education is to develop the ability to reason in a logical, structured way.
2. Both conceptual understanding and computational fluency are necessary, and in fact these two things reinforce each other.
3. Students in the middle grades must develop a deep understanding of the structure of numbers — including place value and factorization as the basis of work with natural numbers and fractions, respectively — as a foundation for all future mathematics classes.
4. Algebraic notions (such as numerical expressions, algebraic expressions, and equations) should be introduced early and developed gradually and systematically.
5. Geometry and arithmetic should be developed together in the middle grades, with each supporting the other. Geometric notions (such as the number line) are valuable tools in developing students’ intuition of the structure of numbers and operations.

For more details, please download the list of

• Differences Between RM and Traditional U.S. Curricula (PDF, 35 KB).