Catherine Randall Kelso - Project Co-Director, Principal Investigator
Alison Castro-Superfine - Co-Principal Investigator
Joan L. Bieler - Project Co-Director

Math Trailblazers is a comprehensive, research-based, National Science Foundation-funded K-5 mathematics program that integrates mathematics, science, and language arts. The Teaching Integrated Math and Science (TIMS) Project at the Learning Sciences Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) developed the curriculum to reflect the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. This Standards-based program is based on the philosophy that children learn best when engaged in problem-solving exercises that utilize real-world contexts. The first edition was published in 1997. The third edition is now available from Kendall/Hunt Publishing (mathtrailblazers@kendallhunt.com).

Math Trailblazers is a balanced mathematics program emphasizing:

• Conceptual understanding and procedural skills
• Hands-on activities and paper-and-pencil tasks
• A rich variety of both formal and informal assessment opportunities
• Whole-class instruction, small-group activities, and individual work

The Math Trailblazers Research and Revision Study, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF-0242704), is an examination of the Math Trailblazers curriculum and its impact on teaching and learning. Its purpose is to inform revision of the curriculum, as well as contribute to the general knowledge of the impact of comprehensive, Standards-based mathematics curricula in elementary schools. It is comprised of four (both past and present) research projects outlined below. This report describes the current status of each of the studies, outlines their implications for revision to the curriculum, and provides information on the status of the revision process.

Implementation and Whole Number Studies - 2003 to Present

The Implementation and Whole Number Studies are being conducted at the Learning Sciences Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The Implementation Study is a systematic investigation of the implementation of the curriculum in K-5 classrooms. The Whole Number Study focuses on students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of whole number concepts. The following researchers are working on these studies:

• Catherine Randall Kelso, Co-Director, TIMS Project
• Stacy Brown, Visiting Research Assistant Professor
• Susan Beal, Visiting Research Professor
• Catherine Ditto, Teacher on Loan, Chicago Public Schools
• Kathleen Pitvorec, Program Associate
• Lisa Mackey, Program Associate
• Anne Marie Marshall, Program Associate
• Reality Canty, Research Assistant, Learning Sciences Research Institute
• Henrique Cirne-Lima, Director of Media Services

Video Study - 2003 to 2006

The Video Study is an analysis of the teaching and learning processes in Math Trailblazers classrooms. Researchers videotape and analyze first-grade lessons on place value and fourth-grade lessons on fractions. This research is being conducted by:

• Lucia Flevares, Assistant Professor, School of Teaching and Learning, Ohio State University
• Michelle Perry, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Fraction and Proportionality Study - 2003 to 2006

The Fraction and Proportionality Study is an evaluation of students' learning of fractions and proportionality in grades 3-5. The following researchers from the Rational Number Project from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota conducted this study:

• Kathy Cramer, Associate Professor
• Terrence Wyberg, Lecturer

More on the Rational Number Project.

Curriculum Developers
Susan Beal
Janet Simpson Beissinger
Catherine Randall Kelso
Jennifer Leimberer
Lisa Mackey
Georganne Marsh

Editorial and Production Staff
Kathleen R. Anderson
Whitney Arima
Jirach Esariya-umpai
Angela Larsen
Debra Levine
Anne Roby

Real Canty
Alison Castro-Superfine
Anne Marie Marshall

Mathematics Education Consultants
Jenny Bay-Williams, Whole Number Consultant
Linda Hallenbeck, Geometry Consultant

Mathematics Consultant
Tom Berger

Math Trailblazers Research and Revision Study Annual Report to the National Science Foundation. June 5, 2007.[Download (111 pages)]

Brown, S., A. Castro, K. Pitvorec, and C. Ditto. (2007, October). Fidelity of implementation: Teachers' instructional moves in the context of a standards-based curriculum. In Proceedings of the 29th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 513-520). T. Lamberg and L.R. Wiest, (Eds.), Stateline (Lake Tahoe), NV: University of Nevada, Reno.

Brown, S., R.S. Canty, C. Ditto, S. Beal, K. Pitvorec, and C.R. Kelso. (2007, March). Fidelity of implementation and student learning: Making the connection. Symposium presented at the Research Presession of the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Atlanta, GA.

Beal, S., R.S. Canty, and K. Rivette. (2007, March) Whole number understanding and its assessment in school mathematics. Session presented at the 39th Annual National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Kelso, C. R. (2007, March). Using students' representations to assess understanding and flexibility. A research session presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Atlanta, GA.

Brown, S., and A. Castro (2007, February). Why do teachers need a rich understanding of number?: Lessons learned from teachers' use of Standards-based whole number lessons. Invited presentation at the annual meeting of the Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, San Diego, CA.

Rivette, K., and R.S. Canty. (2007, January). The development and use of cognitive assessment tools for research, learning, and teaching of Math Trailblazers. Presented at the Eleventh Annual Conference for the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, Irvine, CA.

Kelso, C.R. (2006, April). Analyzing students' work: Representations of whole number operations. A Learn/Reflect Session presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, Chicago, IL.

Brown, S., J. Bay Williams, R.S. Canty, C. Ditto, L. Flevares, K. Cramer, T. Wyberg, and C. R. Kelso. (2006, April). Math Trailblazers Research And Revision Study: A multifaceted investigation of an NSF-funded comprehensive Standards-based elementary curriculum. Symposium presented at the Research Presession of the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, St. Louis, MO.

Brown, S., C. Ditto, C.R. Kelso, and K. Pitvorec. (2006, November). Teachers' implementation of Standards-based elementary whole number lessons. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. S. Alatorre, J.L. Cortina, M. Sáiz, and A. Méndez, (Eds.), Mérida, Mexico: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional.

Canty, R.S., and S. Goldman (2006, July). The effects of base ratio and conceptual structure on accuracy in multiplicative situations. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Canty, R.S., and S.R. Goldman. (2006). Number size, structural invariance, and accuracy: Towards understanding children's thinking in multiplicative situations. Presented at the Sigma Xi Science Graduate Student Research Forum, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Brown, S., J. Bay Williams, R.S. Canty, C. Ditto, and C.R. Kelso. (2005, April). How are Standards-based elementary mathematics curricula used in schools? Symposium at the Research Presession of the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Anaheim, CA.