Investigations in Numbers, Data, and Space

Investigations in Number, Data, and Space is a K-5 mathematics curriculum, developed at [http://www.terc.edu/ TERC] in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The curriculum is often referred to as "Investigations" or simply "TERC". Patterned after the heavily debated NCTM standards for mathematics, it is among the most widely used of the new standards-based mathematics curricula. It is also one of the most protested against by groups of parents and some mathematics experts. The curriculum underwent a major revision in 2005 - 2007.

History

"Investigations" was developed between 1990 to 1998. It was initially funded by a National Science Foundation grant.

Its goal was to help all children understand the fundamental ideas of number and arithmetic, geometry, data, measurement and early algebra. But many of these concepts are unfamiliar not only to parents, but also teachers and professional mathematicians who have never seen such an approach to mathematics before. As with other "standards-based" curricula, it was distinguished by the complete lack of presentation of any standard computing methods, and a lack of congruence with any other standards-based mathematics series, as they were all developed using completely different alternative approaches to computation.

The original version remains widely used by thousands of youngsters with its problems unremedied, and its critics largely reject the NCTM standards entirely as a mistake. Many school districts have shown enormous growth in mathematical understanding applications and usage of number sense content.

The original edition of Investigations had no student textbook. Its teacher's manual is a series of several softcover books which take up significant shelf space. Even advocates of Standards-based Education Reform such as Washington State's state superintendent Terry Bergeson have consented to an independent evaluation of programs like Investigations.

Connected Mathematics, another highly criticized math program built around the NCTM standards is the Junior High School follow-on to this series.

Research

A variety of measures of student achievement and learning including state-mandated standardized tests, research-based interview protocols, items from research studies published in peer-reviewed journals and specially constructed paper-and-pencil tests have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of "Investigations"

The TERC website claims that students who use "Investigations", among other things, "do as well or better than students using other curricula."

In the Ridgewood Public School System, TERC has been introduced into two of the village's elementary schools. Contrary to the claims made on the TERC website, math scores on statewide standardized tests for students in these elementary schools have declined ever since the introduction of TERC. Supporters of TERC point to the high math scores of the district as a whole but conveniently omit the fact that the other four elementary schools in the village do not use TERC.

Criticism

A common criticism is that the curriculum does not teach any of traditional arithmetic methods familiar to those taught in other nations, or to parents with as little as an elementary school education. The non-traditional materials used and relatively high cost are also a subject of criticism.

* Student materials included in the 2002 Grade 5 package for TERC Investigations: 4 rolls of adding machine tape; 36 blank 5/8" cubes; 1,000 stickers for blank cubes; 200 1-cm cubes; 16 transparent blank spinners; 4 450-piece sets of power polygons; 4 buckets of square color tiles (400 per bucket); 1,000 Snap(TM) cubes; 1 set of elementary bar mass set-Ohaus; 4 graduated measuring prisms (2-cm x 5-cm x 21-cm); 4-liter measuring pitcher (calibrated 100 ml - 1,000 ml); 4 spectrum school balance (includes 7-piece mass set); 4 sets standard measuring pitchers (3 pitchers: quart, pint, cup per set); 10 measuring tapes; 12 meter/yard sticks.
*The total package for Grade 5 is listed at $1,388.42, and within that total the cost of the just mentioned student materials, for a class of 32, is $817.00 [ [http://nychold.com/terc.html] Reviews of TERC ]
* In the original edition, there was no multiplication table presented. Instead, students were instructed to color in multiples of numbers on a 100s chart, or to draw and count tally groups.

Adoptions

Notes