Imagine two different fifth-grade classrooms, each learning to add 1/2 + 1/3. In one, students succeed when they can remember the correct calculation procedure and arrive at the right answer: 5/6.

However, in the other classroom, guided by the new Common Core State Standards, getting the right answer is not enough.

The Common Core shifts the emphasis in mathematics from learning sequences of computation procedures to building understanding of key ideas. Students will be expected to be able to think mathematically and demonstrate that thinking orally, through drawings, and in writing.

Time, resources, and administrative support need to be put toward professional development to help teachers make the Common Core transition in their classrooms.

Download this paper to read how the Common Core is shifting the focus of mathematics learning and strategies to help address the challenges.