Curriculum
Arco Iris has a rigorous academic program. The school will use the Singapore Math (Primary Mathematics) curriculum which has helped Singapore students rank #1 globally every year in Math (see statistics below) by TIMSS. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of fourth- and eighth-grade students around the world. TIMSS was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational achievement across borders.
Singapore students placed first in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 TIMSS. First administered in 1995 and every four years after, TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of fourth- and eighth-grade students around the world. TIMSS was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational achievement across borders.
Singapore students who took TIMSS in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 were using the Primary Math curriculum. The term, "Singapore Math", came into use in the U.S.A. around the year 2000 when US academics, homeschoolers, schools and the media started referring to these books as Singapore Math. More than 300 school districts in the United States now use Singapore Math with increasing math skill mastery.
In the U.S., math standards are set at the state level and curriculum choices are made by the state or local school districts. States and local districts also rely on guidelines provided by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Based on the research and theories of education "experts", the NCTM published 1989 guidelines which embraced new 'reform math' curriculums. Rather than helping achieve higher test scores, these programs caused many districts to achieve lower test scores. The following programs are examples:
• Everyday Mathematics (Bell, 1988-1996)
• Connected Mathematics (Lappan et al, 1991-1997).
• Investigations in Numbers, Data, and Space (Dale Seymour Publications- TERC)
• Interactive Mathematics Program (National Science Foundation)
After 17 years of poor results on standardized tests plus more recent failures on International tests, the NCTM saw changes were needed. In 2006, they published new guidelines which tossed out much of the research and theories that shaped the 1989 guidelines. Instead, they relied heavily on methods used by Asian countries getting the top test scores.