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About CPM >
Introduction > How
Why: The Logic and Research Behind The CPM Program
Intro | Who | What | When | Where | Why | How
Does The CPM Program Benefit Students?
- CPM focuses on teaching all students all aspects of secondary mathematics–basic skills, conceptual understanding, and problem solving strategies–through exploration in student study teams and regular practice with mathematical principles and rules.
- CPM places equal value on the process of evaluating a problem, conceptualizing possible solutions, putting these solutions in a correct mathematical form, solving the problem correctly, and evaluating the validity of an answer.
How Do CPM Teachers Use Class Time?
- CPM teachers provide much-needed information, instruction, and support for students, but allow them to work through problems and questions in a study team environment similar to a "math lab." Student work is supervised by the teacher in a problem solving environment similar to that found in many work places.
- Teachers direct summary discussions, interact with study teams, and give focused lectures based on their observations of student work. Their teaching is prescription in nature, not "one size fits all."
How Was The CPM Program Started?
- The CPM materials were written in 1989-95 by 70 high school math teachers under the direction of college professors at the University of California, Davis and California State University, Sacramento who were tired of seeing high school students gain only a shallow, one-dimensional understanding of the mathematics they studied.
- Each of CPM's high school courses (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Mathematical Analysis) was piloted for three years by more than 50 teachers and 30,000 students and revised three times before it was released for general use and curriculum adoption. The preliminary edition of the middle grades program was used by 40,000 students.
How Many Students Have Used CPM Materials?
- By the end of the 2003-04 school year, more than 4,000,000 students have used CPM in the classroom. Each year at least 400,000 students are enrolled in a CPM mathematics course.
How Has CPM Educational Program Met Its Goals?
- Greater numbers of CPM students are pursuing additional college preparatory mathematics courses than their non-CPM counterparts have in the years before, indicating that students' interest in mathematics and pursuing a mathematics education is increasing.
- CPM students score as well or better as non-CPM students on standardized tests that measure mostly isolated skills. California SAT9 math scores in CPM high schools for grades 9-11, 1998-2002, are 6 to 10% higher than the state average. Complete reports are on the statistic page at this site. They score much better on assessments that require creative application of problem solving strategies and mathematical skills and concepts.
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