YPSILANTI, MI, July 10, 2009 ─ By focusing on number and geometry, the new HighScope Numbers Plus® preschool math curriculum meets the recommendations of a recent National Research Council call for a national initiative to improve early childhood mathematics education, titled Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward Excellence and Equity. It also meets the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Numbers Plus® focuses on number, geometry, measurement, algebra, and data analysis. Half of its activities involve numbers and geometry. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences provided funding for the development of this curriculum.
The NRC report also mentions the importance of sequences of learning experiences called “teaching-learning paths.” Educators agree that early math learning is sequential; that is, children must acquire certain foundational knowledge and skills before proceeding to the next level. Numbers Plus is sequenced within each activity. In this method of sequencing, children at all levels participate together in the same activity, but they engage with the materials and ideas according to their own knowledge and skills. Teachers individualize instruction to scaffold (support and extend) each child’s learning.
Numbers Plus Preschool Mathematics Curriculum is a comprehensive set of detailed plans for small- and large-group activities, with ideas for extending mathematics learning throughout the program day. By actively engaging young children with materials and ideas, Numbers Plus builds on the latest knowledge from research and practice about early mathematics learning and how adults can support it.
About HighScope
HighScope Educational Research Foundation is an early childhood leader in pursuit of a world where all children have the opportunity to develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively so they have satisfying, productive lives. HighScope supports the development of young children from birth through age eight by developing and providing quality, research-based, high-quality curricula, assessments, professional learning, and other supports in the context of families and their communities.
HighScope’s roots extend back to the Perry Preschool Project (1962–1967). Launched in Ypsilanti, Michigan and led by Ypsilanti Schools psychologist David Weikart and Perry Elementary School principal Charles Eugene Beatty, the Perry Preschool Project was one of the first early childhood programs in the United States intentionally designed to increase school success for preschool children living in poverty. Today, HighScope’s work can be found in classrooms throughout the United States and in educational settings around the globe.
Media Contact:
Tara Baliat
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