Most important, again, is the continuous study of mathematics throughout high school. Assessment must be done differently. When students are asked to interpret and apply the mathematics that they have learned to a problem situation, then they should have more time to solve the problem. Last May on the AP Calculus exam, my own students had difficulty in starting some problems in the allotted time. Yet, given more time, they were easily able to think through the solution, too late to be counted.
Staff development is an essential part of mathematics education reform.
We are entering a new century and some teachers are still teaching like they were taught. I spent my entire summer conducting institutes for mathematics teachers where we worked on curriculum, assessment and teaching strategies. These are the committed teachers and I learned from them as much as they learned from me. Every math teacher today must constantly continue learning. I was a good student in almost every subject and I chose mathematics because I had a math teacher for most of my high school career who loved mathematics and communicated her enthusiasm to the class.