The curriculum should portray mathematics as an integrated whole that permeates activities both in and out of school. These connections make mathematics meaningful and useful to each Colorado student. Become confident of their mathematical abilities. As a result of studying mathematics, students need to view themselves as capable of using their growing mathematical power to make sense of new problem situations in the world around them. School mathematics must endow all students with a realization that doing mathematics is a common human activity.
Students learn to trust their own mathematical thinking by having numerous and varied experiences.
Learn the value of mathematics. In addition to providing the tools to solve problems, mathematics provides a way of thinking about and understanding the world around us. Students should have numerous and varied opportunities to think mathematically about their world. They should also explore the cultural, historical, and scientific evolution of mathematics so that they can appreciate the role of mathematics in the development of our contemporary society. The following Colorado Model Content Standards for Mathematics provide a new vision of the content students should study in order to achieve these goals.