Mathematics

The State Board of Education has the authority to adopt academic standards for each subject area in grades K–12. The state board adopted new state math standards in April 2016, and they will be implemented in classrooms for the first time in the 2017-18 school year. The math standards were designed to ensure that Tennessee graduates are prepared for the rigorous demands of mathematical understanding in college and career.

Download the Tennessee Academic Standards for Mathematics

Instructional Focus Resources

To support strong classroom instruction, the department has created instructional focus documents for mathematics. These documents were developed to target the mathematics standards where statewide data indicated students struggled the most and are optional supplements for educators to consider. The purpose of these documents is to provide teachers with examples of learning across all performance levels to help educators determine the depth of a student’s conceptual understanding of the Tennessee mathematics standards. You may access these documents using the drop-down menu below.

The eight Standards for Mathematical Practice are an important component of the mathematics standards for each grade and course, K–12. The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the varieties of expertise, habits of minds, and productive dispositions that educators seek to develop in all students.

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
• Model with mathematics
• Use appropriate tools strategically
• Attend to precision
• Look for and make use of structure
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

The four literacy standards for mathematical proficiency are also an integral component of the K–12 mathematics standards. Communication in mathematics employs literacy skills in reading, vocabulary, speaking and
listening, and writing. The following are the four literacy skills necessary for mathematical proficiency:

• Use multiple reading strategies
• Understand and use correct mathematical vocabulary  
• Discuss and articulate mathematical ideas
• Write mathematical arguments

Note: The State Board of Education sets the requirements for high school graduation (see the High School Policy 2.103). Per SBE Rule, students must achieve four high school level units of math in order to graduate with a high school diploma, including Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry (or the equivalent courses, Integrated Math I, II, and III) and one additional mathematics course beyond Algebra I. View a list of the courses required for high school graduation here.