Excerpted from Overview of the Standards Chapters (K-12), April 2013 Public Review Draft
of the CA Mathematics Framework
Three major principles of the Standards
Focus: Place strong emphasis where the Standards focus
Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics in each grade
Rigor: In major topics, pursue with equal intensity
• conceptual understanding,
• procedural skill and fluency, and
• applications
Focus is necessary so that students have sufficient time to think about, practice and integrate new ideas into their
growing knowledge structure. Focus is also a way to allow time for the kinds of rich classroom discussion and
interaction that support the Mathematical Practice (MP) Standards and develop students’ broader mathematical
understanding. Instruction should focus deeply on only those concepts that are emphasized in the standards so
that students can gain strong foundational conceptual understanding, a high degree of procedural skill and
fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the math classroom.
Coherence arises from mathematical connections. Some of the connections in the standards knit topics
together at a single grade level. Most connections are vertical, as the standards support a progression of
increasing knowledge, skill, and sophistication across the grades.

Thinking across grades: The standards are designed to help administrators and teachers connect learning
within and across grades. For example, the standards develop fractions and multiplication across grade
levels, so that students can build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years. Each standard
is not a new event, but an extension of previous learning.

Linking to major topics: Connections between the standards at a single grade level can be used to improve the
instructional focus, by linking supporting or additional topics to the major work of the grade. For example, in
grade 3, bar graphs are not “just another topic to cover.” Students use information presented in bar graphs to
solve word problems using the four operations of arithmetic.
Grades
Priorities in Support of Rich Instruction, Expectations of Fluency
and Conceptual Understanding in the CCSSM
K-2
3-5
Addition and subtraction – concepts, skills and problem solving; measurement using whole
number quantities
Multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions – concepts, skills and problem
solving.
6
Ratios and proportional reasoning; early expressions and equations
7
Ratios and proportional reasoning; arithmetic of rational numbers
8
Linear algebra
Excerpted from Overview of the Standards Chapters (K-12), April 2013 Public Review Draft
of the CA Mathematics Framework
Rigor requires that conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application be approached with
equal intensity.

Conceptual understanding: The word “understand” is used in the standards to set explicit expectations
for conceptual understanding. Teachers teach more than “how to get the answer” and support students’
ability to access concepts from a number of perspectives. Students might demonstrate deep conceptual
understanding of core math concepts by solving short conceptual problems, applying math in new
situations, and speaking and writing about their understanding. Students who lack understanding of a
topic may rely on procedures too heavily. Without a flexible base from which to work, they may be less
likely to consider analogous problems, represent problems coherently, justify conclusions, apply the
mathematics to practical situations, use technology mindfully to work with the mathematics, explain the
mathematics accurately to other students, step back for an overview, or deviate from a known procedure
to find a shortcut. In short, a lack of understanding effectively prevents a student from engaging in the
mathematical practices.
Examples of Understanding in the CCSSM
Grade
Standards
K
Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is
one larger. (K.CC.4.c)
2
Understand that in adding or subtracting three-digit numbers, one adds or
subtracts hundreds and hundreds, tens and tens, ones and ones; and
sometimes it is necessary to compose or decompose tens or hundreds.
(2.NBT.7)
4
Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating
parts referring to the same whole. (4.NF.3a)
6
Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a
ratio relationship between two quantities. (6.RP.1)
8
Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one
output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs consisting of an
input and the corresponding output. ( 8.F.1)
Higher
Mathematics
Understand that a function from one set (called the domain) to another set
(called the range) assigns to each element of the domain exactly one
element of the range. (F-IF.1)
Higher
Mathematics
Understand that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of
the angles in the triangle, leading to definitions of trigonometric ratios for
acute angles. (G-SRT.6)
Excerpted from Overview of the Standards Chapters (K-12), April 2013 Public Review Draft
of the CA Mathematics Framework

Procedural skill and fluency: At various grade levels, specific content standards set expectations for
fluency. “Fluently” is used in the standards to mean “reasonably fast and accurate” and the ability to use
certain facts and procedures with enough facility that using them does not slow down or derail the
problem solver as he or she works on more complex problems. Procedural fluency requires skill in
carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately. Developing fluency in each
grade can involve a mixture of just knowing some answers, knowing some answers from understanding
patterns and knowing some answers from understanding and using strategies. It is important to ensure
that sufficient practice and extra support are provided at each grade to allow all students to meet the
standards that call explicitly for fluency.
Grade
K

Add/subtract within 5
1

Add/subtract within 10
2


Add/subtract within 20 (using strategies).
Add/subtract within 100 (using strategies)
3


Multiply/divide within 100 (using strategies)
Add/subtract within 1,000 (using strategies and algorithms)

Add/subtract whole numbers within 1,000,000 (using the standard
algorithm)
5


Multi-digit multiplication (using the standard algorithm)
Add/subtract fractions
6


Multi-digit division (using the standard algorithm)
Multi-digit decimal operations (add, subtract, multiply and divide using
the standard algorithm for each operation).
7

Solve equations of the form 𝑝𝑥 + 𝑞 = 𝑟 and 𝑝(𝑥 + 𝑞) = 𝑟
4

Examples of Expectations of Fluency in the K-6 CCSSM
Application: Students are expected to use mathematics to solve “real-world problems”. In the standards,
the phrase “real-world problems” and the star symbol () are used to set expectations and flag
opportunities for applications and modeling (which is a standard for mathematical practice as well as a
conceptual category in higher mathematics). Real-world problems and standards that support modeling
are also opportunities to provide activities related to careers and the work-world. Teachers in content
areas outside of math, particularly science, ensure that students use mathematics – at all grade levels –
to make meaning of and access content (adapted from Achieve the Core 2012).