[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-597383-105":59,"doc-detail-597383-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","analysis-of-an-abandoned-reform-initiative-the-case-of-mathematics-in-british-columbia","Analysis of an Abandoned Reform Initiative - The Case of Mathematics in British Columbia","","Throughout this era of greater educational accountability, assessment researchers have argued that large-scale comparative assessment data can strengthen learning within and across education systems and support reforms drawn from high-performing jurisdictions. Others caution that reform is hazardous and can fail. This paper examines an unsuccessful British Columbia Ministry of Education initiative to reform mathematics curricula, showing how many interacting factors can block planned change.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/analysis-of-an-abandoned-reform-initiative-the-case-of-mathematics-in-british-columbia/597383/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/analysis-of-an-abandoned-reform-initiative-the-case-of-mathematics-in-british-columbia/597383.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Blue Pony","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main focus of the paper?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The paper analyzes an unsuccessful reform initiative by the British Columbia Ministry of Education aimed at mathematics curriculum reform, explaining why planned reforms did not succeed.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How do researchers view large-scale assessment in education?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Some researchers argue that large-scale comparative assessment data can enhance learning and enable reforms based on practices from high-achieving jurisdictions, while others warn that reform efforts are fraught with danger.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What factors does the paper highlight as obstacles to successful reform?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The case study discusses how curriculum fragmentation, lack of coherence, and the repetition-versus-depth balance can undermine curriculum goals and student mastery, contributing to reform failure.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},597383,1792171604,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090760266,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Analysis of an Abandoned Reform Initiative: The Case of Mathematics in British Columbia  \nBy Helen Raptis & Laurie Baxter, University of Victoria  \nAbstract  \nThroughout this era of greater educational accountability, assessment researchers have argued that large-scale comparative assessment data can enhance learning within and across systems of education and can foster reforms based on the practices of high achieving jurisdictions. Other researchers are less optimistic, warning that educational reform is fraught with danger. This paper explores an unsuccessful British Columbia Ministry of Education initiative to reform its mathematics curricula. This case study illustrates the myriad factors which prevent the success of planned reforms.  \nIntroduction  \nOver the past decade, education systems around the world have undergone unprecedented levels of reform (Calderhead, 2001; Holt, 2001; Massell, 1998) . As a result, large-scale assessment has become the \"vehicle of choice\" for promoting accountability within our public schools (Earl & Torrance, 2000, p. 1 14) . Researchers have argued that national and international large-scale assessments can \"enhance learning within and across systems of education\" (Plomp & Loxley, 1994, p. 176) by enabling policy-makers at all levels to see their systems in an international context and to initiate reforms and policies based on the practices of high achieving jurisdictions (cf. Beaton, Martin & Mullis, 1997; Schmidt & Burstein, 1993; Schmidt & McKnight, 1998; Stigler & Perry, 1998) .  \nFollowing this line of thinking, assessment researchers have investigated multiple factors impacting differential assessment outcomes observed across education systems, including: teaching load (McKnight, 1987); teacher qualifications (Robitaille, 1990); instructional differentiation, such as tracking and streaming (Ma & Willms, 1999; Robitaille & Garden, 1989; Stevenson, 1998); retention rates (Husén, 1967; Miller & Linn, 1989); opportunity-to-learn (Lapointe, 1989 & 1992; Schmidt & Burstein, 1993) and curricular variations (Linn & Baker, 1995; McKnight, 1987; Schmidt, McKnight, Curtis & Raizen, 1997a; Schmidt, McKnight, Valverde, Houang & Wiley, 1997b; Valverde & Schmidt, 1997-8) .  \nIn 1987, McKnight undertook one of the first comprehensive investigations into why American children consistently rank below most other industrialized nations on international mathematics assessments. He found that, in addition to having teachers with higher-than-average teaching loads, American students were also disadvantaged by the “spiral curriculum.” Proposed by Bruner (1961), the spiral curriculum “revisits” basic concepts each year for a “continual deepening” of student understanding. But for McKnight, although Bruner’s logic was “simple, elegant and intellectually appealing”, the “implemented spiral” was merely a fragmentation of“computationally-oriented content”(p. 97) . McKnight argued that this curricular fragmentation had spawned an emphasis on topic breadth at the expense of topic depth.“Content and goals  \nlinger from year to year so that curricula are driven and shaped by still-unmastered mathematics content begun years before”(p. 9) . As a result, curricular goals remain unfocused and there is no expectation for student mastery.  \nOther researchers have concurred with McKnight. According to Schmidt, Houang and Wolfe (1999) the “U.S. curriculum lacks focus, is highly repetitive — especially during the middle school years—and does not provide [American] children with a rigorous mathematics and science education by international standards”(p. 29) . Valverde and Schmidt (1997-98) have concluded that topic coverage breadth had compromised topic depth resulting in “perfunctory”subject matter treatment.  \nEvidence would suggest that these researchers were not far off the mark. A case in point is the grade eight curriculum. The average number of mathematics topics mandated by American eighth grade curriculum guides is app","cbCair4wUfhUNsgd","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCair4wUfhUNsgd","pdf",85807,22,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Large-scale assessment and accountability\n## Factors shaping differential assessment outcomes\n## Curriculum focus, depth, and repetition\n## Comparative research and the Canadian context\n# Purpose of the Study\n## BC–Quebec mathematics curriculum comparison","[{\"question\":\"What is the main focus of the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper analyzes an unsuccessful reform initiative by the British Columbia Ministry of Education aimed at mathematics curriculum reform, explaining why planned reforms did not succeed.\"},{\"question\":\"How do researchers view large-scale assessment in education?\",\"answer\":\"Some researchers argue that large-scale comparative assessment data can enhance learning and enable reforms based on practices from high-achieving jurisdictions, while others warn that reform efforts are fraught with danger.\"},{\"question\":\"What factors does the paper highlight as obstacles to successful reform?\",\"answer\":\"The case study discusses how curriculum fragmentation, lack of coherence, and the repetition-versus-depth balance can undermine curriculum goals and student mastery, contributing to reform failure.\"}]","Analysis of an Abandoned Reform Initiative - The Case of Mathematics in British Columbia | PDF",1792084909,55]