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particularly concerning for teachers, were the 
assessment instruments, paucity of real-life 
activities in the curriculum, and struggles to 
differentiate the new curriculum for ELLs: 
Yes, they may be more rigorous because it 
[test] allows you to have higher level 
thinking to see if you can apply the 
material but, as a teacher, I need to know 
what I taught was effective and so I was a 
little concerned with that. So we had those 
types of questions, like what do we do with 
these tests here? We’re finding that when 
we give a test, all of a sudden there’s this 
particular question that was not even part of 
our lesson. (Grade 1 Teacher) 
Teachers in the first and second year of 
implementation observed that the Singapore 
Math materials tended to, according to one 
teacher, ‘‘add questions containing problems 
that have never been taught.” Some educators 
perceived a disconnect between the instruction 
and the test questions that would often be, 
according to one teacher, “different than what 
was taught.” A few of the interviewed teachers 
remarked that the Singapore Math curriculum 
involved a lot more from the teacher modeling 
concepts than previous mathematic curriculums, 
thus emphasizing teacher-centered instruction at 
the expense of integrating student-focused math 
centers. Further, some teachers claimed the 
county’s pacing guide restricted their ability to 
effectively deliver a lesson and did not allow 

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GATEways to Teacher Education 
A journal of the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators 
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1 
PAGE 32 
student mastery of particular mathematical 
concepts as a consequence of following a 
prescribed time period to complete a unit. It was 
noted, however, that modifications to the pacing 
guide were integrated in the second year and 
teachers were permitted by the school district to 
supplement specific units of the curriculum that 
did not meet state standards. Some educators 
remarked that parents’ reactions to the new 
mathematics curriculum ranged from enthusiasm 
to frustration, resulting in e-mail requests to 
teachers querying the terminology and concepts 
of Singapore Math as well as for information 
packets and modifications to better assist their 
child with assignments.