Principles and Standards: Developing Computational Fluency with Whole Numbers

Abstract

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 2000) emphasizes the goal of computational fluency for all students. It articulates expectations regarding fluency with basic number combinations and the importance of computational facility grounded in understanding (see a summary of key messages regarding computation in Principles and Standards in the sidebar on page 156). Building on the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989) and benefiting from a decade of research and practice, Principles and Standards articulates the need for students to develop procedural competence within a school mathematics program that emphasizes mathematical reasoning and problem solving. In fact, learning about whole-number computation is a key context for learning to reason about the baseten number system and the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.