New Jersey Department of Education

Instructional Units for Mathematics

The instructional units for Mathematics in grades kindergarten through 8, Algebra I and Geometry can serve to facilitate conversations regarding assessment and curriculum development. Experienced educators designed the instructional units purposefully with a clear focus on coherence. Given that mathematics is a logically progressing discipline, the linking of concepts and skills within and across grades is critical to ensure that units reflect coherence. While the instructional units have an order and arrangement, local districts have the flexibility to modify them to fit the needs of their student population. For example, though all SLOs appear only once, a district could modify the units to repeat the inclusion of one or more SLOs to ensure mastery.

If your district is using the Connected Action Roadmap (CAR) approach to curriculum development, you will find the standards and SLOs in the Mathematics CAR templates on the left-hand side bar.

These instructional units were developed using the CAR  framework, a tool for instructional improvement. Both are part of a larger toolkit the Department is developing, in collaboration with partner associations and organizations, to assist all districts to deliver high-quality, standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessment. Although the tools are available free of charge, school districts are not mandated to use them. Instead, school districts are free to choose, and use, the tools that they feel are best suited for the success of the students they serve.