Mathematics in Technology & Engineering Education: Judgments of Grade-Level Appropriateness

Persistent calls to eliminate the fragmentation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education advocate for the realignment of the U. S. educational structure toward one that is standards-based and nationally coordinated (Presidents’ Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012; National Science Board, 2007). Such coordination presupposes the capacity to vertically align STEM standards across grade levels and to horizontally connect these standards into integrated learning experiences at a single educational level. To achieve these horizontal and vertical connections, knowledgeable and inspired educators will be needed who both understand the essential concepts and standards of multiple disciplines and who can create symbiotic pathways that mutually enable students to meet standards of two of more disciplines.