Evolution over Two Decades of CAS-Active Senior Secondary Mathematics Curriculum and Assessment

David Leigh-Lancaster and Kaye Stacey
Additional contact information
David Leigh-Lancaster: Leigh Lancaster Consulting, Melbourne, Australia
Kaye Stacey: Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia

Mathematics, 2022, vol. 10, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) introduced the use of Computer Algebra System (CAS) technology (calculator and software) into the senior secondary mathematics curriculum and examination assessment in three phases, starting with a research-based pilot from 2000, followed by parallel implementation of CAS and non-CAS subjects from 2006 and culminating in transition to CAS-assumed subjects in 2010. This paper reports reflections on these developments over two decades from the perspectives of a researcher and the state mathematics manager (the authors) in consultation with four implementing teachers (the consultants). The authors critically examined the strategic design decisions that were made for the initiative over time. Then, with contributions from the four consultants, technical design issues relating to assessment and to teaching and the changes over a decade were investigated. A range of modifications have been made over the two decades, driven by changes in device capability and progressively increasing teaching expertise. The place of CAS in senior mathematics is now widely accepted, partly because an examination component not allowing any technology has been implemented. Examination questions have become more general, which may have added difficulty, but more questions involve setting up a real situation mathematically.

Keywords: curriculum; assessment; mathematics; educational design; high school; technology; examinations; computer-algebra; visualization; calculus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/13/2333/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/13/2333/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:10:y:2022:i:13:p:2333-:d:854945

Access Statistics for this article

Mathematics is currently edited by Ms. Emma He

More articles in Mathematics from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().