The content of these standards supports five process goals for students: becoming mathematical problem solvers, communicating mathematically, reasoning mathematically, making mathematical connections, and using mathematical representations to model and interpret practical situations. These goals provide a context within which to develop the knowledge and skills identified in the standards.

The seventh-grade standards place emphasis on solving problems involving consumer applications, using proportional reasoning, and gaining proficiency in computations with integers. The students will gain an understanding of the properties of real numbers, solve one-step linear equations and inequalities, and use data analysis techniques to make inferences, conjectures, and predictions. Two- and three-dimensional representations, graphing transformations in the coordinate plane, and probability will be extended.

Mathematics has its own language, and the acquisition of specialized vocabulary and language patterns is crucial to a student’s understanding and appreciation of the subject. Students should be encouraged to use correctly the concepts, skills, symbols, and vocabulary identified in the standards.

Problem solving has been integrated throughout the six content strands. The development of problem-solving skills should be a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. Instruction in the process of problem solving will need to be integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education. Students must be helped to develop a wide range of skills and strategies for solving a variety of problem types.