Singapore Mathematics

In 2008, Harlem Academy became the first school in Manhattan to integrate Singapore mathematics into its core curriculum, adopting a system that has prepared students in Singapore to score among the best in the world in math.  Dozens of school districts across the United States have since followed suit.

Singapore mathematics focuses on developing mathematical thinking and problem solving, rather than memorization or repetition.  Students learn fewer concepts in greater depth each year, and the curriculum prepares students to begin their high school careers with geometry or algebra II.  

Singapore mathematics makes extensive use of bar modeling, a versatile strategy that applies to a range of problems, including comparisons, ratios, proportions, and rates of change. “It communicates graphically and instantly the information that the learner already knows, and it shows the student how to use that information to solve the problem,” according to “Singapore Math: Simple or Complex?” (Educational Leadership). Simple explanations, a slow pace, and in-depth examinations result in subject mastery and rapid progress.

The Singapore mathematics curriculum challenges students to tackling more advanced problems at a younger age than their peers. The curriculum also focuses on problem solving “in contrast to traditional U.S. texts that rarely get much beyond exposing students to the mechanics of mathematics and emphasizing the application of definitions and formulas to routine problems,” according to a study by the American Institutes for Research.