The Consortium for Achievement in Mathematics and Science (CAMS) seeks to improve the way middle school mathematics and science are taught. Student learning is the driving force behind this collaborative effort.

CAMS represents a coming-together of organizations from the public school, university, corporate, and educational assessment communities—groups with complementary perspectives and expertise, and a common goal. Click here to view our brochure on CAMS.

CAMS in Context
CAMS is all about setting high but achievable goals; working together to reform key elements of the school system; mobilizing community support for reform; and setting the agenda for education reform at the state and national levels. The social and educational climate in which CAMS is operating is a challenging one, and all its work is grounded in the following current directions in education.

Evidence-Based Reform
An underlying CAMS tenet is that decisions, strategies, program designs, and hoped-for outcomes are informed by research; by the results of prior work by the Consortium’s partners; and by empirical data generated by CAMS and others.

Institutional Change
Designing, effecting, and documenting institutional change is an essential task of CAMS, in spite of the fact that this kind of progress is the most difficult kind to plan, implement, and sustain.

Teacher Quality
The quality of educators is the single most significant school-based factor in student achievement, perhaps nowhere more so than in science and mathematics. That’s why the preparation and continuous professional development of teachers is a major CAMS commitment.

Challenging Courses and Curriculum
CAMS understands that instructional reform must always be based on a raising of standards—standards reflected in courses and curricula that are demanding and rewarding.

Closing the Achievement Gap
Compelling evidence provides support for the belief that public schools can educate all students to very high levels of achievement. This is a fundamental plank in the CAMS platform.

Higher Expectations
It’s a proven fact: students rise to meet the demands set by their teachers. Maintaining high expectations for all students—a key CAMS focus—is a proven contributor to high performance.