Mathematics standards are not isolated concepts. They relate to one another both within and across grades. There are three essential considerations that must be made when planning instructional units in mathematics; focus, coherence, and rigor. The FOCUS documents provide a detailed description on where to place our emphasis (focus). This focus will help students gain strong foundations, including a conceptual understanding of concepts, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the classroom.

The Critical Areas for COHERENCE documents provide K-8 grade level guidance to help lead to coherence within and across grade levels. Each grade level narrative discusses our major emphasis clusters, as well as those essential foundational areas for coherence from grade to grade to help assist teachers in their instructional planning. These documents are also linked within the Standards document itself on each individual Overview Page for grades K - 8. 

The 2017 Kansas Math Standards provide the necessary RIGOR. To help students meet the standards, educators will need to pursue, with equal intensity, three aspects of rigor in the major work of each grade: conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application.