Geometry Assessments for Secondary Teachers (GAST)

Geometry Assessments for Secondary Teachers (GAST) is submitted to the National Science Foundation under the DR-K12 Full Research and Development category. GAST represents a collaborative partnership among the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, Florida State University, Alpine Testing Solutions, and Horizon Research, Inc. to develop a knowledge framework and assessments for secondary mathematics teachers' knowledge of geometry. The validation framework for the assessments will be designed to collect validity evidence for predicting effective geometry teaching and improving student achievement in geometry. What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity? Geometry has become an important secondary school subject to prepare students for both postsecondary and work experiences. With the advent of new curricula and technology, the purpose and nature of geometry has changed dramatically in secondary schools across the country. Geometry teachers, to be effective, must have a deep and varied knowledge of geometry and its applications. The framework of teachers' knowledge developed by GAST teams of mathematics educators, mathematicians, and classroom teachers will describe the the types, breadth, and depth of geometry knowledge needed by secondary teachers to teach effectively and improve student achievement. This project will apply models of teacher knowledge developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the University of Georgia to build a framework and subsequent assessments. The assessments will undergo field testing and psychometric analysis to in order to provide predictive evidence of effective geometry teaching and student achievement in geometry. What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? Past research on secondary teachers' mathematics knowledge have relied on indicators of teacher knowledge like course grades, lists of courses, and teaching experience. GAST will provide measures of teachers' geometry knowledge that provide predictive evidence of classroom performance and student achievement. Outside assessments developed at the University of Michigan that focus on elementary teachers' mathematics knowledge, such assessments do not exist. The framework and assessments developed in GAST can be used by: (1) researchers to explore teachers' knowledge of geometry and its impact on instructional practices and student achievement, measure relationships among teachers' mathematics knowledge, teachers' attitudes and beliefs, teacher performance, and student achievement; (2) project directors and evaluators of projects, institutes, and other professional development programs and postsecondary course instructors to assess the degree to which secondary teachers' possess appropriate knowledge of geometry and to determine program effectiveness; and (3) mathematicians, teacher educators, and school administrators, practicing and prospective teachers to make appropriate decisions with regard to courses, professional development experiences, or acceptance into teacher preparation programs. Finally, this process can also serve as a model for others who wish to develop teacher assessments in other academic fields and to collect predictive evidence of effective teaching and student achievement.