IEQ: Continuous Assessment and Algebraic Thinking - Year 2

  • Zeidler-Watters, Kimberly (PI)
  • Lee, C. (CoI)

    Grants and Contracts Details

    Description

    In keeping with the evaluation plan for the CAAT project, formative and summative evaluation activities to this point in the project’s first year focused on gathering baseline data, documenting the quality and outcomes of the project’s professional development activities, and looking for indicators of early influence on participants. The 40 project participants include 14 elementary, 12 middle school, and 14 high school teachers. Responses on the baseline teacher questionnaire indicate that most came into the project with characteristics indicating they could benefit from the project’s targeted mathematics focus. Because the teachers have been participating in the project for only a few months, insufficient time has passed to look for substantive changes in their content knowledge or instructional practice. Consequently, the results presented reflect participants’ perceptions of how they have benefited from the project thus far, and their expectations for how their teaching will change. The summative evaluation will compare assessment and questionnaire data near the end of the project to the baseline data collected at the beginning, conducting a more objective analysis that documents any statistically significant changes. Evaluation of the CAAT project will continue to follow the evaluation plan described in the original project proposal. Dr. Michael Howard will continue to serve as the project’s external evaluator. During Year 2 the focus of the project’s formative evaluation will be similar to Year 1, documenting the nature and quality of the project’s activities and gathering participants’ perceptions of their experience in the project and its impact on their teaching. As before, evidence will be collected through participant feedback questionnaires and focus groups, observation of activities by the external evaluator, and examination of participant artifacts and project records. The Year 2 project activities consist of six key components: 1) Three (3) academic days of in-district training planning in partnership with higher education mathematics and mathematics education faculty for 3-12 grade teacher representatives. The sessions will be led by their district Appalachian Teacher Partner from each of the six participating districts, August 2013 – May 2014. 2) Three (3) days of continued training and support by Dr. Shirley Clarke, International assessment expert, focused on quality assessment practices in the mathematics classroom. 3) Online and in district mentoring of participants by Appalachian Teacher Partners and higher education partners as during the academic year. 4) A final two-day summer workshop for teacher participants in June 2014. 5) A one-day showcase in order for participants to share with their administrators the results of their participation and to plan for next steps as they grant funds end. 6) Continued training and support for building and district level administrators. As a result of the project activities listed above, the participants from six school districts will receive an additional 54 hours of professional development in Year 2 (not counting any mentoring), for a total of 120 hours of professional development over the course of the project. Research on professional development that results in a change in teacher practices has found that it takes between 30-120 hours of in depth, content focused training to result in a change in practice and student learning (Guskey & Yoon, 2004).
    StatusFinished
    Effective start/end date1/1/136/30/13

    Fingerprint

    Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.