The Effects of Professional Development in Formative Assessment on Mathematics Teaching Performance and Student Achievement

This article describes a year-long professional development program on formative assessment for middle school mathematics teachers and its impact on teachers’ use of formative assessment during instruction. The focus of the program was to support teachers in (a) embedding formative assessments into their instruction, (b) interpreting student responses and performance on formative assessments, (c) using effective questioning strategies and peer assessment, and (d) identifying student errors and misconceptions and implementing instructional strategies to address them. Teacher and student performance data were collected on participating teachers, control teachers, and their students during the year-long professional development. The professional development had an impact on teachers’ cognitive level of questioning, use of peer assessment, and types of questioning strategies. Results of student performance data revealed differences in performance on some types of items among students of participating teachers and control teachers

A Collaborative Model for Implementing State Common Core School Standards

In this early part of the 21st century, education leaders are increasingly challenged to improve P-12 teaching and learning to increase student achievement and to prepare all students for college and career success. Education reforms such as the adoption of the Common Core Standards within existing policies and practices of state department, district and school bureaucracies requires the repurposing and refocusing of existing resources and structures. This article describes the efforts in one state to employ collaboration to meet the requirements of legislated mandates for implementation of the Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics and the implications of the legislated mandates for postsecondary education. Three education entities (a university, schools, and a state agency) collaborated to design and implement professional development to inform K-12 teachers, state agency personnel, and university faculty about legislated mandates for K-12 education (e.g., state implementation of the Common Core Standards for college- and career-readiness, increase in high school graduation rates, etc.). As the state was the first to adopt the Common Core Standards and the first to assess K-12 student learning in this education reform context, this early adopter model of professional development will be useful and informative for others embarking on such efforts

Everything you need for mathematics coaching: tools, plans, and a process that works for any instructional leader, grades K-12

With examples from the field, a comprehensive list of resources for effective coaching, and a plethora of tools to download and share with teachers, this toolkit is a must-have guide for designing a professional learning plan and leading with clarity and purpose.