Improving Student Learning and Teacher Practice in Mathematics: A Focus on Formative Assessment

Join a discussion with panelists from several projects about project model designs, initial findings, and implementation challenges associated with formative assessment in mathematics.

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In this session, four projects will share their work on formative assessment and mathematics learning trajectories, and participants will discuss the implications for formative assessment practices in mathematics.

The session begins by focusing on an analysis of survey responses from mathematics educators who work with teachers. Respondents indicated that they 1) viewed formative assessment as important; 2) employed different instructional frameworks in their work with teachers; but 3) did not regularly highlight formative assessment in relation to these frameworks. Based on these findings, presenters have worked with experts on various instructional frameworks to sharpen the focus on formative assessment.

Next, the Improving Formative Assessment to Support Teaching (iFAST) Algebra project will describe their work developing instructional resources to support teachers in meeting the challenges set by CCSS-M for students’ learning. This includes developing learning trajectories for algebra that inform their work with middle school teachers to enhance their use of formative assessment.

The Ongoing Assessment Project (OGAP) combines formative assessment techniques with learning trajectories into tools, resources, and sustained professional development for elementary teachers. They will share impacts on teacher knowledge and student outcomes and describe how teachers are enacting OGAP in their classrooms, with a focus on school conditions that contribute to within- and across-school variation in implementation.

Finally, the Completing and Validating Learning Trajectories 6-8 project will discuss a hierarchical digital learning map organized around big ideas in mathematics with underlying learning trajectories to help teachers and students navigate the CCSS-M. It features a diagnostic assessment system, digitally scored to provide feedback on trajectory progress in real time.

After these overviews, presenters and participants will discuss the implications of this work for the field.

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