Elementary School

The primary aim of the MMaRS study is to develop a mathematics assessment system to use for grades K-2 that measure students’ abilities in two foundational and predictive constructs, numeric relational reasoning (NRR) and spatial reasoning (SR). Teachers may use results of these assessments to guide their instructional decision making to support student learning of these constructs. The objectives of the project are to develop formative assessments supporting each grade level (K-2) for each of the NRR and SR constructs and collect validity and reliability evidence.

This project investigates how to design instructional resources and professional learning that support teachers in making adaptations to phenomena in science units. A design-based research approach is used to 1) iteratively design, test, and revise locally adaptable instructional resources for elementary science; 2) examine how teachers adapt phenomena in their teaching; and 3) examine how phenomenon adaptation can enhance teacher agency and self-efficacy in science teaching and student perceptions of relevance and interest.

This project explores how children in grades K-2 understand visual representations of algebraic concepts. For instance, children create tables or graphs to organize information about the relationship between two quantities. They might use graphs and diagrams to explain their mathematical thinking and develop their understanding of relationships in numbers and operations. The project uses data gathered in K-2 classrooms and via interviews with children to describe their use of the visual representations.

EPK-2 is designing and testing a model of PreK-2nd grade teacher professional learning to address computational thinking. The focus is teachers’ generative development in CT as informed by collaborative, inquiry-based learning. The goal is to help teachers and schools build computational thinking pathways beginning with students’ earliest years. Research questions explore factors mediating PreK-2nd grade teachers’ learning and implementation of computational thinking in their classrooms.

Project ExCEED is a three-year project to help upper elementary and middle school teachers create and implement engineering design tasks in their classrooms that are relevant to the cultures and communities of their Native American and rural student populations. The interdisciplinary research team is studying the effectiveness of the professional development program at increasing teachers’ confidence and ability to incorporate culturally relevant engineering design into their classrooms.

This project involves four strands of work: (a) investigating teachers’ engineering instruction, (b) developing a framework of conceptual understanding of engineering education for students with ESN, (c) conducting research to support universally designed engineering instruction and materials, and (d) producing and disseminating the instructional support framework and materials. Insights from project research will be used to further refine professional learning materials to better support teachers' ability to support engineering focused behaviors of students with ESN.

This poster will present the NSF funded project entitled CAREER: Situating Computational Learning Opportunities in the Digital Lives of High School Students. This project explores ways to use the data that high school students create and consume daily to situate foundational data science ideas.

Working in two high-needs urban school districts, Doing the Math refines and researches a mathematics professional development model for paraeducators in grades PK-3 through ongoing PD designed to enhance pedagogical content knowledge and mathematics teaching self-efficacy. This work also provides opportunities to support pathways to teaching, address the critical teacher shortage and diversify the teaching pool. Program sustainability is supported through integration in PD of classroom teachers, mathematics coaches, and use of PD graduated paraeducators.

Developing Science Assessments for Language Diversity in Early Elementary Classrooms (SALDEE) is developing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned formative assessments for first grade. The assessments will be small group checks and individual checks to explore types of design features, implementation practices, and affordances of each assessment format for first grade learners. SALDEE will generate new assessments that reliably measure young learners’ NGSS three-dimensional science proficiency and provide teachers with resources for implementation and scoring.

The goals of the project include foundational research and development work related to the assessment of content knowledge for teaching (CKT) about matter and its interactions, as well as supporting the development of this CKT in teacher education settings. The project has four major goals including: