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Policy Framework
A solid understanding of rational numbers — fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions and percents — is necessary for student success in algebra and beyond. Yet, decades of research on student achievement show that students struggle with these concepts. Seventh grade is one of the last chances for students to receive formal instruction in rational numbers. While it is clear that children who are studying mathematics should use high-quality, research-based curricula, research also suggests there’s an important relationship between a teacher’s knowledge of mathematics content and the achievement of his or her students.
Because it is unclear what effect professional development has on student achievement, the U.S. Department of Education has commissioned a random assignment study to provide rigorous evidence on the effects on instruction and student achievement of professional development for teachers of mathematics. The study is being conducted by MDRC and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), along with REDA International, with America’s Choice and Pearson Achievement Solutions providing the professional development.
Agenda, Scope, and Goals
The study will center on seventh-grade math teachers who are already using one of three widely adopted math programs: Prentice Hall’s Connected Mathematics Project, Prentice Hall’s Mathematics, or Glencoe’s Applications and Concepts. Up to 96 schools will be participating in the study, and they will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a “business as usual” control group (with teachers at these schools receiving only the professional development services normally delivered by the district) or the treatment group, in which teachers will receive more intensive professional development services. In the treatment group, teachers will participate in an 18-hour summer institute and in five day-long seminars during the following school year. These teachers will also receive two days of coaching following each of the five seminars. The professional development provided to the treatment group will focus on rational numbers content and pedagogy and will incorporate features of high-quality professional development.
The study addresses four research questions:
- What effects do summer institutes focused on content and pedagogy and follow-up seminars and coaching during the school year have on teacher knowledge, instructional practices, and student math achievement?
- To what extent are the effects of the special professional development on student math achievement mediated by its effects on teacher knowledge and instructional practice?
- To what extent do the effects of the special professional development depend on the math program being implemented in the district, the characteristics of students being served by the schools, or the prior knowledge or other characteristics of teachers?
- How do the effects of the special professional development change over time? Do its effects on teacher knowledge and instruction grow, stabilize, or fade over the course of the study period?
The project has begun with a year-long pilot phase during the 2006-2007 school year. The goal of the pilot phase is to implement a professional development program in two schools in each of two districts and five schools in a third district to learn about their implementation experiences and to ascertain how teachers apply what they learn in their classrooms.
Design, Sites, and Data Sources
The full study will involve a total of up to 96 schools in approximately 12 districts. One half of the districts will be recruited from among those using Prentice Hall’s Connected Mathematics Project, and the other half will be recruited from among those using either Prentice Hall’s Mathematics or Glencoe’s Applications and Concepts.
During the study’s first full implementation year (school year 2007-2008), data will be collected on the nature of the professional development intervention; the district, school, and classroom contexts of seventh-grade math instruction; and initial evidence of the impact of the intervention on participating teachers and their students. The final year of full study will involve a second wave of data collection on teachers’ professional development experiences and classroom conditions and on teacher and student outcomes
The project will track three main outcomes — teacher knowledge of rational numbers, teacher instructional practice, and student achievement — through data maintained by the districts, as well as data collected from assessments administrated by the study team. Other data collection efforts may include observations of professional development sessions.
The random assignment design makes it possible to compare the outcomes of the treatment group with those of the control group receiving the usual professional development approach and, therefore, to estimate the impact of the enhanced professional development services.
What's Next
AIR and MDRC will write two substantive reports. The first, to be published in the winter of 2009, will document the design of the project and the results of the analyses conducted on the data collected during the 2007-2008 school year. The final report will include the results for the entire project and will be published in 2010.
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