The Assessment of Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the instruments awardees used to gather data on mathematics and science teacher quality, and the main characteristics of teachers examined by awardees. Results showed that awardees most frequently used surveys or questionnaires to assess characteristics of mathematics and science teacher quality. The most common teacher characteristics examined by awardees' included teacher behaviors, practices, and beliefs, followed by the assessment of subject and pedagogical knowledge, and the documentation of mathematics and science teachers' certification. A few new instruments were under development and in use to assess characteristics of teacher quality. Detailed information on the development and psychometric properties of the instruments used for these examinations was not available from the reports. Because awardees were at different stages in their funded activities and data collection efforts were ongoing at the time of this analysis, this study offers a preliminary and formative review of the use of assessments to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics among these awards.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study is one in a series of substudies for the Math and Science Partnership Program Evaluation (MSP-PE) conducted for the National Science Foundation's MSP Program. The MSP-PE is conducted under Contract No. EHR-0456995. Since 2007, Bernice Anderson, Ed.D., Senior Advisor for Evaluation, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, has served as the National Science Foundation Program Officer. The authors are Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Utah State University (formerly of George Mason University), Johnna J. Bolyard, West Virginia University, Anastasia Kitsantas and Hana Oh, George Mason University.

The MSP-PE is led by COSMOS Corporation in current partnership with George Mason University (GMU) and Brown University. Robert K. Yin (COSMOS) serves as Principal Investigator and Jennifer Scherer (COSMOS) serves as one of three Co-Principal Investigators. Additional Co-Principal Investigators and their collaborating institutions (including discipline departments and math centers) are Patricia Moyer-Packenham (USU, formerly GMU) and Kenneth Wong (Brown). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this article are those of authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Notes

^a N = 48;

^b N = 282

^a N = 40 Math-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^b N = 27 Science-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^c Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MTK) as defined by Hill and Ball (2004).

^a Combined totals reflect the number of awards measuring one or more characteristics in that category.

^b N = 40 Math-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^c N = 27 Science-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^d Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) as defined by Hill and Ball (2004).

^a N = 48 Math and Science Partnerships.

^b N = 40 Math-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^c N = 27 Science-focused Math and Science Partnerships.

^d Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) as defined by Hill and Ball (2004).

^a N = 22.

^b N = 14.

^c N = 12.

^a N = 138.

^b N = 91.

^c N = 53.