Moving Teachers and Students from Arithmetic to Algebraic Thinking in Murphy School District (K-5): Building Multilevel Insight

This research project is grounded in an approach designed from over 20 years of research on Cognitively Guided Instruction (Carpenter, Fennema, Franke, Levi, & Empson, 1999). In addition, we will leverage recent work on formative assessment based on the same cognitive model that drives (Black & Wiliam, 1998a). The formative assessment based on the work of Black and Wiliam along with CGI are two of the only programs of research to link professional development to teacher learning to student learning (Black & William, 2004; Wilson & Berne, 1999). We also leverage multilevel theory to understand how these programs can effect change on teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and student learning. Rather than understanding one level, this project looks to understand how professional development influences the complex interactions within classrooms and schools that produce important learning gains in mathematics. The research will be conducted in a high need inner city school district that will serve as a national model for the evaluation of professional development in mathematics education. The project will also inform efforts to understand the instructional practices that promote substantive learning in mathematics for Latino students and English language learners.