Roberta Y. Schorr

The Ambiguity of Test Preparation: A Multimethod Analysis in One State.

We studied test preparation activity among fourth-grade math and science teachers in New Jersey, using a survey of almost 300 teachers and observations of and interviews with almost 60. New Jersey uses a mix of open-ended and multiple-choice tests; links few stakes to test results, except for publication of scores; and offers limited professional development to teachers. New Jersey teachers are adopting specific techniques associated with more inquiry-oriented instruction, but their basic approach does not appear to be changing. Teachers do teach the content on the test with a new wrinkle. When more students are passing a test in one subject area than in another, emphasis shifts to the area with low scores. We found more direct instruction in lower socioeconomic districts but not less inquiry-oriented instruction. Finally, principal support has more influence on the test preparation strategies teachers use than does pressure to comply.

Test preparation in New Jersey: inquiry‐oriented and didactic responses1

As testing becomes more prevalent as a policy tool in the Anglo‐Saxon world, debates continue as to whether it supports central reforms of instruction or leads to a kind of ‘teaching to the test’ that invalidates results and undermines more challenging instruction. This paper reports on a three‐year study of mathematics testing of nine‐year‐olds in New Jersey. Using a mix of surveys and direct observations with interviews, we conclude that New Jerseys testing policies contributed to both results. Where teachers feel more pressure, they respond with short‐term test preparation and focus on more didactic instructional strategies. When they know more about state and national standards and have the opportunity to learn more, they are inclined to use more inquiry‐oriented approaches and integrate test preparation with regular instruction.

State Testing and Mathematics Teaching in New Jersey: The Effects of a Test Without Other Supports

Conflicting findings about the effects of state testing on mathematics teaching have a number of roots, including the strong ideological positions of advocates and opponents of state tests and the fact that state policies vary such that one is likely to find different results in different states. The pressure that students, teachers, and administrators may feel toward high test scores and the opportunities that teachers and administrators may have regarding related professional development can also confound findings on the effects of tests on actual classroom teaching. This article describes the teaching practices of fourth-grade teachers in New Jersey, a state with a fourth-grade mathematics test designed to be aligned with state and national standards. The intent of this test is to challenge conventional practice. However, there is a lack of strong pressure to produce high test scores or effective guidance on the kinds of learning opportunities that must complement those tests in order to lead to fundamental change in teaching. Through interviews and observations of 63 teachers, we found that the teachers reported that they changed their practices in ways compatible with state and national standards and the test. For example, they reported asking their students to solve more open-ended problems and to explain their thinking. However, direct observations suggested that teachers have adopted specific strategies without changing their basic instructional approach. The results from our investigation suggest that in the absence of effective professional development, testing leads to minimal changes in teaching practice.

Impact at the student level: a study of the effects of a teacher development intervention on students' mathematical thinking

Abstract This research was conducted to study the impact on students of a long-term professional development intervention in mathematics for teachers in a low-wealth, urban school district. The emphasis in this assessment design was on obtaining a more accurate picture of students problem-solving performance which challenged us to raise our expectations about student success from improved standardized test score data to an approach that focused on the way students think about mathematical tasks. The design used in this assessment provides a framework for considering teacher development and student assessment simultaneously. Results show that students taught by project teachers performed better in both classroom problem-solving activities and task-based interviews than students taught by nonproject teachers. In addition, there were major differences in the problem-solving behaviors of the two groups. Experimental students (students of project teachers) displayed greater mathematical confidence, and were more likely to see mathematics as a powerful way of thinking about the real world and approach mathematics as such.

A Case Study of Two Teachers: Teacher Questions and Student Explanations

Abstract We focus on the ways in which two middle school teachers interacted with their students at various points during a long-term University-based professional development project. Our specific focus in this report is on the types of changes that occurred in the ways in which the teachers provided opportunities for their students to defend and justify solutions and communicate directly with their peers.