Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Perspectives On Year Two Implementation Of A Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, Rachel E. Schachter, Erin E. Flynn, Amy R. Napoli, Shayne B. Piasta

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In this study we examined teachers’ perspectives regarding the second year of implementing a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). Using a mixed-methods approach, we focused on the administration process, the perceived benefits of the assessment, and how teachers used the assessment to inform instruction. We also investigated whether these differed by teacher and district characteristics and how KRA experiences were different in the second year of implementation. Research Findings: Teachers generally did not view the KRA as beneficial for instruction or for students, reporting administration difficulties, inadequate KRA content, and limited utility of KRA data for supporting instruction as ongoing barriers …

What, How, Who: Developing Mathematical Discourse, Kelley E. Buchheister, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

A collaborative classroom, an open-ended problem, and a what-how-who structure can build students’ reasoning skills and allow teachers to recognize all classroom contributions.

With an increased focus on using social discourse to enhance students’ mathematical thinking and reasoning (NCTM 2014, Staples and King 2017), teachers are looking for discussion strategies that encourage middlelevel students to make sense of mathematical concepts. However, structuring these valuable discussions is complex. “Mathematical discourse should build on and honor student thinking, and provide students with opportunities to share ideas, clarify understandings, develop convincing arguments, and advance the mathematical learning of the entire class” (Smith, Steele, …

Sliding Into An Equitable Lesson, Kelley E. Buchheister 6872059, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

A kindergarten teacher uses Gutierrez's four dimensions of equity to design and facilitate geometry instruction.

Equitable instruction is reflected in how students are positioned in the classroom and how their identities evolve through purposeful interactions that value and recognize the intellectual capacity of each student (Gutiérrez 2013; Lemons-Smith 2008). These integral interactions occur when teachers and students exchange problem-solving strategies, discuss relations among various mathematical representations, and listen to the viewpoints of others (NCTM 2000; 2014).