CEHD News

by Kevin Rayburn

A recent report by the International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development revealed the U.S. in 20th place among 29 industrialized nations in math student achievement.

In science education, the results are not much better.

One reason may be that teachers who teach science and math may not always know their subjects in ways that help them teach.

“The mathematics and science instruction teachers receive in college does not always align with what they have to teach their students,” Bill Bush says.

Bush, a CEHD professor of mathematics education and director of the UofL Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Teacher Development, has worked with colleagues and graduate students for several years on ways to assess the depth and level of math and science knowledge teachers have.

The “diagnostic teacher assessments” developed by Bush’s team measure what teachers know on those subjects. So far, 11 tests have been developed on number computation, geometry and measurement, probability and statistics, algebraic ideas and more. The tests measure general math and science knowledge as well as teaching-related knowledge.

The tests are aimed at middle school teachers because studies have shown that students often become disenchanted with science and math in those grades.

“So far, these assessments have been extremely popular. They’ve been used by more than 100 projects in 25 different states and territories–from Alaska, Guam and Hawaii to Maine.”

Once knowledge is assessed, teachers can pursue follow-up training.

Development of the assessments has been supported by federal funds secured by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup.

“This project has moved our whole research agenda forward,” Bush adds.

The project has inspired development of similar assessments for high school teachers.

Teachers in five Kentucky schools, along with faculty from UofL and other universities, developed the assessments.

“If students aren’t doing well on the tests, then the teachers will know the deficiencies immediately,” Bush says. “In other words, they serve as a diagnostic tool for teachers.”

Bush also wants to help get math and science teachers into underserved areas of the state. To that end, Bush’s center is collaborating on a project to prepare math educators. He is working with four other universitites on the project, known as the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM). The National Science Foundation-sponsored project supports the preparation of math education faculty in universities near their area who are inclined to teach in their hometowns.

“There’s a severe shortage of math educators, especially in rural areas,” Bush says. “So far, we’ve trained two doctoral-student cohorts (groups).”

Bush and colleagues also want to help the state improve instruction by assessing how well universities train middle-school math teachers. “We’ve gathered the tests taken by math educators at six colleges and universities in the state,” Bush says.

Results show that universities differ in what mathematics content they expect teachers to know. “Some universities do a better job than others in covering important content,” says Bush.

Clearly, Bush’s job is never done.