Course:
MAED 625 Assessment in Mathematics
Instructor:
Dr. Maria Timmerman
Office:
Ruffner 340
E-mail:
timmermanma@longwood.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays, 3:30-4:30pm and Wednesdays, 2-5pm
Phone: 434-395-2890
TEXTBOOKS:
Required
Chapin, S, O’Connor, , & Anderson, N. (2007). Classroom discussions: Using math talk to
help students learn. Sausalito, CA., Math Solutions.
Love, N.. (2009). Using Data to Improve Learning for All: A Collaborative Inquiry Approach, Corwin
Press.
Not Required but Strongly Recommended
Wang-Iverson, P & Yoshida, M . (2005). Building our understanding of lesson study. Philadelphia,
PA, Research for Better Schools. (Order at http://www.rbs.org/news/get_article.php?id=15.)
Course Format: The course work will be divided between face-to-face class meetings, electronic
communication, and activities that will occur outside the classroom in the participant’s schools and
classrooms. There will be seven Saturday meetings face-to-face.
Course Description:
This course examines the components, processes, and research of Lesson Study along with
components of effective lesson planning in mathematics. Students will study the use and utility of
formative and summative mathematics assessments including those at the national and state level.
Students will learn to identify problems in the mathematics instructional program and to identify and
evaluate resources to address those problems.
Course Objectives: In this course, the student will be able to
 Successfully complete the Lesson Study process,
 use formative and summative assessments and to use the resulting data to diagnose student
understandings and misunderstandings,
 perform instructional observations and to coach teachers,
 identify problems in teaching or learning mathematics,
 identify and use resources to address those problems, and
 evaluate the effectiveness of research lessons.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Week 1:
Classroom Observations
-1-
Introduction to Lesson Study
Cognitive Demand
Week 2:
Cognitive Demand Framework
Experience Process
Week 3:
Formative and Summative Assessment
Socio-mathematical Norms
Professional Powerpoint Presentations due
Week 4:
Using VDOE, NAEP, and PASS data to improve curriculum
Collaborative Inquiry
Student Clinical Interview due
Week 5:
Classroom Discourse
Item Level Analysis
Classroom Clinical Observation due
Week 6:
Professional Book Review
Final Lesson Study due
Assessment Project due
Week 7:
Responding to situations with political implications
Final Synthesis Paper due
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Participation/Attendance (15 percent) – Journal Reflections included.
Student preparation and participation are very important to the success of our class meetings. Each
student should be prepared to participate in all class activities and discussions. You are expected to
read assigned readings before each class meeting and are strongly encouraged to prepare
questions/comments for class discussions. When a student is absent and class work is not completed in
a satisfactory way in the agreed upon time frame between instructor and student the course grade may
be dropped by one full letter. When class work is completed satisfactorily, each absence will result in a
2-point reduction in your final grade per one-hour of class time missed beginning with the 4th hour
absent.
If assignments are not turned in on due dates and the student has not communicated with the instructor
to determine a satisfactory due date the course grade may be dropped by 50% of the value of the
assignment for the first week it is late and will not be accepted after two weeks past the due date.
After each class meeting, participants will submit a journal entry that is 1 to 2 pages addressing
the prompts that will be provided by the course instructors. Archive these files so that you can
use them to craft your Final Reflection Paper.
-2-
Professional Book Review (10 percent) –
Being a critical consumer of information is an important part of your professional responsibility as a
leader in mathematics education. The purpose of this assignment is to review a professional book in
terms of its usefulness to your work as a mathematics specialist/ leader. Select a professional book
from the list provided by the instructors. It is recommended that you choose a professional book
related to your practicum or lesson study project. Review the professional book and develop a 1- 2
page review related to how this resource may be used in the work of a Mathematics Specialists.
(See rubric, including additional details regarding the book review.)
Professional Powerpoint Presentation (5 percent) The goal for this project is for you to develop the knowledge and skills to develop and deliver a
polished, professional, PowerPoint presentation for a particular audience that you identify such as the
school principal, school faculty or parents about the value of lesson study (or another audience such as
PTA, faculty, School Board, Division Supervisor, etc). Your presentation should be at least 5 but no
more than 8 minutes long. The presentation should develop the 1) value of this framework, 2) how this
framework might enhance a school’s instructional program, 3) how it is connected with professional
learning community, 4) how it supports student learning, and 5) how it fits into the school/school
division long term goals or school improvement plan.
Participants will present their PowerPoint presentations to a group of peers and receive feedback about
their presentations. Submit electronic and hard copy to the instructors. A rubric will be provided by
the instructors.
Classroom Clinical Observation (10 percent) –
The goal for this project is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze the strengths and
weaknesses of classroom observation tools, to collect observation data focused on student learning,
and to engage in a data-driven post-observation reflective conversation with the teacher.
Each participant will select an observation tool from those provided and use the instrument to observe
in a classroom at a different grade level. Additional information will be provided by instructors.
Below are some questions you should consider during this project.





What information were you able to gather about each lesson?
Were you able to gather enough information in order to develop general comments about the
teacher’s practice and/or student learning? Explain.
What information was more useful? What information was less useful?
If you were to use this tool again, what changes might you make? Explain.
What information will you share with each teacher?
How might you share this information?
Lesson Study (30 percent) –
Schedule:
-3-
This assignment is a culminating experience in the course. Each participant will work with 3-4
classmates to implement a lesson study using the components provided by the instructor. Each group
will follow the lesson study framework to plan/develop goal(s), develop and/or implement the research
lesson plan, teach and/or observe the lesson, debrief and revise the research lesson for a particular
classroom. When selecting a grade level keep in mind that any teacher in the group must be able to
access a classroom on that grade level.
One of the group members will volunteer to teach this lesson. The other group participants will
collaborate with this teacher throughout the lesson study process (except for the teaching of the
lesson). One of the course instructors will serve as the “outside facilitator” during the observation,
debriefing and revising phases of the lesson study.
After the research lesson has been taught the first time and the group has debriefed the lesson each
teacher in the group will revise the lesson and teach the revised lesson in their school. This may be in
their classroom or the classroom of a colleague within their school. There will not be outside
observers at this teaching of the lesson. You will reflect individually on the reteaching.
Each group will need to coordinate their schedules to plan a designated time that they can visit the
participant’s school where the teaching session will occur. We suggest that you allot ½ day of your
regular school day to implement the lesson study. We realize this may be a challenge for you with
your busy schedules. Please do your best. (As one possibility, we suggest that you request
professional leave to complete this assignment.) Do not hesitate to ask our assistance with regard to
logistics.
A Lesson Study Project Packet will be provided by the instructors with detailed information for this
assignment and templates for planning.
Student Clinical Interview (10 percent) This assignment will provide you the opportunity to interview a student to evaluate their understanding
of a mathematics concept or skill. It is recommended that you choose a topic related to your practicum
or lesson study project. You will 1) identify a student, 2) identify a mathematics concept or skill to
explore, 3) develop an interview protocol, and 4) conduct and tape the interview. After the interview,
you will analyze the interview and write a paper describing the child’s ideas and strategies. In
relationship to the developmental trajectory, what inferences can you draw about the student’s
understanding. You should also consider what you would do next in order to continue the child’s
learning experiences.
The interview protocol will be shared and discussed in class.
 The best thing you can be is genuinely curious. Remember the point of the interview is to
discover how the child thinks -not to guide the child to the correct answer.
 Your primary role is to listen. Make sure you allow enough “wait time”.
 If you feel the child is really struggling and frustrated you may want to adjust the questions
or if all else fails, end the interview early.
Use this information to develop a 2-3 page written paper. Additional guidelines will be provided by
the instructor.
-4-
Assessment Project (10 Percent)
Students will develop the knowledge and skills needed to coach teachers in the meaningful use of data
to diagnose student learning and inform instruction. Students will need to take into account the NAEP
assessments and the Virginia SOL assessments. More detailed information will be provided early in
the semester.
Final Synthesis Paper (10 Percent) –
Students will develop a synthesis paper using their journal entries, exit cards, classroom discussions,
and work completed in this class to revisit the important ideas they have considered throughout the
course. In your discussion, you should highlight ideas related to your work with other teachers and
ideas that you have considered about your own classroom instruction or coaching. This paper will be
3-6 pages. Since you have completed a reflection of the Lesson Study project this paper should have
no more than 1 page dedicated to the discussion of Lesson Study. Additional directions will be
provided by the instructors.
Assessment and Grading Scale
All course assignments must reach a satisfactory standard of
performance to earn credit. Satisfactory work is accurate,
reflects understanding of the NCTM standards and best practice
literature on how students learn mathematics. Work submitted
to instructors is professional, fully developed, and reflects
appropriate writing and communication methods. Work that is
not of a professional quality will be returned ungraded.
Instructors reserve the right to modify assignments and point
value during the course.
Grade
Total Points
A
93 -100
A-
90 – 92
B+
86 – 89
B
83 – 85
B-
80 – 82
C
70 – 79
F
below 70
OTHER RESOURCES
Supplemental Books and Articles
Ball, D.L., Ferrini-Mundy, J, et. al. “Reaching for common ground in K-12 mathematics education.”
Retrieved 8/21/06: http://www.maa.org/common-ground/cg-report2005.html.
Stigler, J. W., & Hiebert, J. (1997). Understanding and improving classroom mathematics instruction:
An overview of the TIMSS video study. Phi Delta Kappan, 79 (1), 14-21
Lewis, C. (2002) Lesson study: A handbook of teacher-lead change. Philadelphia, PA. Research for
Better Schools.
Kilpatrick, J. & Swafford,. (2002) Helping children learn mathematics, Kilpatrick &
Swafford, Editors, NRC.
Moon, J. (1997) Developing judgment: Assessing children’s work in mathematics. Portsmouth, NH.
Heinemann.
-5-
Moon, J. & Schulman, L.S. (1995) Finding the connections: Linking assessment, instruction, and
curriculum in elementary mathematics. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000) NCTM Principals and Standards for School
Mathematics (PSSM). Reston, VA. NCTM
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1991) NCTM Professional Standards for Teaching
Mathematics (PSTM). NCTM, Reston, VA.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1995) Assessment standards for school mathematics.
Reston,
VA. NCTM
Sullivan, P. & Lilburn, P. (2002). Good questions for math teaching: Why ask them
and what to ask, K–6. Math Solutions Publications (Amazon.com or MathSolutions)
Van de Walle, J. (2006). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally.
(Sixth
Edition). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. (NOTE: If you are purchasing Van de Walle’s book
for the first time, be sure you purchase the Sixth Edition.)
Wilcox, S.K. & Lanier, P.E. (2000). Using assessment to reshape mathematics teaching: A casebook
for teachers and teacher educators, curriculum and staff development specialists. Mahwah, NJ.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Informational Websites
Lesson Study Research Group – Teachers College, Columbia University
http://www.teacherscollege.edu/lessonstudy/
The Lesson Study Research Group website provides information, resources, and networking
opportunities to U.S. educators who are interested in learning more about lesson study. This site
provides readings, presentations, tools for lesson study, and work samples. It also provides links to
many other lesson study related sites.
The Teaching Gap Website
http://www.lessonlab.com/teaching-gap/index.htm
The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom,
by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert, compares math teaching practices in Japan and Germany with
those in the United States. The authors essentially introduced the U.S. education community to lesson
study as their proposal for how to improve education in the American classroom.
Math Star, New Mexico State University
http://mathstar.nmsu.edu/lesson_study/
New Mexico State University is supporting teams of mathematics teachers across the state of New
Mexico. Check out this site to see videos and sample lesson plans.
Teacher Leader’s Network
http://www.teacherleaders.org/Resources/lessonstudy.html
Mathematics Assessment Resource Center: Toolkit for Change
http://www.toolkitforchange.org/index.php
This site developed through a NSF grant project offers a growing collection of resources to help
leaders provide high quality mathematics instruction to all students, and do well on measures of
adequate yearly progress.
-6-
Honor Code: All work should be pledged in the spirit of the Honor System of the University of
Virginia. The instructor will indicate which assignments and activities are to be done individually and
which permit collaboration. The following pledge should be written out at the end of all quizzes,
examinations, individual assignments, and papers: “I pledge that I have neither given nor received help
on this examination (quiz, assignment, etc.)”. The pledge should be signed by the student.
Special Needs: If you are a student with special needs you should let the instructor know within the
first week of class. Written documentation will be required. You should also visit the following
website to review your rights and responsibilities as a student
(http://www.virginia.edu/vpsa/rights.html) and the following website for the Learning Needs and
Evaluation Center (http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/lnec/).
Final Grades: Information about your final grade and your transcript can be accessed at the following
link. http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/
-7-