Bringing Evidenced-Based Assessment to Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers
Jody S. Underwood
There is a large body of research that demonstrates that American elementary school teachers are poorly prepared to teach mathematics and science. It is well known that the effectiveness of teachers is a function of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Indeed, there are few opportunities for beginning teachers to practice their craft and to observe the practice of others. In this paper, we describe the methodology of Bringing Evidence-based Assessment to Mathematics and Science (BEAMS). BEAMS seeks to address these needs by focusing on diagnostic and formative assessment, as well as supporting deep mathematical understanding, within the curriculum of teacher education institutions for elementary education pre-service teachers. We introduce the idea of a data organizer that will help teachers formatively design lessons by aggregating information about student performance and by tracking student learning over a period of time. Using this methodology opens a door for teachers to improve their students’ performance in new ways.