RME at CAMT - June 24-26

Looking for a good conference this summer? Come join us at CAMT - the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching in Houston on June 24-26. CAMT is an annual Texas conference for K-12 mathematics teachers. The conference is sponsored jointly by the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

If you have never heard of the CAMT Conference, visit their website to learn more.

We have several members of our team presenting this summer. Come join us at one of the following sessions!

ESTAR and MSTAR: Supporting RtI in Texas, Wednesday, 10:00: This session will inform teachers about ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) and MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready), a TEA initiative that is available at no cost to all Texas public school districts. ESTAR and MSTAR support grades 2 to 8 by improving overall mathematics instruction and impacting student achievement.

Interpreting MSTAR Universal Screener Reports, Wednesday, 1:00: Universal screening is a step in the RtI process to identify students who may be at risk for success in mathematics. This session will provide a brief overview of the MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Universal Screener and describe how to interpret the results.

Interpreting ESTAR Universal Screener Reports, Thursday, 10:00: Universal screening is a step in the RtI process to identify students who may be at risk for success in mathematics. This session will provide a brief overview of the ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Universal Screener and describe how to interpret the results.

The Anatomy of High-Quality Multiple Choice Assessment Items, Thursday at 1:00 and Friday at 8:30: In this session, participants will learn the different purposes for giving students assessment items, how to develop high-quality items that adhere to best practices in assessment development, how items can be crafted to target increasingly sophisticated levels of understanding, and how to use data obtained from multiple-choice items to inform instruction.

Interpreting MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment Reports, Friday, 8:30: In the RtI process, diagnostic assessments are given to students in order to determine what areas and specific misconceptions a student might hold. This session will provide a brief overview of the MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Diagnostic Assessment and describe how to interpret the results.

Interpreting ESTAR Diagnostic Assessment Reports, Friday, 10:00: In the RtI process, diagnostic assessments are given to students in order to determine what areas and specific misconceptions a student might hold. This session will provide a brief overview of the ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Diagnostic Assessment and describe how to interpret the results.

RtI Guidance at Your Fingertips, Friday, 10:00:This session will inform teachers and administrators about an ongoing initiative by the Texas Education Agency to support educators’ understanding of Response to Intervention (RtI). The RtI iOS project delivers best practices in RtI through a mobile application and complementary website.

ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screener Window Extended for Eligible Districts

Research in Mathematics Education partners with the Texas Education Agency and Education Service Center Region 13 on the development of the ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screeners and soon-to-be launched Diagnostic Assessments. The Universal Screeners are designed to be an efficient method for helping to determine 1) if students are at risk , and 2) the level of support a student may require to be successful in a pre-algebra domain. The end of the fall assessment window is rapidly approaching. Participating schools are encouraged to complete the assessment by October 31. The following message was provided by the state:

"The ESTAR/MSTAR Universal Screener will remain accessible to any district that was in process of uploading students and/or administering the screener before the fall window closed on October 18. All eligible districts are encouraged to complete the testing by Oct. 31. If circumstances prevent your school district from meeting this targeted end-date, then please contactmathtx@esc13.net . Technical assistance will be provided upon request.

Also, please note that growth that is expected between fall and winter will likely be less for those tested at the end of the window. For example, if a student completes the fall screener on October 26 and then begins the winter screener on January 15, the observed growth will likely be less than for a student who completed the fall screener when the window opened on August 26."

ESTAR & MSTAR Assessments - Professional Development

By Savannah Hill, RME Professional Development Coordinator

Today, I want to spend some time talking about some of the professional development opportunities available with the Texas Algebra Ready Initiative. We have spent time before talking about the assessments that are available, but briefly, currently available is the ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screeners (grades 2-4 and 5-8), coming in January will be the MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments (grades 5-8), followed by the ESTAR Diagnostic Assessments (grades 2-4) next year.

But in order to correctly implement those assessments and interpret the reports given, there is a learning process. Many teachers may not know that professional development is available. It is essential that teachers understand why and how to use the Universal Screener and the MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment and how it can support a Response to Intervention approach. Here is some of the available courses that teachers should take before giving an ESTAR or MSTAR assessment.

ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screeners: The ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screener is a formative assessment system administered to students in grades 5-8 to help teachers determine if students are on-track or at-risk for meeting curricular expectations in algebra and algebra-readiness. Currently, a course is available to prepare teachers to administer the ESTAR and MSTAR Universal Screener - Overview of the Universal Screeners. Training on the use of the Universal Screener is available through Project Share. An updated version (v4.0) will be released soon.

MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments (grades 5-8): This assessment, designed to follow the MSTAR Universal Screener, is administered to those students identified as at-risk on the Universal Screener. The Diagnostic Assessment will help identify WHY students are struggling with algebra-related core content, and provide information that can be used to plan supplemental instruction. Two courses will be available: MSTAR Learning Progressions and Overview of the MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments. Information on how to access these courses, which will provide suggestions on how to prepare for administration of the MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments and guidance on how to interpret results following administration, will be made available through various list-servs and Project Share Groups over the coming weeks.

All courses are online and can done individually. PLCs could also use time to review the material from the courses and review for remediation. For more information, contact your local Educational Service Center or visit www.projectsharetexas.org.

Focus on Research: A Discussion on Learning Progressions for Instruction and Assessent

By Dr. Deni Basaraba, RME Assessment Coordinator

The need for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all learners is one source of evidence that students’ learning is not linear and that not all students follow the same learning pathway to mastering content. Learning progressions can be used to describe the successively more sophisticated ways student think about an idea as a student learns, providing a description in words and using examples of what it means to move over time toward a more “expert” understanding of a given topic or content area (Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, 2007).

In addition to including descriptions of students’ understanding as they move from novice to expert understanding, learning progressions also often include descriptions of common misconceptions students may have about the content of interest that may hinder or impede their understanding; these misconceptions can then provide the focus for targeted instruction (Alonzo & Gearhart, 2006).

The complexity associated with learning new content, because it is not linear or the same for every student, is best represented graphically as a complex map or network of connections and interactions rather than a linear path; this complex map allows for the fact that there is no “best” pathway and that some students may take one path in their learning than others to attain proficiency with the same content. A map of a sample learning progression will show not only the development and sophistication of students’ thinking as they move in the learning progression (i.e., increasing in sophistication of their skills and understanding) but will also represents an interaction and integration of knowledge.

In addition to relatedness among constructs in the learning progression, there are also connections of the knowledge and skills between one skill and the next. For example, if the target strategy for a level of a learning progression is the ability to recall multiple
strategies for single-digit addition (e.g., making tens, doubles), the perquisite skill might be a count on strategy whereby students can count on from an initial term (e.g., 5) to make a larger number (e.g., 5, 6, 7, 8). Finally, the most foundational skill in this hypothesized learning progression might be the ability to count all, that is, start from counting at 1 all the way to the desired sum (e.g., When asked what 5 + 3 equals the student starts counting from one – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

How can learning progressions inform instruction and assessment?
Learning progressions can be a critical cog in the machinery of instruction and assessment. If, for example, we know that learning progressions provide ordered descriptions’ of students’ understanding, we can then use that information to help identify the “landmarks” or essential knowledge and skills students will need to learn as part of the math content, which can be used to help with instructional planning (e.g., what content to teach and when to teach it).

In addition, because learning progressions often include descriptions of the target knowledge and skills as well as common misconceptions or errors in students’ thinking we hypothesize may be interfering with students’ acquisition of a particular skill or mastery with specific content, learning progressions can provide valuable insights to how students think about the content of the learning progression. Together, these pieces of information can be used to help determine an appropriate sequence for the content of instruction (e.g., focusing first on foundational, prerequisite skills that gradually increase in complexity) as well as to develop classroom-based assessment items that focus on knowledge and skills that have been taught during instruction.

Alonzo, A. C., & Gearhart, M. (2006). Considering learning progressions from a classroom assessment perspective. Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research & Practice, 14(1-2), 99-104.

Duschl, R. A., Schweingruber, H. A., & Shouse, A. W. (Eds.) (2007). Taking science to school: Learning and teaching science in grades K-8. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

RTI in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom

By Lindsey Perry, RME Research Assistant

Are you looking for tools and resources to help you reach all students, including those who are struggling in mathematics? Are you seeking out professional development to help you grow in your teaching? The Middle-school Students in Texas: Algebra Ready (MSTAR) initiative can help you learn instructional strategies to assist students struggling with mathematics, assess student understanding, and meet the needs of all learners.

The MSTAR initiative, funded by the Texas Legislature and developed by the Texas Education Agency, is a comprehensive project that provides teachers and administrators with assessments, professional development, and intervention lessons to improve grades 5–8 mathematics achievement in Texas and to sustain the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI).

An important step in the RTI process is assessing student understanding. To do just that, the MSTAR initiative provides teachers with screening and diagnostic instruments, the MSTAR Universal Screener and the MSTAR Diagnostic. The MSTAR Universal Screener assists teachers in determining if a student is at-risk or on-track for meeting grade level algebra-readiness expectations and the level of support the student may need in order to be successful. The MSTAR Universal Screener is administered three times per year in order to monitor student progress and is administered online at mstar.epsilen.com. The spring administration window is April 8 – May 10, 2013. To find out more, visit http://www.txar.org/assessment/mstar_screener.htm or email universalscreener@region10.org.

The MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment is currently in development. The MSTAR Diagnostic should be administered to students who have been identified by the MSTAR Universal Screener as at-risk for meeting algebra-readiness expectations. This instrument provides teachers with information about why students are struggling and the misconceptions students may have. We are currently seeking a small set of classrooms to participate in the MSTAR Diagnostic Beta test. These classes must have already taken MSTAR Universal Screener at least once this year. While this is a beta test, teachers will receive data on how their students performed. If you are interested, please email us at rme@smu.edu.

The MSTAR Initiative also includes numerous online and face-to-face professional development opportunities. Trainings are available that focus on providing all students with quality Tier I instruction (MSTAR Academy I), strategies for Tier II instruction (Academy II), and data-driven decision making (Implementation Tools). Trainings on topics such as addressing the needs of English language learners, addressing the College and Career Readiness Standards, and teaching fraction/decimal relationships are also available, among many others. Many of the trainings are now available online at www.projectsharetexas.org. For more information, contact your Education Service Center or search the Project Share course catalog at http://projectsharetexas.org/about.

The MSTAR Initiative can help you improve your teaching and help you better understand your students’ needs and how to meet those needs. We encourage you to check out the MSTAR assessments and professional development offerings!

For detailed information about the initiative and the Response to Intervention framework, we invite you to click the link for a copy of “Supporting Students’ Algebra Readiness: A Response to Intervention Approach” in Texas Mathematics Teacher.

Screener vs. Diagnostic

By Savannah Hill, RME Professional Development Coordinator

One project we are involved with at RME is an initiative with the Texas Education Agency and Education Service Center, Region 13 called Middle School Students in Texas Algebra Ready (MSTAR). It began in the summer of 2010 with the goals of (1) improving overall mathematics instruction, and (2) impacting student achievement. MSTAR is comprised of three lead components structured and integrated to support students and teachers in grades five through eight to achieve mathematics success: the MSTAR Universal Screener, MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment, and MSTAR Professional Development.

After talking with many teachers, we have found there is some confusion on the different ways to utilize the MSTAR Universal Screener and the MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment. The intent of this blog is provide a short description of each of these components and how they should be implemented.

MSTAR Universal Screener 
The MSTAR Universal Screener is designed to be administered to all students and identifies studentsʼ level of risk for not being ready for algebra.  The Universal Screener helps teachers make two important decisions within the Response to Intervention (RTI) process:

• Identify students on-track or at-risk for meeting expectations in algebra and algebra-readiness.
• Determine the degree of intensity of instructional support or supplemental intervention needed for students who are at-risk for not meeting expectations in algebra.

Teachers monitor studentsʼ risk status by administering comparable forms of the MSTAR Universal Screener in fall, winter, and early spring.

MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment
The MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment is designed to address those students identified as struggling in Tiers 2 and 3. The diagnostic assessment is given after the MSTAR Universal Screener to those students in Tiers 2 and 3. Its purpose is to:

• Inform educators where a student is on a learning progression.
• Identify the underlying misconception(s) that caused the student to answer incorrectly.
• Identify students current understanding of algebra-related content.

None of the diagnostic assessments are tied to a particular grade level because there may be a 7th grade student who is struggling from misconceptions about 5th grade content. However, when the teacher decides which assessment the student will take, there will be some direction about which assessment may be better for each grade. The reports given will provide information that can be used to plan supplemental instruction. This assessment is not intended to provide screening information.

MSTAR Professional Development
The MSTAR Professional Development provides tools for delivering instruction to all students in achieving algebra readiness and supports informed decision-making based on the results of the MSTAR assessments. The MSTAR Professional Development academies were created to support teachings in preparing students for success in algebra. Trainings are available in face-to-face sessions and/or online. RME researchers, along with TEA, delivered Professional Development in three training sessions for the MSTAR project for the Texas Education Agency in spring and summer 2011 and 2012. The trainings were replicated across the state by certified trainers.

The MSTAR Universal Screener can be accessed through the Project Share Gateway at www.projectsharetexas.org. It can also be accessed directly at http://mstar.epsilen.com. This option will allow you to bypass the Project Share site entirely. Users will see an MSTAR icon after logging in. The same username and password is used for either option. For more information, you can also contact your local Educational Service Center.