Given the importance of math in today's society, it is critical that children who are at risk for math difficulty are identified early. We developed and validated a prekindergarten math subtest (i.e., CIRCLE Progress Monitoring [CPM] Math Subtest). This teacher-completed measure evaluates domains considered important for later math development.…

Guidelines for teaching California's students have changed dramatically in recent years, as state leaders have adopted new academic standards, curriculum frameworks, and instructional materials lists in an attempt to better prepare students for college and career. However, adopting high-quality standards and curriculum materials does not guarantee…

A review of State Department of Education and school district websites was conducted to determine how policy related to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was communicated to teachers of students with severe disabilities. Four states were selected: California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. State Department of Education websites and…

One of the most misunderstood parts of the Common Core State Standards is the section on literacy standards for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. To help reduce some of the lingering confusion about these disciplinary literacy standards, Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan offer responses to a number of Frequently Asked Questions.…

Recognizing the challenges that students face when they may lack background and experiential knowledge with regard to coins is important so that teachers can address this during instruction. Exposure to coins is one of the basic necessities to learning about the coins, but that is just the initial part of the learning sequence. Unless students are…

Currently, schools of education across the United States are reforming teacher education programs in light of the newly developed common core standards, shifting accreditation principles, new measures of teacher performance, and the pressing concern that in-service teachers are woefully under-prepared for the realities of classrooms. During this…

In "Letters to a Young Education Reformer," Frederick M. Hess distills knowledge from twenty-five years of working in and around school reform. Inspired by his conversations with young, would-be reformers who are passionate about transforming education, the book offers a window into Hess's thinking about what education reform is and…

Policies that require the use of information about student achievement to evaluate teacher performance are becoming increasingly common across the United States, but there is some question as to how or whether to use student test-based teacher evaluations when student assessments change. We bring empirical evidence to bear on this issue.…

Using a national sample of students' writing from the National Study of Writing Instruction, this study examines the current state of writing in the mathematics classroom and the extent to which enactments align with the intentions established in the research base and curricula articulated by NCTM and the CCSS-M. Over 3,000 writing assignments…

Since its development in 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been adopted in over 40 states. While the literature discussing the implications of this initiative is robust, the research examining its effect on K-12 physical education (PE) is limited. Moreover, there is little empirical data on the effect of the CCSS on student…

Visual representations and manipulatives are a highly advocated mathematical tool for the teaching and learning of multiplication and division. Although there is some prior research on elementary teachers' general use of manipulatives and visual representations, there is little to no specific focus on use of such representations on a specific…

In this insightful math resource for grades 3-8, popular professional developer Marian Small helps teachers understand and facilitate meaningful assessments to advance student understandings. Small shows new and veteran teachers how to do three fundamental things well: identify the most important math to assess; construct meaningful…

This report explores District of Columbia Public Schools' innovative approach to supporting teaching instruction, called Learning Together to Advance our Practice, or LEAP. LEAP is based on research that has found the most effective professional learning is school-based and content-specific, grounded in the instructional materials and strategies…

The Math in Common (MiC) initiative was launched in 2013, amid the introduction of many education policy changes in California. The California State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) in 2010, although there was a delay in associated state policy supports for CCSS-M implementation. For instance,…

In 2010, California adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for math and English. The new standards are part of a state effort to prepare students for college and careers in the 21st-century global economy and narrow longstanding achievement gaps. The state's implementation is complete, but because districts decide whether and when they…