Design-Based Research: The Ongoing Assessment Project (OGAP)
VMP's OGAP research to date supports the claim that teachers make more effective instructional decisions when they are knowledgeable about math education research, have access to formative assessment tools, and adequate professional development support to implement this formative assessment system. Moreover, student achievement increases where OGAP is implemented.
The OGAP formative assessment intervention involves using the lens of math education research for specific mathematics concepts to examine students' developing understanding, common errors, and preconceptions/misconceptions that may interfere with learning. Teachers gather evidence about pre-existing knowledge through the use of research based pre-assessments. They then analyze the evidence in students' pre-assessments to guide unit planning and to effectively use activities in mathematics programs to maximum advantage in light of student evidence and their knowledge of mathematics and math education research. OGAP is implemented as a continuous and intentional system of probing and understanding, with the teacher making instructional modifications as the students are learning.
Three major strands of work remain in the development of OGAP:
- Completion of research and product development. Item banks and professional development materials need to be refined, including the development of facilitator notes for each strand.
- Refinement of implementation of the OGAP system. This work includes further identification of conditions and practices that facilitate and hinder implementation at the classroom, school, and district levels. It will also require development of implementation tools and protocols, including electronic data collection tools for students and teachers, to support classroom practice. This work will also need to focus on the roles of teacher leaders, principals and district leaders in supporting and facilitating implementation.
- Continued program evaluation, documenting the impact of OGAP on teachers, students, and the learning communities that they comprise. The evaluation will need to document teacher understanding of research, teacher ability to translate research into formative assessment, teacher ability to modify instruction based on ongoing assessment, student performance in relation to fractions, multiplicative reasoning, and proportional reasoning, and feasibility and fidelity of implementation.
References:
Hake, R.R. (2004) Design-based research: a primer for physics education researchers, submitted to the American Journal of Physics on 10 June 2004; online as reference 34 at http://www.physics.indiana/~hake
RAND Mathematics Study Panel (2003). Mathematics proficiency for all students: Toward a strategic research and development program in mathematics education.
Schoenfeld, A. (2007). Method, in F. Lester, Ed. Second handbook on research in mathematics teaching and learning (pages 69-107). Reston, VA, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
