Math course passing rates improved significantly more in elementary schools with extensive professional development, while course grades improved at similar rates across PD levels¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Elementary improvements in passing rates were significantly higher in extensive-PD schools than limited-PD schools, despite higher academic demand in those schools. → Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar 2018 q2 i? Math grades improved over time at similar rates for students in grades 6-12 across schools with differing PD levels. → Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar 2018¶

Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar. (2018). Changes in Math Instruction and Student Outcomes since the Implementation of Common Core State Standards in Chicago. UChicago Consortium working paper. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/changes-math-instruction-and-student-outcomes-implementation-common-core-state

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Difference-in-difference analysis of math course passing rates (grades 6-12, spring 2011 through spring 2017); at the high-school level, pass-rate improvements were comparable across PD levels.

"Among elementary schools, improvements in passing rates were significantly higher in schools with extensive standards-related professional development compared to schools with limited professional development, which is noteworthy given the higher levels of academic demand that was also evident in these schools."

Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar 2018 (2)¶

Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar. (2018). Changes in Math Instruction and Student Outcomes since the Implementation of Common Core State Standards in Chicago. UChicago Consortium working paper. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/changes-math-instruction-and-student-outcomes-implementation-common-core-state

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Analysis of math course grades from hierarchical linear models across the three time periods, shown in Figure 7 for elementary and high school panels.

"Overall, math grades improved over time and at similar rates for students in sixth through twelfth grade in schools with differing levels of standards-related professional development (Panels A and B in Figure 7)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Professional development needs roughly 50 hours in a specific area, and long-term content-specific support outperforms one-shot sessions — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• In Chicago middle grades, schools with more extensive CCSS-M professional learning showed significantly greater post-implementation improvements in instructional practices, math grades, pass rates, and test scores — related
• In elementary grades, students in schools with extensive standards-related professional development reported significantly larger improvements in academic demand, rigor, instructional clarity, and teacher support than students in schools with limited professional development — related
• Eleventh-grade ACT math scores changed similarly across schools regardless of their level of standards-related professional development — related
• Student reports of standards-aligned instructional practices improved more in Chicago middle-grade schools with more extensive CCSS-M professional learning — related
• Elementary teachers were more likely than high school teachers to report that standards-related professional development had extensive impact on their teaching practices — related