Professional Development Integrating Mathematics and Language Development: Boosting Achievement for Struggling Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Impacts of Professional Development on English Language Learners

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study linked professional development to achievement gains for struggling students in mathematics. The professional development focused on the mathematical knowledge for teaching and included an explicit focus on language development targeting English language learners. Analysis of achievement gains demonstrated students in treatment classrooms who began the intervention below proficient demonstrated stronger achievement gains than students initially proficient. Further analysis showed lower correlations between reading/language arts and mathematics scores for treatment students below proficient, and English language learners indicating that for these students, the degree to which mathematics scores were predicted by language scores decreased. The author suggests that the explicit professional development focus on content specific language development served to make the mathematics accessible for struggling students.

Author

• Patricia E. Swanson, San José State University