The math ain’t mathin’: Tensions in designing practical measurement tools for culturally responsive mathematics teaching

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Criticality, Justice, and Liberation in Improvement Science (Table 1)

Abstract

Purpose
Culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT) recognizes Black and Brown students’ cultural knowledge to achieve deeper learning and belonging in the classroom. Despite growing interest and evidence of its successful implementation (Abdulrahim & Orosco, 2020), CRMT remains underutilized (Neri et al., 2019). Educators lack guidance on how to enact, measure and improve CRMT. Addressing this need, the authors developed three practical measurement tools to support teacher learning and growth in CRMT. However, several design challenges emerged. This presentation will prompt participants to explore design tensions when using practical measures to achieve educational justice and equity.

Perspective or Theoretical Framework
Practical measurement can advance equity and justice in education by directly supporting educators' continuous learning in CRMT. One of the barriers facing the implementation of CRMT includes a lack of replicable strategies and practical support for educators (Ladson-Billings, 2023). Minimally burdensome yet highly actionable (Takahashi et al., 2023), practical measures can empower teachers to refine their practice based on their own student needs. Unlike evaluative or research measures–which assess teachers or generalize findings, respectively–practical measures are formative. This design facilitates real-time feedback and learning for educators centered on outcomes they care about and directly informed by student needs and cultural assets.

Methods
Over 15 months, we designed a three-tool measurement system to support CRMT. This included a teacher reflection tool, student survey, and coach/administrator observation checklist. Design partners (two teacher educators, a math coach, and five teachers and their students) envisioned, tested,and refined each tool. Design principles included: 1) integrating multiple perspectives; 2) leveraging timely feedback to enable teacher growth; and 3) valuing teachers and students as experts;. Cognitive interviews with students and teachers helped us better understand what they thought the tool was measuring and how the data might be used to improve students’ experiences.

Data Sources and materials
The authors will share themes, artifacts (e.g. lesson plans, student survey results) and classroom-level data to depict teacher learning while using the measures. Several iterations of the tools will be shared, highlighting how changes were influenced by design partner feedback.

Results
The authors experienced tensions in attending to the design principles. Although there was evidence of teachers' deeper understanding of CRMT, institutional constraints limited their ability to adapt their practice. Gathering timely feedback also raised questions about quality vs. efficiency, as the authors struggled to minimize teacher’s time commitment while maximizing learning and reflection. These challenges led the authors to ask, “to what extent can practical measurement lead systems transformation work?”

Scholarly significance
Cases of successful CRMT have been well documented (Thomas & Berry, 2019); however, many teachers lack the “know-how” (Ladson-Billings, 2023). Practical measurement is one way for educators to learn their way into CRMT. Although practical measures cannot address deep-seated inequities themselves, they can prompt educators to allocate more resources to attend to problems quickly. They can also help teachers focus on classroom-level improvements, despite institutional constraints. As the field considers ways to measure and improve CRMT, we must consider the affordances and limitations of using practical measures.

Authors

• Jahneille Cunningham, WestEd

• Brent Jackson, WestEd