Middle

Discontinuities that Arise When Designing for Educational Improvement at State Scale

This paper explores the tensions—or discontinuities—that arise when designing for educational improvement at scale through research-practice partnerships (RPPs). Focusing on a statewide mathematics education initiative, the authors examine the complexities of coordinating work across diverse communities of practice and analyze how identity, power, and meaning-making impact collaborative problem definition.

Author/Presenter

Michelle Stephan

Allison McCulloch

Catherine Schwartz

Holt Wilson

Katherine Mawhinney

Year
2025
Short Description

This paper explores the tensions—or discontinuities—that arise when designing for educational improvement at scale through research-practice partnerships (RPPs). Focusing on a statewide mathematics education initiative, the authors examine the complexities of coordinating work across diverse communities of practice and analyze how identity, power, and meaning-making impact collaborative problem definition.

Daylight Data: Deepening Earth Systems Understanding with CODAP Plugins

Students benefit from having opportunities to explore extensive, complex datasets using technology tools that are intuitive and accessible. Likewise, middle school teachers require convenient access to captivating datasets, supportive resources, and classroom-appropriate software. We developed two CODAP (Common Online Data Analysis Platform) plugins that allow students to engage with data about their daily lives, build their data fluency, and answer questions about Earth’s systems. These plugins support the three-dimensional learning approach central to the NGSS.

Author/Presenter

Leticia Perez

Frieda Reichsman

Sara Salisbury

Christina Chin

Cynthia Mcintyre

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Students benefit from having opportunities to explore extensive, complex datasets using technology tools that are intuitive and accessible. Likewise, middle school teachers require convenient access to captivating datasets, supportive resources, and classroom-appropriate software. We developed two CODAP (Common Online Data Analysis Platform) plugins that allow students to engage with data about their daily lives, build their data fluency, and answer questions about Earth’s systems. These plugins support the three-dimensional learning approach central to the NGSS.

The Interplay Between Teacher Professional Development and Noticing: An Analysis of How Noticing Changes and What Teachers Attribute to Changes or Consistencies

Noticing is often studied at one time point or with a focus on how one notices a particular practice. Fewer studies have focused on how noticing shifts from before to after professional development (PD), and researchers have yet to commonly study what participants provide as rationale for changes in noticing. We engaged 18 practicing teachers in one year of PD, including a course, video coaching clubs, and coaching. We asked them to annotate video clips before and after the PD to identify what and how they noticed. We interviewed teachers about their noticing and how it related to the PD.

Author/Presenter

Julie M. Amador

Ryan Gillespie

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Noticing is often studied at one time point or with a focus on how one notices a particular practice. Fewer studies have focused on how noticing shifts from before to after professional development (PD), and researchers have yet to commonly study what participants provide as rationale for changes in noticing. We engaged 18 practicing teachers in one year of PD, including a course, video coaching clubs, and coaching.

Re-examining the Relationship Between Three-Dimensional Science and Engineering Knowledge and Student Interest: A Mixed Methods Study

Now more than ever, the world needs citizens comfortable with interdisciplinary problem- solving in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to address global environmental and health challenges, including extreme weather, habitat destruction, and air pollution, among others. However, many countries report an insufficient number of individuals with experience in STEM problem solving. In addition, recent research indicates low interest and knowledge in STEM fields.

Author/Presenter

Julia E. Calabrese

Nancy Butler Songer

Daniel Kalani Aina Jr.

Holly Cordner

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Now more than ever, the world needs citizens comfortable with interdisciplinary problem- solving in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to address global environmental and health challenges, including extreme weather, habitat destruction, and air pollution, among others. However, many countries report an insufficient number of individuals with experience in STEM problem solving. In addition, recent research indicates low interest and knowledge in STEM fields. In this mixed-methods study, we explored a potential relationship between interest and three-dimensional (3D) science and engineering knowledge.

Mathematics Teachers’ Interpretations of Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment: Opportunities for Inquiry

Research on mathematics teacher professional learning indicates that careful analysis of evidence of students’ reasoning and participation can prompt generative inquiry into instruction. Evidence of students’ own perceptions of instruction is noticeably absent in the literature. This absence is consequential, given the well-documented finding that mathematics teachers’ instructional decisions are shaped by assumptions they make about their students. Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S.

Author/Presenter

Kara Jackson

Hannah J. Nieman

Daniela DiGiacomo

Fabio Campos

Nicholas Kochmanski

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S. middle-grades mathematics teachers’ interpretations of evidence of students’ perceptions of key aspects of the mathematics classroom environment.

Mathematics Teachers’ Interpretations of Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment: Opportunities for Inquiry

Research on mathematics teacher professional learning indicates that careful analysis of evidence of students’ reasoning and participation can prompt generative inquiry into instruction. Evidence of students’ own perceptions of instruction is noticeably absent in the literature. This absence is consequential, given the well-documented finding that mathematics teachers’ instructional decisions are shaped by assumptions they make about their students. Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S.

Author/Presenter

Kara Jackson

Hannah J. Nieman

Daniela DiGiacomo

Fabio Campos

Nicholas Kochmanski

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S. middle-grades mathematics teachers’ interpretations of evidence of students’ perceptions of key aspects of the mathematics classroom environment.

Mathematics Teachers’ Interpretations of Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment: Opportunities for Inquiry

Research on mathematics teacher professional learning indicates that careful analysis of evidence of students’ reasoning and participation can prompt generative inquiry into instruction. Evidence of students’ own perceptions of instruction is noticeably absent in the literature. This absence is consequential, given the well-documented finding that mathematics teachers’ instructional decisions are shaped by assumptions they make about their students. Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S.

Author/Presenter

Kara Jackson

Hannah J. Nieman

Daniela DiGiacomo

Fabio Campos

Nicholas Kochmanski

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S. middle-grades mathematics teachers’ interpretations of evidence of students’ perceptions of key aspects of the mathematics classroom environment.

Mathematics Teachers’ Interpretations of Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment: Opportunities for Inquiry

Research on mathematics teacher professional learning indicates that careful analysis of evidence of students’ reasoning and participation can prompt generative inquiry into instruction. Evidence of students’ own perceptions of instruction is noticeably absent in the literature. This absence is consequential, given the well-documented finding that mathematics teachers’ instructional decisions are shaped by assumptions they make about their students. Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S.

Author/Presenter

Kara Jackson

Hannah J. Nieman

Daniela DiGiacomo

Fabio Campos

Nicholas Kochmanski

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Guided by an interpretive perspective on teaching and the literature on mathematics teachers’ professional learning, this study explores U.S. middle-grades mathematics teachers’ interpretations of evidence of students’ perceptions of key aspects of the mathematics classroom environment.

“It Would Be Cool to Make Up My Own Activities”: Youth Voice in STEM Teaching and Learning

Fostering youth voice means supporting young people in expressing their ideas, taking ownership of their learning, and engaging with their communities in meaningful and impactful ways. Out-of-school-time (OST) science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs have long provided these opportunities, empowering youth to drive their learning forward and see themselves as active contributors to the world around them.

Author/Presenter

Victoria Oliveira

Virginia Andrews

Patricia J. Allen

Gil G. Noam

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

For the promotion of youth voice to be successful, out-of-school-time (OST) program facilitators and classroom teachers need a common understanding of what quality looks and sounds like and support for implementing higher-quality instructional strategies. For well over a decade, the Dimensions of Success (DoS) observation system has provided such support in OST settings and, more recently, in middle-grade classrooms. In this article, we first demonstrate how DoS defines quality Youth Voice in OST and classroom settings through four vignettes based on observations of grade 5–8 classrooms and OST program observations, then provide strategies for educators to promote higher-quality Youth Voice by building on youth ideas and encouraging decision-making that drives their STEM learning forward.

Unveiling Scoring Processes: Dissecting the Differences Between LLMs and Human Graders in Automatic Scoring

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores.

Author/Presenter

Xuansheng Wu

Padmaja Pravin Saraf

Gyeonggeon Lee

Ehsan Latif

Ninghao Liu

Xiaoming Zhai

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong potential in performing automatic scoring for constructed response assessments. While constructed responses graded by humans are usually based on given grading rubrics, the methods by which LLMs assign scores remain largely unclear. It is also uncertain how closely AI’s scoring process mirrors that of humans or if it adheres to the same grading criteria. To address this gap, this paper uncovers the grading rubrics that LLMs used to score students’ written responses to science tasks and their alignment with human scores. We also examine whether enhancing the alignments can improve scoring accuracy.