Teachers' developing ideas and practices about mathematics performance assessment: Successes, stumbling blocks, and implications for professional development

This article focuses on the process of change experienced by a group of third grade teachers and the factors that facilitated and impeded that process, during their participation in the University of Colorado Assessment Project. The project's purpose was to help teachers design and implement classroom-based performance assessments compatible with their instructional goals in mathematics and literacy. We examined the change process in mathematics by analyzing conversations between teachers and researchers during workshops conducted throughout the school year and interviews conducted at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Results are organized around five themes: (1) Situating the change process in the actual contexts where new ideas will be implemented is an effective strategy for helping teachers change their practice; (2) Group discussions can be an effective tool for the social construction of new ideas; (3) Staff development personnel can facilitate change by introducing new ideas based on teachers' current levels of interest, understanding, and skill; (4) When teachers' beliefs are incompatible with the intentions of the staff development team and are not challenged, the teachers are likely to either ignore new ideas or inappropriately assimilate them into existing practice; and (5) Time is a major obstacle to changing classroom practice.