One of the goals of NCTE is to provide valid and reliable tools to the field of education. The links below will connect you to the instruments that NCTE developed and/or used in the core study. Additionally, NCTE developed a Video Library that contains video examples of a range classroom mathematics instruction in the United States, and project data from the core study is archived at the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).
NCTE Tools
NCTE Tools
Data Archive
The NCTE data is currently housed at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. The data may be accessed by creating an account on the ICPSR website. The datasets include:
- Class Observations (ratings using CLASS instrument)
- Mathematical Quality of Instruction
- Student Questionnaire
- Value Added Scores
- Student Administrative Data
- Teacher Background Questionnaire
- Teacher Fall and Spring Questionnaires
- Student Alternative Math Assessment Responses
- Student Random Assignment Roster
- Main Study Codebook
Teacher background information includes number of years of experience, education, race, and gender. Student respondent demographic and household information includes race, gender, household makeup, free and reduced lunch status, English proficiency, number of books in the household, and number of rooms in the home.
Video Library
The MQI Video Library contains video examples of a range classroom mathematics instruction in the United States. The collection is an extension of the National Center for Teacher Effectiveness main study Developing Valid Measures of Effective Mathematics Teaching.
One of these measures, the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) observation instrument, contains several dimensions that capture different aspects of classroom mathematics instruction:
- Richness of the Mathematics
- Working with Students and Mathematics
- Common Core-Aligned Student Practices
- Errors and Imprecision, and
- Classroom Work is Connected to Mathematics
Within each of these dimensions, there are individual codes that capture more specific and detailed aspects of mathematics instruction.
In the video we have collected of mathematics classrooms, there exists a range of practice on each of these codes and dimensions. The MQI Video Library contains over one hundred short video clips of mathematics lessons from grades three through nine. These clips provide examples and benchmarks for different features of instruction and levels of quality of mathematics instruction in the United States. The Video Library contains video examples that have been used with teachers, administrators, professional developers, and researchers interested in improving the quality of mathematics instruction.
Use of the video library is limited to research and educational purposes. If you would like more information on how to access the MQI Video Library, please contact Fallon Blossom (fallon_blossom@gse.harvard.edu). To learn more about the MQI instrument, visit the MQI training website.
Instruments
The Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI)
The Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) is the classroom observation scoring system developed by Heather Hill's research group. It measures the quality of mathematical instruction in 4 dimensions. It was used in the Measures of Effective Teaching Study, the evaluation of Math Solutions, and is used to measure the quality of mathematics instruction in NCTE's core study, Developing Measures of Effective Mathematics Teaching. The MQI is aligned to the Common Core State Standards of mathematics.
NCTE Student Assessments
The NCTE students assessments were developed as a joint venture between NCTE Researchers at Harvard and Educational Testing Services (ETS). These eight assessments are aligned with the Grade 4 and Grade 5 Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), and were designed to measure gains resulting from teacher professional development and also be sensitive to variation in teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching and instruction. They are available for educational use (not commercial ventures) along with all other materials required for administration (test administration manual, scoring guide, practice items, etc.).
Student Survey
The student survey, adapted with permission from the Tripod Student Survey developed by Ron Ferguson of Harvard University, is one of the measures used in the Developing Measures of Effective Mathematics Teaching. This instrument is available via the NCTE data archive at ICPSR. The full Tripod Student Survey has been used in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, which includes technical appendices. For more information on Tripod, contact Rob@TripodEd.com or visit www.TripodEd.com.
Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT)
The Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) measures were developed by the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) Project at the University of Michigan. The measures are used in the Developing Measures of Effective Mathematics Teaching Study to measure teachers' specialized knowledge for teaching mathematics. The LMT Project offers training on the use of the measures and technical materials. The NCTE teacher questionnaires included MKT items, as well as questions related to teaching and professional responsibilities. This instrument is available via the NCTE data archive at ICPSR.
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation instrument was developed by Robert Pianta and Bridget Hamre at the University of Virginia and is used in the Developing Measures of Effective Mathematics Teaching study to measure the general quality of instruction.
