MSP Programs Lead to Higher Mathematics Scores

August 6, 2007

Students in almost every age group demonstrated improved performance on mathematics and science assessments when their schools took part in programs that partnered their K-12 teachers with colleagues in higher education, according to results from the second year of the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) programs.

Participating school districts in the 2004-2005 school year reported gains compared to 2003-2004. The one exception was in science at the middle school level, where students' performance remained unchanged. The gains were especially apparent among elementary math students: Proficiency increased more than 15 percentage points over the previous year.

The MSP program brings together 150 institutions of higher education with more than 550 school districts, including more than 3,300 schools in 30 states and Puerto Rico. More than 70 businesses, numerous state departments of education, science museums, and community organizations are also partners. The aim is for participating teachers to become school- and district-based leaders in mathematics or the sciences.

K-12 teachers in the MSP programs work with higher education faculty in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines during the summer break to gain deeper content knowledge, earn certifications and degrees in their fields, and receive mentoring.

The upshot is that K-12 students are showing improvements in mathematics and science that parallel the growth in teachers' knowledge acquired through such programs. For example, in the 2005-2006 school year, students assigned to teachers who took part in the Rice University Mathematics Leadership Institute performed better on both the Texas state mathematics assessment and the Stanford 10 mathematics assessment (a national standardized test) than did students of non-institute teachers in the same grades at similar schools.

Moreover, findings of the Houston Independent School District's research and accountability department indicated that students of institute participants outperformed students of nonparticipants on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. The most significant gains were made by once low-performing students. Students of institute participants also showed improvements on the Stanford 10 mathematics assessment: Their knowledge of mathematics progressed more than that of the national population.

"The institutes are helping us build capacity, bringing teacher-leaders in the STEM disciplines to districts around the country," said Joyce Evans, a program manager in the NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. "This will continue to benefit their math and science students."

Source: National Science Foundation, July 18, 2007