CAREER: Inviting all 21st century problem-solvers: Building equity by de-tracking middle school mathematics instruction

面对日益严重的气候变化和社会问题的威胁，世界需要受过科学、技术、数学和工程（STEM）培训的21世纪问题解决者。学生喜欢并相信自己擅长数学（积极的数学影响）对他们继续学习STEM学科至关重要。增加对数学有积极影响的学生数量，支持他们从事STEM职业的能力，需要包容和有效的数学课程序列。然而，将学生分为高水平和低水平数学课程的做法阻碍了许多学生进入STEM领域。Tracking组织中学内部和跨年级的数学课程。从历史上看，追踪是根据种族、阶级、性别、母语和感知能力来组织学生的——充当边缘化学生的看门人。脱轨途径有可能使STEM领域的准入多样化。该项目考察了俄勒冈州西部一个公立学区的学生和教师在数学序列脱轨方面的经验。它考察了整个学区的中学生，无论是个人还是团体，如何认同并定义数学好意味着什么，以及随着他们在数学序列中的进步，这些认同是如何随着时间的推移而变化的。它还在数学教育研究者和学区之间建立了伙伴关系（研究实践伙伴关系），以研究教学法的变化，确定教学实践中的问题，并在学区向脱轨课程过渡时设计解决方案。更好地了解学生和教师的经验将有助于提高STEM教育的公平性和STEM领域的多样性。这个项目的重点是一个学区的数学序列的分离；特别是，该项目在跟踪和不跟踪的情况下跟踪了一组中学生。它的目的是捕捉个人数学身份-学生如何与数学联系起来-以及规范（群体）身份-学生如何在公共场所被视为有能力的数学学习者。数学身份“肖像”是通过分析学生对他们来说是谁或什么数学的图画，关于他们如何知道某人“擅长数学”的书面回答，以及对语义差异调查的回应来构建的，该调查旨在引出对数学熟练程度的五个方面的信念。使用混合方法分析，该项目综合分析了在三个时间点从学生那里收集的数据，以构建个人学生数学身份的“快照”，然后可以在他们通过跟踪和非跟踪序列移动时跨时间进行比较。随着学区向完全分离的中学数学路径迈进，研究实践伙伴关系将共同确定哪些实践问题对支持新整合的数学课至关重要，并检查学生可以合法展示数学能力和培养生产性数学倾向的多种方式的证据。这将包括采用和评估新的教学法、课程和评估方法。增加被视为精通数学学习者的学生的多样性，并将自己视为精通数学学习者，可以增加STEM参与的多样性。该奖项由探索研究preK-12项目（DRK-12）资助，该项目旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高preK-12学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和实证依据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Faced with increasing threats from climate change and social problems, the world needs 21st century problem solvers trained in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM). Students liking and believing they are good at math (positive math affect) is crucial to their continued study in STEM disciplines. Increasing the number of students with positive math affect and supporting their capacity to pursue STEM careers requires inclusive and effective mathematics course sequences. However, the practice of separating students into upper and lower-level math courses bars access to STEM fields for many students. Tracking organizes math coursework both within and across the secondary grades. Historically, tracking has organized students by race, class, gender, home language, and perceived ability—functioning as a gatekeeper for marginalized students. De-tracking pathways have the potential to diversify access to STEM fields. This project examines student and teacher experiences with the de-tracking of math sequences in a public school district in Western Oregon. It examines how a district-wide cohort of middle school students, as individuals and in groups, identify with and define what it means to be good at math, and how these identities shift over time as they progress through math sequences. It also establishes a partnership between a mathematics education researcher and a school district (Research Practice Partnership) to study changes in pedagogy, define problems of teaching practice, and design solutions as the district transitions to de-tracked classes. A better understanding of students’ and teachers’ experiences will support efforts to improve equity in STEM education and the diversity of STEM fields.This project focuses on the de-tracking of one school district’s math sequences; in particular, the project follows a cohort of middle school students in both tracked and de-tracked conditions. It aims to capture both individual math identities—how students relate to mathematics—and normative (group) identities—how students are recognized as competent math learners in public spaces. Math identity “portraits” are constructed by analyzing the students’ drawings of who or what math was to them, written responses on how they know when someone is “good at math,” and responses to a Semantic Differential survey designed to elicit beliefs about the five strands of math proficiency. Using mixed methods analysis, the project synthesizes the analysis of data collected from the students at three points in time to construct both individual student math identity “snapshots” that can then be compared across time as they move through tracked and de-tracked sequences. As the district moves to fully de-tracked middle school math pathways, the Research Practice Partnership will collectively determine which problems of practice are critical in supporting newly integrated math classes and examine evidence of multiple ways that students can legitimately show mathematical competence and foster productive mathematical dispositions. This will include adopting and evaluating new pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment methods. Increasing the diversity of students who are seen, and see themselves, as proficient math learners can increase the diversity of STEM participation.The award is funded by the Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) which seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.