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2018 NSSME+ Mathematics Trends Report

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Date: November 2020

This report focuses on trends in mathematics education between 2012 and 2018 based on data from the 2018 NSSME+, a nationally representative survey of 7,600 science, mathematics, and computer science teachers in schools across the United States. Areas addressed in the report include: teacher backgrounds and beliefs, professional development, courses offered; instructional objectives and activities, instructional resources, and factors affecting instruction.

2018 NSSME+: Trends in U.S. Mathematics Education from 2012 to 2018

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. HRI requires that proper attribution be given if any products or materials, in whole or part, are used. 

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms.

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Authors: Joan D. Pasley, Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower

Date: November 2016

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are composed of three intertwined dimensions—disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts—that provide a foundation for what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels. The eight science practices outlined in the NGSS are critical components of scientific sense making, but currently there is limited guidance on what these practices should “look like” in K–12 classrooms.

Based on an extensive literature review and a multi-round modified-Delphi panel of expert practitioners, HRI developed a primer to unpack the science practices. The primer outlines key elements of each practice—what students should be doing when engaging with each science practice—and provide illustrative examples of how these key elements might play out in classrooms across different grade bands and subject areas.

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Pasley, J. D., Trygstad, P. J., & Banilower, E. R. (2016). What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices

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Authors: Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower, Joan D. Pasley

Date: April 2016

This paper, presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, describes the development of two products to facilitate measurement of the extent to which classroom instruction aligns with the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the subsequently released Next Generation Science Standards, particularly the science practices. The first product is a primer that operationalizes the science practices for different grade levels and content areas. The second product is a selected-response survey for measuring how often teachers implement the practices in their science instruction.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices (PDF, 252kb)

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Trygstad, P. J., Banilower, E. R., & Pasley, J. D. (2016). Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices. Presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

PEARL: Peers Engaged As Resources for Learning

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National Science Foundation

Horizon Research, Inc. is collaborating with the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the PEARL project to create an interdisciplinary team to: (1) study small group work in mathematics classrooms; (2) understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small groups; and (3) determine ways to help teachers deliver on the promise of group work. The team will integrate three conceptual frameworks—Mathematics Task, Mathematics Discourse Matrix, and Peer Cultures of Effort and Achievement—to understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small group learning environments.  The PEARL study involves a carefully sequenced set of research phases to develop and test both a framework for understanding small group learning environments and strategies to help teachers support successful group work.  Results of the study will inform teacher preparation and ongoing education, mathematics teaching practice, and educational research.