The Texas Education Agency sought to enhance teachers’ content knowledge and instructional practices through targeted professional development.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) established the Mathematics Achievement Academies (MAAs) to address persistent low performance in mathematics among elementary students across the state. State assessment data revealed that many students were not meeting grade-level expectations, particularly in the early grades, where foundational math understanding is critical. Contributing factors included gaps in teachers’ mathematical content knowledge, reliance on rote instruction instead of conceptual learning, and widening achievement gaps among economically disadvantaged students and English learners. In response, the 2015 Texas Legislature authorized TEA to create intensive professional development programs aimed at strengthening teachers’ math knowledge and instructional practices. The goal was to improve the quality of math instruction and ultimately increase student achievement statewide.

NORC conducted a rigorous impact study of the MAAs.

The TEA and Education Service Center 13 (ESC 13) partnered with us to evaluate the MAAs. The evaluation aimed to provide TEA and ESC 13 with information to improve the program and ensure it meets educators’ needs across Texas. The MAAs are based on the idea that teacher participation increases mathematical content knowledge, which boosts teachers’ confidence in teaching math (self-efficacy) and their belief that effective teaching can improve student outcomes. These gains are expected to lead to stronger classroom practices and, ultimately, better student learning. In short, the MAAs aim to enhance teaching effectiveness by building teachers’ knowledge, confidence, and instructional quality to positively impact students’ math achievement.

To better understand the outcomes associated with MAA participation, NORC researchers collected data on these aspects of the theory of change; more specifically, NORC examined:

• Teacher PCK via a teacher assessment, classroom observations, and interviews
• Self-efficacy and outcome expectancy via an online survey
• Classroom practice via observations and interviews
• Student outcomes via student academic achievement on the Texas state standardized assessment (STAAR)