Summary of “More than a Test Teacher Sensemaking of Educational Policies and Assessments to Inform Mathematical Opportunities in Elementary Classrooms”

This research brief summarizes the dissertation, More than a Test: Teacher Sensemaking of Educational Policies and Assessments to Inform Mathematical Opportunities in Elementary Classrooms by Rosa Del Carmen Chavez. The dissertation discusses a study focused on understanding the “multilayered relationship between educational policies and students’ mathematical identity development by highlighting the role that teachers play in making sense of and drawing on policies to shape mathematical learning opportunities in 3rd and 4th grade classrooms” (p. iv). The study specifically focused on how third and fourth grade teachers’ understanding of accountability policies and federally mandated assessments “shaped their instructional practices, and ultimately the learning opportunities of Latinx students” (p. 40). As the study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study also investigated how pandemic policies impacted teaching and learning.