A theeefold approach to changing teaching in middle school

With support from the U.S. Department of Education Math and Science Partnership through the Ohio Department of Education, we have developed a three-part method that resulted in increasing scores on high-stakes tests in an at-risk school system. The three parts are a summer content program, gradelevel lesson development by teachers working together during the school year, and (most novel) the use of common grade level formative assessment analysis by teachers. Formative assessments can allow teachers to understand what is and is not working in their classrooms for the purpose of changing how they teach various content.