An observational study was conducted of a third grade teacher as she changed her classroom practices to reflect the changes in her theory of writing instruction which were prompted by a graduate course. One of the three researchers was primarily responsible for observing the class on a regular basis during the scheduled writing time. A second…

Describes efforts to help teachers learn to use new math and reading assessments in their classrooms, highlighting characteristics of professional development that successfully foster change in teachers' ideas and practice. After describing a multi-year staff development/research project on assessment, the paper discusses factors that support and…