Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC)

Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC) provides Classroom Challenges that are two- to three-day formative assessment lessons (FALs) for use in middle and high school math classrooms to support the transition to Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Each Challenge follows a structured format: students complete a pre-assessment with challenging problems involving previously learned concepts; teachers review student responses to assess approaches and misconceptions; students engage in whole-class and small-group collaborative activities to discuss alternative approaches and deepen understanding; students return to initial problems, revise responses, and reflect on learning gains. The Challenges incorporate key pedagogical changes including students taking more responsibility for their work, engaging in productive struggle with rich tasks, studying fewer tasks in greater depth, and teachers acting as facilitators who use questioning to support student thinking rather than providing answers and solutions. Teachers implementing MDC had one to two years of prior experience and typically implemented six Challenges during the study year, with most participating in professional development to prepare for implementation.