Crossing the Divide Between Teacher Professionalism and National Testing in Middle School Mathematics (Report‪)‬

Teacher professionalism is a social construct which varies across time and place. In relation to the teaching of mathematics in the middle school, professionalism is a concept under siege; with the advent of national testing some teachers predict dire consequences for student learning. In this small research project several teachers depicted their views of 'quality' in relation to the teaching of mathematics and potential threats from the coercive context in which they work. The middle school years have featured on the reform agenda within Australian education for more than a decade. As we move into the second phase of middle school reform, schools are urged to address what has been overlooked: supporting the transition between primary and secondary school in an "academic sense" (Perso, 2004, p. 29); especially through school-based revitalisation. This strong shift in the middle school movement challenges educators to develop intellectually engaging pedagogy and align it with a curriculum relevant to student needs (Prosser, 2006). In this small research project I endeavoured to collect some data on how this reinvigoration was being thought about and implemented in relation to the teaching of mathematics. Also of interest were indications of the status of teacher professionalism in relation to this task.