Less is more: Leveraging the power of de-implementation to drive excellence in education
March 2026
Understanding primary school teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching
Key Points
- Impact Statement: Understanding teacher knowledge is essential in improving early grade mathematics teaching and learning globally. While many interventions focus on providing teacher with lessons plans and other structured supports, few interventions are directly trying to improve teacher knowledge. This paper presents a case study of a survey developed at RTI with internal funding that can be used to diagnose and measure teacher mathematical knowledge in the early grades. The survey items can also be used for professional development.
- A study measured early math knowledge in teachers using the Foundational Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (FMKT) survey.
- The survey was given to 323 teachers in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2021, before and after an educational intervention.
- Results showed both successes and ongoing challenges in improving teacher knowledge through the intervention.
- The FMKT survey provided detailed insights into teacher learning and highlighted the importance of focusing on teacher knowledge in educational programs.
Abstract
We present the results from an exploratory study that aimed to measure teachers’ specialized knowledge in early mathematics during a pilot of an educational intervention using the Foundational Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (FMKT) survey. The survey was administered to 323 teachers in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2021. We delve into survey results at two timepoints (pre- and post-intervention) to showcase the areas in which the intervention was successful and identify ongoing challenges in teacher knowledge. We found that the FMKT provided detailed, specific information on teacher learning and is an example of one way to center teacher knowledge in an instructional intervention.
Аннотация
В данной статье мы представляем результаты разведывательного исследования, которое было направлено на измерение знаний учителей, необходимых для обучения математике в начальной школе. Исследование было проведено в рамках пилота образовательного проекта с использованием теста по оценке базовых математических знаний, необходимых для обучения математике (Foundational Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, FMKT). Тестирование было проведено среди 323 учителей в Кыргызской Республике в 2021 году. Рассмотрение результатов тестирования в двух временных точках (до и после вмешательства) позволило продемонстрировать области, в которых проект был успешным и выявить сохраняющиеся пробелы в знаниях учителей. Мы обнаружили, что тест FMKT предоставляет детальную и конкретную информацию о знаниях учителей и является одним из способов, который позволяет определить фокус образовательного проекта на знаниях учителей.
© 2026 RTI International. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
