Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP2)

The Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP2) is designed to measure the degree of alignment of the K-16 mathematics classroom with the various practice standards set out by the corresponding national organization including:

  • Common Core State Standards in Mathematics:
    • Standards for Mathematical Practice (Website),
  • Mathematical Association of America (MAA):
  • American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC):
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM):
  • National Research Council (NRC):
  • Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS):
    • “Active Learning in Post-Secondary Mathematics Education” (Website)

The instrument assesses student engagement and teacher facilitation through the lens of the agency and responsibilities within the community of learners (Rogoff, Matusov, & White, 1996).

The instrument is designed to be used in either live or videotaped settings of complete lessons with either preservice or practicing teachers. It has 16 items rated on a ordinal scale that generates two sub scores of Student Engagement and Teacher Facilitation. While most information about the use is included in the long form of the instrument, it is recommended that an observer practice using the instrument in several settings prior to full use. It is also recommended that the observer have a background in mathematics education at a level within proximity to the level observed.

​If you choose to use the instrument, please follow the recommendations outlined in the Protocol Descriptors.

​Copyright (C)  2015 Jim Gleason.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the Observation Protocol under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Related Publications

  • Gleason, J., Livers, S., & Zelkowski, J. (2017). Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP^2): A validation study. Investigations in Mathematics Learning, ​9. (PDF)(Website)
  • Watley, L. E. (2017). Structural validity and reliability of two observation protocols in college mathematics. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (Dissertation) 
  • Zelkowski, J. & Gleason, J. (2016). Using the MCOP^2 as a grade bearing assessment of clinical field observations. In Lawler, B.R., Ronau, R.N., & Mohr-Schroeder, M.J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the fifth annual Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership conference. Washington, DC: Association of Public Land-grant Universities. (Paper)
  • Bowers, J. & Smith, W. (2016). Repurposing the  MCOP^2 observations protocol to survey students' views of an active learning course redesign. In Lawler, B.R., Ronau, R.N., & Mohr-Schroeder, M.J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the fifth annual Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership conference. Washington, DC: Association of Public Land-grant Universities. (Paper)
  • Zelkowski, J., Gleason, J., & Livers, S. (2016). Measuring mathematics classroom interactions: An observation protocol reinforcing the development of conceptual understanding. Proceedings of 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, 2016, Hamburg, Germany. (Paper)
  • Gleason, J. & Cofer, L.D. (2014). Mathematics classroom observation protocol for practices results in undergraduate mathematics classrooms. In (Eds.) T. Fukawa-Connelly, G. Karakok, K. Keene, and M. Zandieh, Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 2014, Denver, Colorado, 93-103 .(Paper)​

Conference Presentations

  • Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, February 2014, Denver, CO
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Research Session, April 2014, New Orleans, LA
  • Zelkowski, J., Gleason, J., & Livers, S. (2016). Measuring mathematics classroom interactions: An observation protocol reinforcing the development of conceptual understanding. Proceedings of the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany (Slides)

Other Resources

  • Video of an interview with a supervisor using the protocol with Special Education situations. (Video)​​​

Forms

Protocol Descriptors and Manual (Updated 2/15/2018)
File Size: 487 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Protocol Descriptors - Short Form (updated 2/16/2015)
File Size: 141 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Protocol Descriptors - Short Form (Equity Version)
File Size: 146 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Contact Information

  • Jim Gleason, The University of Alabama, Department of Mathematics, [email protected]
  • Jeremy Zelkowski, The University of Alabama, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, [email protected]
  • Stefanie Livers, Missouri State University, Department of Childhood & Family Studies, [email protected]