To Trained Users of the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) Mathematical Knowledge

To Trained Users of the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Measures:

This email describes important changes for users of the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) measures and the Teacher Knowledge Assessment System (TKAS). As many of you are aware, the federal funding for our project has ended. To cover the ongoing costs of support for current users including distribution of forms, personnel, and equipment storage and maintenance, we will begin charging an annual fee of $500 for use of both paper and pencil versions of our measures as well as the online measures through TKAS.

We are requesting that all users/organizations pay this fee, even if you are using paper and pencil versions of the measures. Users of TKAS will recognize that the system requires hardware, software and personnel to keep the system up and running and to respond to requests for support. If you use paper and pencil measures, you might not be as aware of the regular expenses that insures that trained users continue to have support in use of the measures. We are updating a variety of information and documents about the measures, including technical reports, and copies of all the available forms of the measures, and these will all be available through TKAS. Thus even if you use the paper and pencil measures, your fee will be used to support the infrastructure necessary for the continued availability of the measures.

If you intend to use the LMT measures during the 2014 year, we ask that you complete the Google form found here indicating that you are willing to be invoiced by the University of Michigan for the $500 annual fee. Your submission of the form indicating your willingness to be invoiced will constitute your agreement to pay the fee.

We have tried to set the fees fairly to support study and research of teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching and at the same time make the training and system self-supporting so that they remain available over the next few years. We recognize that the fees may come as a surprise and might potentially cause limitations in your work if you do not have a funding source to support your research. If you cannot pay the fee and believe you have cause to not pay the fees, you may submit a request for a fee waver by completing the waiver form found here.

Graduate students who are using the measures for their personal research will not be required to pay a fee for use of the TKAS system. Graduate students will be required to submit a letter from their thesis/dissertation advisor as well as proof of enrollment status at a graduate institution. Mathematics teacher educators who are using the measures solely for the purpose of improving their own instruction with either pre-service or in-service teachers will similarly not be required to pay any fees. Teacher educators will be required to submit a letter stating that they intend to use the measures solely for the approved purposes. All other users will be required to submit payment for the 2014 calendar year. Fees should not be submitted until you have received an invoice.

Current users of TKAS who do not intend to pay the yearly fee should plan to download all of their assessment information before the end of the year.

We do not have the means or resources to check that every user and/or organization that is using the measures has paid the annual fee. Our hope is that users will find the resources needed to continue to make the Learning Mathematics for Teaching assessments available. Starting in 2014 TKAS will only be available to users who have paid the yearly fee. Users will need to access TKAS to administer the assessments and also to download the paper and pencil assessments and support materials. If we find that not enough users have agreed to pay the annual fee, we will have to re-evaluate whether there is enough demand to continue to offer these assessments to the field.

Again, thank you for your interest in the LMT measures. If you have any questions, please contact Merrie Blunk at [email protected] or (734) 615-7632. Please do not reply to this email as any responses will not be seen.