3 Ways to Give Math Teachers Effective Feedback

Supervisors of math teachers are often intimidated by mathematics instruction because they either weren’t math teachers or aren’t totally comfortable with the math content. This is true at every level from kindergarten to 12th grade but significantly more so with middle and high school coursework. We’ve even heard of cases where upper-level math teachers, such as those who teach calculus and trigonometry, aren’t receiving any feedback on their instruction due to a lack of comfort from the administrative team. It’s unfortunate because every teacher deserves quality coaching and feedback.

While this is common, it’s not supportive of stronger math instruction, and it doesn’t support math teachers’ growth. It can have a significant negative impact on students and their math outcomes for college, career, and life readiness, especially when we consider the missed opportunities of high-quality instruction over time. A study from 2023 found that students performed significantly better in math classes when their teachers participated in math-focused professional development that provided personalized, real-time feedback. 

This suggests that when teachers don’t receive math-specific professional development and ongoing feedback and support, schools miss an important opportunity to improve outcomes for students. Based on our experiences as school leaders, we offer three moves for those who supervise math teachers and might not fully understand the math. We’ve personally used these strategies to improve math instruction and increase math scores as well as coached other school leaders to do the same.

1. Adapt or Adopt a Set of Shared Practices

Leaders who supervise mathematics instruction can lean heavily on preexisting principles and publications about teaching math, such as the Standards for Mathematical Practice, which outline eight math practices that leaders can use as a guide when visiting classrooms. For example, Math Practice 5 (MP5) is about using appropriate tools strategically; this includes technology tools. If we’re observing a math classroom, and students correctly identify a digital tool to support their ability to solve problems, we know that the teaching and learning environment is suitable and effective.

For instance, an illustrative mathematics lesson may have students use graphing technology to examine and compare functions but offer flexibility for them to use the GeoGebra tool or an alternative spreadsheet option. When we have a set of shared practices (as in MP5), and we see lessons unfold accordingly, it’s worthy of comment and praise. This helps supervisors give meaningful feedback aligned to predefined standards.

Leaders can also find resources from math-specific associations. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics supports a number of featured books, journals, and other practical guides. When school leaders supervise content areas and departments outside of their personal expertise, they can learn a great deal from available readings. The key is to use these resources to create a shared space or library with math teachers around specific methods for delivering math instruction and then use those methods as the “look-fors” during classroom visits. This eliminates surprise for teachers and strengthens supervisors’ feedback.

2. Provide Math-Focused Professional Development

Much of the professional development (PD) that teachers and school leaders receive is about pedagogy, classroom management, and curriculum resources. Those are important but miss the mark when teachers don’t engage in professional learning about their specific content areas and individual needs. Learning more about the content is as important as learning how to teach it. We promote this in all content areas, but we contend that it’s particularly important for math teachers. Again, this is essential at every grade level of math, whereby teachers and supervisors can meet to learn about numeracy, mathematical reasoning, and the science of how students learn.

Key strategies can help educators refine how they teach, and these should be the focal point of the PD and translate to the classroom experience. This is especially true of teachers who aren’t solely responsible for a particular math subject, like algebra. We can’t assume that they understand every aspect of the content, and administrators who haven’t taught math should be exposed to the content and how it’s intended to be taught as part of their training as supervisors. Attending math-focused PD with teachers helps administrators build a better understanding of the math, and it strengthens the use of a set of common practices. 

3. Co-Observe Math Classrooms with a Subject Expert

Supervisors who aren’t adept in the content areas they observe can use the help of a subject matter expert (SME). In this case, identify a current or former respected math instructor to serve as the SME. Outside of educational contexts, this type of collaboration is a common way to elevate expertise. The concept of an SME isn’t as widely used in K–12 education as it is in corporate and higher-education entities, but we think it has value. Co-observing classroom instruction with an SME is a great strategy for supervisors to get familiar with curriculum, instruction, and assessments.

It’s simple: Visit math classrooms with an SME, observe and take notes, and then debrief after each visit or a set of visits. The debrief can include a conversation about pedagogy, anything specific about teaching math, fidelity with the curriculum, and any future feedback or support for students or teachers. The supervisor shares ideas about strengthening teaching and learning practices, and the SME provides specifics about the mathematics and the way it should be taught.

Doing this repeatedly—regularly scheduled visits with a consistent frequency and cadence—trains the supervisor’s eye and elevates their comfort and precision with providing feedback to math teachers. The SME can be another teacher on staff who knows the math well, the math department chair, a district office specialist, or a consultant, such as the curriculum provider. These visits provide a multilayered approach that strengthens feedback and helps to formulate and align the vision for math instruction in the school and district, which should be the basis for classroom look-fors/shared practices.

The next step for supervisors is to put these three practices together by adapting or adopting a set of shared standards, providing specific math professional development for them, and visiting classrooms with an SME to look for them in action. These three practices can be used individually, but the power in each is amplified by using them in unison.

School leaders don’t need to implement all three moves at once or in exactly the same way. They can begin with one clearly defined instructional practice, study it alongside teachers during math-focused professional development, and then visit classrooms with a subject matter expert to see how it appears in practice. After each round of observations, leaders and teachers can reflect on what they learned, refine their shared expectations, and determine the next area of focus. Over time, this interactive cycle can not only help leaders become more knowledgeable and confident but also ensure that math teachers receive the consistent, content-specific feedback they deserve.