Using Test-score Data in the Classroom

Using Test-score Data in the Classroom PDF Author: Brian M. Stecher
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational accountability
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The success of the test-based accountability policy, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), designed to raise student achievement, will be strongly influenced by educators' use of test-score data to guide school policy and classroom practice. This paper summarizes the data, providing insights for improving both the utility of test-score information at the classroom level, and the validity of large-scale testing systems. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), all states have implemented statewide testing programs in reading and mathematics for students in grade 3 to 8 and for one high school grade. However, most states have not examined the effects of testing on educational practice-an important omission, since a central assumption of NCLB is that the provision of high-quality information will promote improved educational decisionmaking. This study explores how teachers and principals use test score data, what features of its use are relevant to them, and what assistance is available to help them use the data for instructional decisionmaking. Using 2005 data, the study focuses on mathematics, using stratified random sampling to select 25 districts, and 100 schools per state (across three states) from within these districts. Within a single school, teachers have different impressions of the usefulness of the data. Over one-half of teachers surveyed reported that they used test results to identify topics for review and students who need attention. Most said that the test data were clear and easy to understand, and that they had received a variety of support for using the data. Most teachers relied on progress tests in instructional planning; they said that annual state test results were more useful for curriculum planning than for improving specific instructional practice. Periodic standardized progress testing or formative classroom assessments may be more useful than annual state tests. The variation observed in responses from teachers in different states suggests that state policy matters.

Using Test-score Data in the Classroom

Using Test-score Data in the Classroom PDF Author: Brian M. Stecher
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational accountability
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
The success of the test-based accountability policy, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), designed to raise student achievement, will be strongly influenced by educators' use of test-score data to guide school policy and classroom practice. This paper summarizes the data, providing insights for improving both the utility of test-score information at the classroom level, and the validity of large-scale testing systems. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), all states have implemented statewide testing programs in reading and mathematics for students in grade 3 to 8 and for one high school grade. However, most states have not examined the effects of testing on educational practice-an important omission, since a central assumption of NCLB is that the provision of high-quality information will promote improved educational decisionmaking. This study explores how teachers and principals use test score data, what features of its use are relevant to them, and what assistance is available to help them use the data for instructional decisionmaking. Using 2005 data, the study focuses on mathematics, using stratified random sampling to select 25 districts, and 100 schools per state (across three states) from within these districts. Within a single school, teachers have different impressions of the usefulness of the data. Over one-half of teachers surveyed reported that they used test results to identify topics for review and students who need attention. Most said that the test data were clear and easy to understand, and that they had received a variety of support for using the data. Most teachers relied on progress tests in instructional planning; they said that annual state test results were more useful for curriculum planning than for improving specific instructional practice. Periodic standardized progress testing or formative classroom assessments may be more useful than annual state tests. The variation observed in responses from teachers in different states suggests that state policy matters.

Interpreting Standardized Test Scores

Interpreting Standardized Test Scores PDF Author: Craig A. Mertler
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1452278962
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
"Craig A. Mertler′s approach would reduce your stress level as his book walks the reader through the various assessments often encountered in schools and helps the reader make better use of the information embedded in accountability reports. The book is well-organized and provides clear and thorough descriptions of the myriad terms the reader will encounter with assessments." —Lane B. Mills, THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR "This text offers a clear, insightful study of how to interpret, use, and reflect on test data in ways that help to develop better schools, highly qualified teachers, and well prepared students." —Linda Karges-Bone, Charleston Southern University As standardized testing continues to grow in importance in our society, this text will become a critical part of measurement curriculum and instruction." —Gordon Brooks, Ohio University Interpreting Standardized Test Scores: Strategies for Data-Driven Instructional Decision Making is designed to help K-12 teachers and administrators understand the nature of standardized tests and, in particular, the scores that result from them. This useful manual helps teachers develop the skills necessary to incorporate these test scores into various types of instructional decision making—a process known as "data-driven decision making"—necessitated by the needs of their students. Key Features Helps readers understand, interpret, and use standardized test scores to improve classroom instruction: Several specific examples are given for interpreting test scores and developing a plan to revise instruction based on those results. Offers activities for application and reflection: Follow-up activities and discussion points are provided for experienced and preservice teachers across K-12 grade levels. Presents successful case studies: The author includes interviews with classroom teachers, building administrators, and district-level administrators who have successfully engaged in a process of incorporating test scores into decision making. Intended Audience This is an excellent supplementary text for any course that incorporates standardized testing as a topic, including but not limited to courses in Classroom Assessment, Educational Psychology, Content Methods, Reading, Special Education, Curriculum, Literacy, Administration, The Principalship, and The Superintendency.

Beyond Test Scores

Beyond Test Scores PDF Author: Jack Schneider
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674976398
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Test scores are the go-to metric of policy makers and anxious parents looking to place their children in the best schools. Yet standardized tests are a poor way to measure school performance. Using the diverse urban school district of Somerville MA as a case study, Jack Schneider’s team developed a new framework to assess educational effectiveness.

Driven by Data

Driven by Data PDF Author: Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470548746
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Offers a practical guide for improving schools dramatically that will enable all students from all backgrounds to achieve at high levels. Includes assessment forms, an index, and a DVD.

Using Test Data for Student Achievement

Using Test Data for Student Achievement PDF Author: Nancy W. Sindelar
Publisher: R&L Education
ISBN: 1607099624
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Schools are drowning in test data, but many schools do little with test results other than sort students into various categories of proficiency or lack thereof. Some educators feel testing has taken the joy out of teaching. Others believe valuable instructional time has been lost as a result of testing. Yet, NCBL and other federal and state mandates have placed educators under increasing pressure to make certain all students meet standards on high-stakes tests. Now, more than ever, teachers and administrators need to embrace testing as a valuable classroom tool to guide instruction, use efficient technological resources available for test scoring and analysis, and profit from the benefits of test analysis to increase learning and achievement. Using Test Data for Student Achievement shows educators, step by step, how to use test data to facilitate student learning. The book combines research, technology and Sindelar's experience as a teacher and administrator to provide practical and efficient ways to use test data to increase learning, close achievement gaps and even raise test scores.

Using Data to Improve Student Learning

Using Data to Improve Student Learning PDF Author: David Bateman
Publisher: National Professional Resources Inc./Dude Publishing
ISBN: 1938539109
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description
This 6-page, quick reference laminated guide is designed for classroom teachers to assist them in deriving meaning from all types of data, both standardized and non-standardized. It explores how and when data can be used effectively to improve student learning, as well as how teachers can interpret different forms of data to meet students’ diverse needs and assess ongoing progress.

Street Data

Street Data PDF Author: Shane Safir
Publisher: Corwin
ISBN: 1071812661
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Radically reimagine our ways of being, learning, and doing Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on "fixing" and "filling" academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up—with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing. By breaking down street data fundamentals: what it is, how to gather it, and how it can complement other forms of data to guide a school or district’s equity journey, Safir and Dugan offer an actionable framework for school transformation. Written for educators and policymakers, this book · Offers fresh ideas and innovative tools to apply immediately · Provides an asset-based model to help educators look for what’s right in our students and communities instead of seeking what’s wrong · Explores a different application of data, from its capacity to help us diagnose root causes of inequity, to its potential to transform learning, and its power to reshape adult culture Now is the time to take an antiracist stance, interrogate our assumptions about knowledge, measurement, and what really matters when it comes to educating young people.

The Data-Driven Classroom

The Data-Driven Classroom PDF Author: Craig A. Mertler
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416619771
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
Thanks to initiatives like the Common Core and Race to the Top, accountability requirements continue to be a reality for educators. Yet many are still unsure of how to use data to make well-informed instructional decisions. The Data-Driven Classroom comes to the rescue with a systematic, universal process that shows teachers how to: examine student assessment results to identify a curricular or skill area to target for individual intervention or large-group instructional revision; develop, implement, and assess the effectiveness of the intervention or revision; and develop an action plan for future instructional cycles. Author Craig A. Mertler sheds light on how teachers can make sense of overwhelming standardized test reports while avoiding pitfalls like over-interpreting data. In these pages you will also find practical classroom examples and templates designed to guide teachers of all grade levels and subject areas through the comprehensive decision-making framework.

The Knowledge Gap

The Knowledge Gap PDF Author: Natalie Wexler
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735213569
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

What Every Teacher Needs to Know about Assessment

What Every Teacher Needs to Know about Assessment PDF Author: Leslie Walker Wilson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317923812
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
This is the second edition of a highly successful book, previously titled Better Instruction Through Assessment: What Your Students Are Trying to Tell You. The revision was undertaken to respond to the No Child Left Behind legislation, which has changed the way we must look at students’ achievement data. This book shows you how to get the most out of your state’s high stakes standardized tests, use test results to make the right decisions about how to teach the students in your class, avoid becoming a victim of accountability systems, infuse “test savvy” into everyday instruction. It covers a wide variety of types of assessments – from classroom-based, teacher created tests to state-mandated, high stakes standardized tests, both selected response and performance assessment. Unlike traditional “textbooks”, this book was written specifically for practicing teachers and administrators. It contains real-world examples which demonstrate the role of assessment in a teacher’s daily work. It is filled with actual student responses and scenarios based on real life situations faced by teachers.