The Impact of a Curricular and Professional Development Intervention on Elementary Science Teachers' Perceptions of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability

The Impact of a Curricular and Professional Development Intervention on Elementary Science Teachers' Perceptions of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability PDF Author: Georgina O. Lindskoog
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
High-stakes testing and accountability (HSTA) is a topic largely debated because of the effects it can have on student learning. Teachers' perceptions help determine teaching practices, ultimately teaching practices impact student learning, and unintended consequences of HSTA have been found to result in teaching practices that do not maximize meaningful student learning. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary science teachers' perceptions of HSTA prior to an intervention and if participation in the intervention changed their perceptions. In addition, teacher professional variables (i.e., years of teaching and number of science courses taken) and school contextual factors (i.e., percent of Black students, percent of low SES students, and percent of limited English proficient students) were examined as predictors of initial perceptions of HSTA and change in perceptions over time. The study involved 220 teachers in a large, urban district who taught high numbers of English language learners. Teachers completed questionnaire and background forms. Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling and interpreted using social cognitive theory to more completely understand the complexities of human functioning and explain its causality. Results showed negative perceptions of HSTA and no impact by the intervention on treatment teachers' perceptions of HSTA compared to control teachers during the three-year intervention. Themes in the literature that teachers perceive standards positively, HSTA negatively, and the impact of HSTA on teaching practices negatively were supported by results in this study. Teachers' perceptions of HSTA at baseline were overall consistent across teacher professional variables and school contextual factors tested. At baseline, teachers' perception that standards provided good guidelines was predicted by years of teaching.

The Impact of a Curricular and Professional Development Intervention on Elementary Science Teachers' Perceptions of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability

The Impact of a Curricular and Professional Development Intervention on Elementary Science Teachers' Perceptions of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability PDF Author: Georgina O. Lindskoog
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
High-stakes testing and accountability (HSTA) is a topic largely debated because of the effects it can have on student learning. Teachers' perceptions help determine teaching practices, ultimately teaching practices impact student learning, and unintended consequences of HSTA have been found to result in teaching practices that do not maximize meaningful student learning. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary science teachers' perceptions of HSTA prior to an intervention and if participation in the intervention changed their perceptions. In addition, teacher professional variables (i.e., years of teaching and number of science courses taken) and school contextual factors (i.e., percent of Black students, percent of low SES students, and percent of limited English proficient students) were examined as predictors of initial perceptions of HSTA and change in perceptions over time. The study involved 220 teachers in a large, urban district who taught high numbers of English language learners. Teachers completed questionnaire and background forms. Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling and interpreted using social cognitive theory to more completely understand the complexities of human functioning and explain its causality. Results showed negative perceptions of HSTA and no impact by the intervention on treatment teachers' perceptions of HSTA compared to control teachers during the three-year intervention. Themes in the literature that teachers perceive standards positively, HSTA negatively, and the impact of HSTA on teaching practices negatively were supported by results in this study. Teachers' perceptions of HSTA at baseline were overall consistent across teacher professional variables and school contextual factors tested. At baseline, teachers' perception that standards provided good guidelines was predicted by years of teaching.

The Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices

The Impact of High-stakes Testing on Instructional Practices PDF Author: Tracie L. Pollard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303917462
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 135

Get Book Here

Book Description
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all schools to be accountable for student performance. High-stakes accountability represents a growing concern among the field of education. Literature supports that teachers are vital to the success of students; however, the impact of high-stakes testing on instructional practice is changing the way teachers' approach teaching and learning. In an effort to identify the instructional practices being used to support high-stakes accountability mandates, a qualitative study was conducted to identify the perceptions of teachers and administrators of the impact high-stakes testing has on instructional practices. Ten third through fifth grade teachers and administrators in north central Wyoming were selected as participants of the study. At the completion of the in-depth interviewing process, qualitative data was analyzed into major themes using the participants' in-depth interview responses. Three major themes emerged as a result of the data analysis: Systems, Implementation, and Professional Response. More specifically, the study discusses how the accountability system impacts instructional practice and curriculum implementation and professional responses to the accountability mandate set by legislators. Analysis of the data revealed teachers and administrators spend time preparing for high-stakes tests; however, students' well-being and intellectual growth were more of a priority. Teachers and administrators claimed they were not willing to compromise students' learning for an assessment that is unreliable and an invalid measure of what students' actually know. In this study, it was concluded that the general consensus to the perceptions of teachers and administrators of the impact high-stakes testing has on instructional practices is minimal. Although teachers and administrators shared concerns about the accountability system, its implementation, and their professional realities, teachers and administrators spoke more about employing best instructional practices to ensure students will be successful citizens. Lastly, this study concludes with future research recommendations, which will be of interest to other researchers and educators.

Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education

Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability in Education PDF Author: Laura S. Hamilton
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833033980
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Get Book Here

Book Description
Test-based accountability systems that attach high stakes to standardized test results have raised a number of issues on educational assessment and accountability. Do these high-stakes tests measure student achievement accurately? How can policymakers and educators attach the right consequences to the results of these tests? And what kinds of tradeoffs do these testing policies introduce? This book responds to the growing emphasis on high-stakes testing and offers recommendations for more-effective test-based accountability systems.

Accountability and Professional Prerogative

Accountability and Professional Prerogative PDF Author: Kimberly Layne Williams
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational accountability
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book Here

Book Description


Accountability and Teacher Practice

Accountability and Teacher Practice PDF Author: Erin F. Cocke
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 10

Get Book Here

Book Description
There is much debate over the impact of high stakes testing as well as a growing body of research focused on both the intended and unintended consequences of these tests. One claim of both the popular media and education researchers is that high stakes tests have led to curricular narrowing--the idea that school time is increasingly allocated to tested subjects to the detriment of non tested ones (Dillon, 2006; Center for Education Policy, 2006; West, 2007). In order to investigate the effects of testing on the allocation of instructional time, the authors analyze changing trends in reported teacher time use in situations where testing in new subjects has been recently added. This study uses the three most recent waves (1999-2000, 2003-2004 and 2007, 2008) of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to explore the how the addition of tests in science and social studies over time have impacted teacher time use within states. This exploration of the impact of a state test in science and social studies on teacher time use indicates that for states that added a test in science there is a small impact of this test on reported teacher time use in science. In addition, there is no significant impact of a new test in social studies on teacher time use in social studies. These results are in contrast with prior work finding a significant impact of a test in social studies and science on reported teacher time in these subjects (West, 2007). One obvious conclusion is that the content of what teachers are teaching matters and is driving change in student test scores rather than the actual time spent teaching each subject. However, this small impact could also be due to the lack of federal pressure currently associated with social studies and science tests, as these tests do not yet impact whether a school meets Average Yearly Progress. Teacher behavior may understandably be more responsive to high pressure accountability than to accountability without sanctions attached. (Contains 4 figures and 2 footnotes.).

The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing

The Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: Gail M. Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1461715474
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
To better understand how high-stakes accountability has influenced teaching and learning, this book takes an in-depth look at the myriad consequences that high-stakes tests hold for students, teachers, administrators, and the public. By focusing on these tests and spending large amounts of time on test preparation and driving teachers to teach low-level, rote memorization, schools are essentially wiping out non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. Although testing is promoted as a strategy for improving education for all, research shows that testing has differential effects on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language. The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing unpacks the assumptions and philosophical foundations on which testing policies are based. The authors' arguments are grounded in extensive interviews and research. Through an examination of research, these authors show that high-stakes testing promotes students' dependence on extrinsic motivation at the cost of intrinsic motivation and the associated love of learning—which has tangible impacts on their education and lives. Features: -Examines how high stakes testing from the perspectives of teachers, students, and adminstrators. -Considers how testing impacts the curriculum including tested subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics as well as non-tested subjects such as science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. -Documents how teachers and administrators engage in test preparation and discusses ethical and unethical test preparation practices. -Reviews the evolution of testing through history and how it mpacts the curriculum. -Examines the differential effects of testing on students with special needs, minority students, students living in poverty, and those for whom English is a second language.

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of the Effects of High-Stakes Testing

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of the Effects of High-Stakes Testing PDF Author: Amy Pavia
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description


Testing Regimes, Accountabilities and Education Policy

Testing Regimes, Accountabilities and Education Policy PDF Author: Bob Lingard
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317354052
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 207

Get Book Here

Book Description
Around the globe, various kinds of testing, including high stakes national census testing, have become meta-policies, steering educational systems in particular directions, and having great effects on schools and on teacher practices, as well as upon student learning and curricula. There has also been a complementary global aspect to this with the OECD’s PISA and IEA’s TIMSS and PIRLS, which have had impacts on national education systems and their policy frameworks. While there has been a globalized educational policy discourse that suggests that high stakes standardised testing will drive up standards and enhance the quality of a nation’s human capital and thus their international economic competitiveness, this discourse still manifests itself in specific, vernacular, path dependent ways in different nations. High stakes testing and its effects can also be seen as part of the phenomenon of the ‘datafication’ of the world and ‘policy as numbers’, linked to other reforms of the state, including new public management, network governance, and top-down and test-based modes of accountability. This edited collection provides theoretically and empirically informed analyses of these developments. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Education Policy.

The Impact of High-stakes Accountability on Teachers' Professional Development

The Impact of High-stakes Accountability on Teachers' Professional Development PDF Author: Barnett Berry
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational accountability
Languages : en
Pages : 44

Get Book Here

Book Description


Redesigning Accountability Systems for Education

Redesigning Accountability Systems for Education PDF Author: Susan Fuhrman
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 9780807744253
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book Here

Book Description
Now more than ever, policymakers face a number of difficult and technical questions in the design and implementation of new accountability approaches. This book gathers the emerging knowledge and lessons learned offered by leading scholars in the field.