This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Arthur T. Costigan, Brett D. Jones, Robert J. Egley, Jennifer Stock, Mike Rose, Alejandra Salinas, Judith A. Ponticell, Judy Jackson May, Stanley N. Katz, and Julie A. Thomas.
(2010). Investing in Our Teachers: What Focus of Professional Development Leads to the Highest Student Gains in Mathematics Achievement?, ProQuest LLC. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to better understand the relationship between the substantive-content focus of professional development for inservice teachers of mathematics and their students' achievement. That professional development for teachers enhances student achievement has been well established by recent studies; however, those meta-analyses have studied structural characteristics such as the duration and the format/delivery method of the professional development. It is important to understand how the focus of professional development relates to student achievement because different foci must still compete not only among themselves but also with other instructional-improvement strategies (such as high-stakes testing, accountability, and curriculum reform) for limited resources, such as time and money. Hence, having evidence that professional development works and, more importantly, a better understanding of what focus comprises more effective professional development is not just of theoretical importance, it is also a policy-relevant imperative. The study's results indicated that the focus of professional development is, in fact, a significant and educationally important predictor of variation in student-achievement effect sizes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Curriculum Development, Educational Change, Mathematics Teachers, Professional Development
(2006). The Promises and Perils of "Scientifically Based" Research for Urban Schools, Urban Education. In this age of high-stakes testing and calls for more stringent measures of accountability, urban schools face a great deal of scrutiny. In fact, the direct benefactors of school reform remain the students most at risk for not reaping the benefits of reform rhetoric. Current legislation that propels the notion of "scientifically based research" to the forefront of debate on what constitutes a high-quality education fails to contextualize the teaching and learning process in urban settings and promises to do more harm than good. This article will examine the challenges and opportunities inherent in scientifically based research and the implications for urban schools. [More] Descriptors: High Stakes Tests, Urban Schools, Educational Change, Accountability
(2010). Reform: To What End?, Educational Leadership. The author looks at school reform in light of his experiences documenting effective public education in classrooms across the United States. Observing in an inner-city 1st grade classroom, he sees a teacher who is knowledgeable, resourceful, and particularly effective with her students. He notes that none of the current high-profile reform ideas would explain or enhance her expertise. What motivates her is a complex mix of personal values and a drive for competence, which lead her to treat her students in certain ways and continue to improve her skills. School reform needs to capitalize on such motivators. The author suggests that we would do well to channel the financial and human resources spent on the vast machinery of high-stakes testing into a robust, widely distributed program of professional development, such as those offered by the National Science Foundation and the National Writing Project. Enriched, widely available professional development would substitute a human capital model of school reform for the current test-based technocratic one. In addition, any policy initiative needs to take into account these qualities of effective classrooms: safety, respect, student responsibility for learning, intellectual rigor, ongoing support, and concern for students' welfare. [More] Descriptors: Educational Change, Professional Development, Human Capital, Teacher Effectiveness
(2006). The Role of Money, Race, and Politics in the Accountability Challenge, Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 propelled high stakes testing to an unprecedented level of significance. Decisions based on the results of such mandated assessments is flawed in that the tests are not an accurate measure of actual knowledge and neglect to address environmental, socio-cultural, and economic factors influencing student performance. This researcher does not claim to tell a new story, but it seems one that bears repeating. The results of this quantitative investigation further illustrate that variables such as median income and per pupil revenue have an undeniable impact on the academic success of students. [More] Descriptors: Income, Federal Legislation, Academic Achievement, Economic Factors
(2007). Measurement Issues in High Stakes Testing: Validity and Reliability, Journal of Applied School Psychology. Validity and reliability of the new high stakes testing systems initiated in school systems across the United States in recent years in response to the accountability features mandated in the No Child Left Behind Legislation largely depend on item response theory and new rules of measurement. Reliability and validity in item response theory and classical test theory are reviewed. Additionally, practices in the states are considered. The conclusion of the paper is that the new test technology is theoretically better suited to assess achievement than classical test theory, but has not been shown to be valid and reliable enough for use as the sole criterion for determination of what was learned in school. Further, there is no evidence that they will ever be found to be valid and reliable enough for that purpose. Areas of additional needed research are considered. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Testing, Test Validity, Item Response Theory
(2004). Preservice Teachers Report the Impact of High-Stakes Testing, Social Studies. Queens College has a program for mentoring undergraduate preservice teachers. In this article, the author reports the students' comments on a variety of topics related to social studies. Many of their opinions are colored by their concerns about high-stakes testing and how it will affect their teaching plans. When asking the participants in the program about the type of school in which they hoped to teach, the author uncovered the "steering effect" of New York State Regents examinations: Many of the students indicated that they plan to avoid teaching in grades or schools where Regents exams will constrain their practice. Although that effect of high-stakes testing has been discussed anecdotally, it has not been widely reported in the literature. Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Mentors, High Stakes Tests, Student Teacher Attitudes
(2010). Teachers' Perceptions of the Instructional Leadership Role of the Principal in Implementing Effective Instructional Leadership Practices to Prepare Students for the Georgia High School Graduation Test, ProQuest LLC. The purpose of this study was to build upon Askins's 2002 research by examining the perceptions of Georgia educators as it relates to the instructional leadership role of the principal in helping 11th- and 12th-grade teachers adjust to the newly implemented Georgia Performance Standards and high-stakes testing. This study used qualitative-dominant mixed methods, with a triangulation design, to analyze the phenomenon of instructional leadership of the principal in assisting 11th- and 12th-grade teachers with Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) preparation. Moreover, the quantitative archival data were compared to the results of the qualitative analysis from participant's interviews to determine if the results from the qualitative interviews could be validated by (i.e., align with) the quantitative students' GHSGT results. Using a sample of 11th- and 12th-grade teachers from a small, suburban Atlanta school district (with approximately 16,000 students) who are directly responsible for preparing students for the GHSGT, responses were collected using an interview protocol developed by Askins. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: High School Students, Grade 11, Grade 12, Secondary School Teachers
(2004). Adult Learning and High-Stakes Testing: Strategies for Success, Adult Learning. In this world of increasing competition for jobs and accountability in the workplace, adults are facing many new pressures, one of which is passing tests as part of the application process. This is especially difficult for adults who are academically challenged or did not go far enough with their education to feel comfortable in testing situations. In effect, they are sharing the same pressures their children face in schools when they must take and pass tests each year to be promoted. High-stakes testing is a real concern for these individuals. Teachers in public schools work hard to prepare their students to master content quickly, focus on test-taking skills and provide strategies to help them cope with the stress that accompanies the process. Adult educators should do the same for their students in similar situations. In this article, the author provides basic guidelines and strategies for these academically-challenged adults in high-stakes testing situation. [More] Descriptors: Adult Learning, High Stakes Tests, Guidelines, Test Wiseness
(2006). High-Stakes Testing: Can Rapid Assessment Reduce the Pressure?, Teachers College Record. This article presents findings about the implementation of a system for rapidly assessing student progress in math and reading in grades K-12–a system that potentially could reduce pressure on teachers resulting from high-stakes testing and the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Interviews with 49 teachers and administrators in one Texas school district suggest that the assessments allowed teachers to individualize and target instruction; provide more tutoring; reduce drill and practice; and improve student readiness for, and spend more time on, critical thinking activities, resulting in a more balanced curriculum. Teachers reported that the assessments provided a common point for discussion, increased collaboration among teachers to improve instruction and resolve instructional problems, and supported both new and experienced teachers in implementing sound teaching practices. The individualized curriculum and rapid feedback on progress reportedly gave students the feeling that they were successful and in control of their own learning, engaging students who previously disliked reading and math–including dyslexic children and children in special education–reducing stress, and improving student achievement. These findings are interpreted through Corbett and Wilson's framework for understanding why high-stakes testing often has negative effects and why the implementation of rapid assessment systems could reduce unintended negative consequences of testing. [More] Descriptors: High Stakes Tests, Dyslexia, Federal Legislation, Educational Policy
(2010). Methods and Uses of Classroom Assessments Employed in Teaching Grades Three through Five in Five School Districts in the Mississippi Delta, Education. Public school districts in the Mississippi (MS) Delta are under severe pressure to make rapid and adaptable changes in response to the federal legislation No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the MS Plan for Student Achievement: Assessment, Accreditation, and Accountability. These reform Acts require higher student performance standards and new assessment systems based on high stakes testing programs. Examined in this study are the kinds of classroom assessment techniques currently (2007-2008) used in teaching mathematics and reading in grades three through five in five school districts in the Mississippi Delta. A survey questionnaire instrument was developed to collect data from teachers. The MS Delta public school districts have high poverty rates, overwhelmingly majority-black student bodies and a very high drop out rate (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). The statistical data analysis was executed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Open-ended questions were scanned to find common themes, placed into categories and coded accordingly. Descriptive statistics were used to address the research questions. Although teachers used a variety of assessment techniques, portfolios, student made questions, and computer-assisted testing were seldom used. Most teachers perceived that the items on their classroom test aligned in content with items found on the Mississippi Curriculum Test. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Testing, Educational Improvement, Educational Assessment
(2006). Conflict in Staff Development Implementation: A Case Study, Journal of School Public Relations. Staff development is aimed at changing practice. Change creates conflict. Little work has been done to gain insight into the conflict that teachers experience in the implementation of staff development. This study examines conflict in a staff development project aimed at increasing teachers' knowledge and implementation of problem-based integrated mathematics and science teaching in a context of high-stakes testing. Findings show that teachers experienced intrapersonal conflict due to perceived differences in values, functional conflicts over values, and environmental stress. Findings suggest several strategies that might be used in staff development to reduce intrapersonal conflict. [More] Descriptors: Staff Development, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Teaching (Occupation), Conflict
(2010). Identifying Obstacles to Incorporating Ocean Content into California Secondary Classrooms, Online Submission. The ocean is the dominant feature on this planet that makes all life on Earth possible. Marine educators and scientists across the country have identified essential principles and concepts that define what an "ocean literate" person should know, but there is a lack of comprehensive ocean content coverage in secondary classrooms across the United States. In California, limited ocean content standards exist in the primary grades, and diminish in the secondary grades. The main purpose of this study was to examine obstacles for secondary (grades 6-12) teachers to teach about the ocean in California public schools. Interviews were conducted with five teachers with professional development in ocean related curricula, to identify their personal obstacles to including ocean content in their classrooms. Obstacles identified ranged from high stakes testing to lack of time, but not a perceived lack of importance. Three appendixes are included: (1) Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Concepts; (2) Sample of ocean knowledge questions asked in public opinion survey by the Ocean Project in 1999; and (3) Interview Questions. [More] Descriptors: Secondary School Teachers, Barriers, Oceanography, Marine Education
(2006). High-Stakes Teaching: What's at Stake for Teachers (and Students) in the Age of Accountability, New Educator. High-stakes testing in New York City (NYC) schools has produced a culture of high-stakes teaching. The latter concept emphasizes both the importance of good teachers to the performance of urban students and the threat to keeping good teachers in NYC schools due to measures such as scripted lessons and mandated curriculum. This essay draws upon interviews with beginning NYC teachers in English and social studies, raising questions about whether such measures will exacerbate the already low rates of teacher retention in urban schools. [More] Descriptors: High Stakes Tests, Teaching (Occupation), Teacher Responsibility, Teaching Conditions
(2004). Rural Elementary Administrators Views of High-Stakes Testing, Rural Educator. This study examines how rural elementary school administrators perceive the effects of high-stakes testing in comparison to suburban and urban elementary administrators. High-stakes testing had a greater impact, both positively and negatively, on rural administrators than on their counterparts in suburban and urban schools. Specifically, the positive effects were that rural administrators were more motivated by the testing program to do a better job, found the test results more useful in assessing teachers, and found the test results more useful in meeting the academic needs of students. The negative effects were that rural administrators felt more pressure than urban administrators to improve test scores and found their school rating to more negatively affect their ability to attract high quality teachers than administrators in suburban schools. [More] Descriptors: Rural Schools, Test Results, Testing Programs, Testing
(2010). Beyond Crude Measurement and Consumerism, Academe. Why should faculty members support efforts on their campuses to assess student learning outcomes? A great deal of ink has been spilled in recent years by a small number of professors and a much larger number of educational administrators arguing for assessment and pleading for greater faculty support of institutional assessment efforts. More significant for most people in academia, however, has been the support for outcome assessment that comes from those committed to external imposition of accountability–those with the legal and financial power to reward or punish institutions that do not meet their expectations. This includes the federal secretary of education or state education officials. The concern here is that even beyond the consumerism mentality, crude measures of educational "success" would be developed through high-stakes testing or other blunt mechanisms and that these measures would constitute the primary methods for evaluating, rewarding, and punishing faculty "performance," along the lines of the current movement to hold K-12 teachers "accountable" and to get rid of those who do not "measure up" to the prescribed standards. In this article, the author discusses the importance of an assessment system and the important role faculty members are expected to play. The author concludes that those people in the academia who want to take ownership of the evaluation of undergraduate education must devote considerably more time, effort, and ingenuity to the assessment of student learning over the life course of undergraduate education than they have been doing. [More] Descriptors: Undergraduate Study, Elementary Secondary Education, Institutional Evaluation, High Stakes Tests