This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Harold L. Hollomon, Marybeth Ahillen, Andrew Porter, Mary Martin Patton, Sarah Carrier Martin, Robert M. Hauser, Monty Neill, Geoffrey D. Birky, Wayne E. Wright, and David Syncox.
(2005). A Comparison of Student Test Results: Business and Marketing Education National Board Certified Teachers and Non-National Board Certified Teachers, Delta Pi Epsilon Journal. The underlying question for the educational community is to determine the effect of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards on creating a higher quality professional who, in turn, imparts knowledge so that their students are better educated to compete in a global economy. Thus, does the attainment of National Board Certification by business and marketing secondary teachers transfer to increased academic performance by their students on high stakes accountability testing? Regardless of the type of licensure or certification of their teachers, secondary school pupils perform comparably on North Carolina VOCATS tests. [More] Descriptors: Test Results, Business Education, Teacher Certification, National Standards
(2011). Native Teachers' Beliefs and Practices: Choosing Language and Cultural Revitalization over Uniformity and Standardization, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. The goal of implementing a culture-based curriculum that draws upon indigenous knowledge, traditions, and language is currently in competition with demands placed on schools by high stakes educational reform to implement a standards-based curriculum in schools. Though often left out of the policy conversation, Native teachers in particular have much to contribute to understandings of how such reform discourse may derail Indigenous-centered discussions about education. This article draws from interview and observational data collected during a three-year (2005-2008) qualitative study of Native teacher beliefs and practices. Participants in the study included nine teachers who implement a language- and culture-based curriculum. Classroom observations, interviews, and focus groups were conducted to gather information about instructional practices in one Native language immersion school (pre-kindergarten to third grade). Findings indicate the teachers' perspectives on the ways in which their language instruction is compromised in light of pressures to teach to narrow conceptions of academic subject knowledge emergent from high-stakes policy and testing discussions. Teachers are neither passive recipients of curricular goals nor passive instructional directors of standards-based curriculum. Recommendations include cautioning tribal nations to find ways to buffer outside high stakes pressures impacting promising practices of immersion language teachers in early childhood education. [More] Descriptors: Indigenous Knowledge, Early Childhood Education, Cultural Maintenance, Focus Groups
(2000). Initial Responses to AERA's Position Statement Concerning High-Stakes Testing, Educational Researcher. Presents the responses of five people in the field of education (professors and assessment administrators) to the recently published position statement by the American Educational Research Association on high stakes testing in preK-12 education. The responses point out the contributions of this position statement and offer suggestions for additions and improvements. Descriptors: Educational Assessment, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, High Stakes Tests
(2010). A Superintendent's Role in Creating Community, ProQuest LLC. The context of leadership in the public school has become increasingly complex with the pressures of high stakes testing and accountability, changing student demographics, and financial challenges. Stakeholders must work together to develop effective strategies to increase student academic performance. Successful superintendents must optimize learning by fostering relationships across the district to validate the contributions of all constituents. This demands that leaders change from the traditional bureaucracy to a model of collaboration, redefining organizations as communities. To do this, they must listen, create spaces for dialogue, and encourage risk-taking. The literature on community seeks to provide models for schools to adopt in an effort to build relationships that significantly impact teaching and learning. Those relationships occur internally within a school and school district as well as externally with the wider community. This study explores first the internal community that results from the professional learning community model. Secondly, it examines the external community in the form of school-community relationships and partnerships. The community research embraces the notion of schools operating in the larger, more comprehensive community that includes additional resources to support the needs of children and adolescents. Finally, the study focuses on the critical need for acknowledging and, moreover, building a community of difference where diversity is valued and voices are heard. The motivation for the study was to develop an understanding of the complexity of the task of a superintendent, who was new to a district, as he attempted to develop a strong sense of district community. There were two main research questions; they are as follows: 1. How does the superintendent work with the district leadership team to implement the changes necessary to build community? 2. How does the district leadership team respond to the superintendent's efforts? The study utilized a qualitative case study methodology. Data collection involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a superintendent, in his first year in a new district, the assistant superintendent, three district directors, and four principals. Data were also collected from meeting observations and document analyses. Through this work, the study aimed to create a useful framework that might support a superintendent intent on building community. Findings included four emergent themes about the behaviors of the superintendent. To do this work, the superintendent must be "visible," must "communicate" with all stakeholders, must be "collaborative," allowing opportunities for dialogue, must invite others to have a voice in decision-making, and must "understand the change process" as they guide the district through cultural change. The study's results can be used by university educational leadership programs to better prepare superintendents for the complexities of the current leadership landscape. Although it is important to be informed about the historical foundation of education and its implication on current practice, programs also need to include an equal emphasis on practical experience that highlights instructional leadership, managerial skills, human resources, and community-building skills. Key recommendations for superintendents planning to do this work include an intentional reflection on their personal values and beliefs to provide an anchor during challenging times. In addition, superintendents may use this study to synthesize strategies to create community across their districts in order to move forward to improve student achievement. [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: Superintendents, Instructional Leadership, Administrator Responsibility, Administrator Role
(2006). The Impact of Language and High-Stakes Testing Policies on Elementary School English Language Learners in Arizona, Education Policy Analysis Archives. This article reports the results of a survey of third-grade teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Arizona regarding school language and accountability policies–Proposition 203, which restricts bilingual education and mandates sheltered English Immersion; the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB); and Arizona LEARNS, the state's high-stakes testing and accountability program. The instrument, consisting of 126 survey questions plus open-ended interview question, was designed to obtain teacher's views, to ascertain the impact of these polices, and to explore their effectiveness in improving the education of ELL students. The survey was administered via telephone to 40 teacher participants from different urban, rural and reservation schools across the state. Each participant represents the elementary school in their respective school district which has the largest population of ELL students. Analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data reveal that these policies have mostly resulted in confusion in schools throughout the state over what is and is not allowed, and what constitutes quality instruction for ELLs, that there is little evidence that such policies have led to improvements in the education of ELL students, and that these policies may be causing more harm than good. Specifically, teachers report they have been given little to no guidance over what constitutes sheltered English immersion, and provide evidence that most ELL students in their schools are receiving mainstream sink-or-swim instruction. In terms of accountability, while the overwhelming majority of teachers support the general principle, they believe that high-stakes tests are inappropriate for ELLs and participants provided evidence that the focus on testing is leading to instruction practices for ELLs which fail to meet their unique linguistic and academic needs. The article concludes with suggestions for needed changes to improve the quality of education for ELLs in Arizona. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning, High Stakes Tests
(2013). In Search of Coherence and Meaning: Madison Morgan's Experiences and Motivations as an African American Learner and Teacher, Teachers College Record. Background/Context: Teachers in urban schools are sometimes seen as a large part of the problem with such schools; they are often spoken of as not knowing the content they need to know to teach, are not seen as committed to excellence or to reform-minded teaching, and therefore are not seen as a resource for school improvement. The case of Madison Morgan presented in this article stands in opposition to such depictions of urban mathematics teachers and suggests in particular that African American teachers may bring important resources to teaching in urban schools that would be helpful in school improvement. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: What instructional strategies does this well-respected African American mathematics teacher teaching Algebra 1 in a nonselective urban school use to convey to her students a sense of purpose for engaging with mathematics? Furthermore, what experiences as African Americans in our society seem to influence her in selecting and crafting these instructional strategies? Setting: This research was carried out in the classroom of a well-respected African American teacher who teaches an Algebra 1 course whose outcomes have high stakes for both her students and her school. Ms. Morgan's class is of a typical size and with typical demographics for the large nonselective urban school in which she teaches. Her school is located in a large public school district whose students are majority minority (African American and Hispanic). The school and district have comparatively low wealth per student ratios and high FARMs rates. Population/Participants/Subjects: Madison Morgan is a well-respected teacher of Algebra 1 in an urban school where students must pass a state-mandated algebra and data analysis exam to progress toward high school graduation. Research Design: This article reports on an in-depth, qualitative case study of the teaching of an Algebra 1 class by one well-respected African American mathematics teacher in an urban school. Data Collection and Analysis: During one academic year, a three-part team of researchers observed Madison Morgan's instruction on 25 occasions and completed nine formal interviews with her. This article presents information on two of nine lessons observed by the algebra research team, as well as excerpts from three interviews. To begin analysis of her lessons and those suggested by the curriculum guide, we created lesson diagrams that tabulated and classified lesson segments according to skill or concept addressed and form of delivery (teacher demonstration, individual or group practice, and individual or group problem solving) and that indicated which segments were connected by a single problem situation or context. The ratio of connections to segments was used as a summary measure of lesson coherence. Findings/Results: Ms. Morgan's response to an urban teaching assignment in which she must prepare students for high-stakes testing is to adopt deliberately a teaching approach that differs in significant ways from that suggested by the district curriculum guide and from practices claimed to be common among teachers in urban schools. Her desire is to achieve a level of coherence in the content she teaches that she does not see in the district curriculum guide. She attempts to do this by building her instruction around functions, data analysis, and problem contexts that require the use of multiple concepts and skills. Her motivation for doing this stems from her goals for her students: that they gain meaning for the mathematics they are learning and that they become problem solvers. These goals emerged from her own experiences as an African American student who felt she was shortchanged by an education that expected too little of her and that did not provide opportunities for her to think independently or to see meaning in what she was learning. Conclusions/Recommendations: Ms. Morgan exemplifies but one way a well-respected teacher's experiences as an African American student, and consequent motivations and commitments, may be a significant resource in efforts to strengthen the education that urban students receive. [More] Descriptors: African American Teachers, Educational Strategies, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Teachers
(2011). Clicking for Grades? Really? Investigating the Use of Clickers for Awarding Grade-Points in Post-Secondary Education, Interactive Learning Environments. Using classroom response systems (clickers) to accumulate grade-points has become a controversial practice as response systems have become more widely used in the last decade. Although some instructors opt to use clickers on a non-grades basis, it has become quite common to reward students for (a) correct answers, (b) participating in clicker questions regardless of whether their answer is correct or incorrect, and (c) a combination of participation and correctness. Here, we discuss the appropriateness of using clickers for accumulating grade-points in academia and address two of the most common concerns raised with such practices: technology failure and cheating. The paucity of literature on clicker technology failure suggests that it is more sensationalized than real. Cheating remains a real issue, but can be minimized by educating students about clicker-related cheating policies and by staying away from high-stakes clicker-based testing. Research and expert opinion leads us to believe that the appropriateness of using clickers for accumulating grades depends on how they are used. We recommend rewarding students for giving correct answers or for participating in high-value constructivist learning activities. Rewarding students with participation grade-points for incorrect answers to trivia-style or simple-factual questions should be avoided because it primarily serves to reward students for their attendance in class. [More] Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Cheating, Grades (Scholastic), Rewards
(2001). Views of Effective Early Childhood Educators Regarding Systemic Constraints that Affect Their Teaching, Journal of Research in Childhood Education. Examined 10 early childhood teachers' views regarding curricular trends for young children, their teaching practices, and systemic constraints affecting their teaching. Teachers were identified as advocates, resistors, or traditionalists. Systemic constraints identified included early academics, reading wars, and standardized testing. Teachers expressed frustration toward the school district that constrained them from teaching effectively through pushed-down curriculum and high-stakes testing. Descriptors: Educational Practices, Focus Groups, Interviews, Observation
(2000). Fair Testing: How Schools Should Protect Students' Rights in High-Stakes Testing, American School Board Journal. While recognizing high-stakes testing's value, both the "GI Forum" decision and the Office of Civil Rights guide raise questions that boards and educators should ask about the administration and consequences of their own testing programs. Methods for systematically collecting, analyzing, disseminating, and acting on test results are needed. Descriptors: Court Litigation, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Measurement
(2005). The Potential Impacts of Upcoming High-Stakes Testing on the Teaching of Science in Elementary Classrooms, Research in Science Education. In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform." This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany highstakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science. [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Educational Change, Testing Programs, Teacher Attitudes
(2012). A Study of the Development of Scientific Literacy in Students of Conservative Christian Schools, ProQuest LLC. A collision of concepts often occurs within the science classrooms of Christian schools. Students are faced with the task of accommodating biblical teachings with science theories that are not only incompatible but often directly conflicting. Teachers in the Christian school must choose to what extent and how this conflicting information will be addressed. Students must manage the tension caused by this conflict and then determine their own belief systems. High-stakes achievement testing also plays a role in the curriculum and instruction of science in the Christian school as well as public schools. Science literacy, a lifelong pursuit of understanding of the physical world, can be a victim of instructional strategies aimed at promoting student success on a specific test covering a specific set of facts instead of a comprehensive plan developed for individual-specific growth. This study was designed to gain an understanding of science literacy development of the middle school student in the Christian school. This was accomplished by comparing the individual component scores of the science Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus achievement test for a 3-year period of 5 Christian schools in Indiana to the overall state averages. Armed with this information, the study, in its second phase, included interviews of the 7th-grade science teachers of the included schools. The goal of the interviews was to provide meaning and substance to the score comparisons. The purpose of the study was to understand how the students in Christian schools compared to the overall population of students in areas of science that may conflict with their Biblical beliefs. Additionally, this study was developed to understand how the science teachers in Christian schools managed the conflict that develops between the Bible and theories of science. Findings from this study showed that students in Christian schools continue to score higher than the overall population of students in all content areas in the battery of the science test. Teachers attribute these scores to the multiple substantive discussions involving the competing views of the origin of Earth and man that occur in the classroom. [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: Scientific Literacy, Christianity, Middle School Students, Parochial Schools
(2000). Accountability and High-Stakes Testing: Are We Asking the Right Questions?, ERS Spectrum. Penetrates polarized rhetoric to examine four currently debated questions about high-stakes testing. Reframes certain questions: How can we provide instruction enabling students to score well on such tests without narrowing the curriculum? How can we restructure schools to help all children reach high standards? How can assessments be made more valid and useful? (Contains 31 references.) Descriptors: Accountability, Change Strategies, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests
(2004). Reconsidering the Impact of High-Stakes Testing, Education Policy Analysis Archives. Over the last fifteen years, many states have implemented high-stakes tests as part of an effort to strengthen accountability for schools, teachers, and students. Predictably, there has been vigorous disagreement regarding the contributions of such policies to increasing test scores and, more importantly, to improving student learning. A recent study by Amrein and Berliner (2002a) has received a great deal of media attention. Employing various databases covering the period 1990-2000, the authors conclude that there is no evidence that states that implemented high-stakes tests demonstrated improved student achievement on various external measures such as performance on the SAT[R], ACT, AP[R], or NAEP. In a subsequent study in which they conducted a more extensive analysis of state policies (Amrein & Berliner, 2002b), they reach a similar conclusion. However, both their methodology and their findings have been challenged by a number of authors. In this article, we undertake an extended reanalysis of one component of Amrein and Berliner (2002a). We focus on the performance of states, over the period 1992 to 2000, on the NAEP mathematics assessments for grades 4 and 8. In particular, we compare the performance of the high-stakes testing states, as designated by Amrein and Berliner, with the performance of the remaining states (conditioning, of course, on a state's participation in the relevant NAEP assessments). For each grade, when we examine the relative gains of states over the period, we find that the comparisons strongly favor the high-stakes testing states. Moreover, the results cannot be accounted for by differences between the two groups of states with respect to changes in percent of students excluded from NAEP over the same period. On the other hand, when we follow a particular cohort (grade 4, 1992 to grade 8, 1996 or grade 4, 1996 to grade 8, 2000), we find the comparisons slightly favor the low-stakes testing states, although the discrepancy can be partially accounted for by changes in the sets of states contributing to each comparison. In addition, we conduct a number of ancillary analyses to establish the robustness of our results, while acknowledging the tentative nature of any conclusions drawn from highly aggregated, observational data. [More] Descriptors: Testing, High Stakes Tests, Program Effectiveness, Grade 8
(2009). Assessment for Learning: Researching Implementation (Part 2), Education in Science. The first part of "Assessment for Learning" ("EiS", February 2009) summarised some of the research that led to the recognition of the benefit to be had from formative assessment. As noted there, hardly any of the studies had been carried out in normal classrooms, leaving questions over how to translate the general strategies identified in the research and how to introduce useful procedures to teachers. So, the questions of concern were, for example: was it necessary to put all the strategies into practice to obtain the benefits and, if not, were some more effective than others? Did teachers need to understand the reasons (in terms of theories of pupils' learning) for why the strategies "worked" or just that they did "work"? What changes in the classroom would indicate that Assessment for Learning (AfL) was being implemented? At the policy level, formative assessment, or AfL, has been taken up in different ways. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, attention to formative assessment has been part of much wider education policy changes, a key feature of which has been termination of high stakes national testing. This recognised the damage from such tests to pupils' learning experiences and to teaching, including inhibiting the implementation of formative assessment. In England, the action taken to implement formative assessment looks like an "add-on", compared with the radical changes in other parts of the UK. [More] Descriptors: Formative Evaluation, Foreign Countries, Curriculum Implementation, Educational Strategies
(2000). High-Stakes Testing: Too Much? Too Soon?, State Education Leader. This theme issue focuses on the use and consequences of high stakes tests. The lead article, "High-Stakes Testing: Too Much? Too Soon?" by Sherry Freeland Walker, introduces the topic and related issues, outlining the pros and cons of high stakes testing by the states. The problem, some experts say, is that states have tried to do too much too soon without the proper preparation and support for everyone involved. "The History of Testing," by Sherry Freeland Walker, traces the growth of high stakes testing through the last half century and in the present context of the standards movement. "High-Stakes Assessments Bring Out the Critics," by Jennifer Dounay, discusses a number of criticisms of high stakes testing and some responses from the public. "Why Is 'Teaching the Test' a Bad Thing?" by Lorrie Shepard, explores the issues of test score inflation, curriculum distortion, and safeguards against political pressures in testing. "How States Are Responding to Low-Performing Schools," by Katy Anthes, Susie Saavedra, Judie Mathers, and Jane Armstrong, describes the interventions states with high stakes accountability systems are using with low performing schools. The effects of high stakes tests on teacher education are outlined in "High-Stakes Testing Pressures Teacher Education" by Michael Allen. Other articles in this issue are: (1) "Maryland Moves toward Intervention" (Mary Fulton); (2) "Texas Test Withstanding Court Scrutiny" (Jill Weitz); (3) "Why Do We Need High-Stakes Assessments?" (Michael Sentance); (4) "Poor Test Results Lead to Math Consortium"; and (5)"Performance Management, Not Just Accountability" (Peter Robertson). [More] Descriptors: Accountability, Educational Testing, Elementary Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests