Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

4912

Date

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Leadership and Policy Studies

Concentration

Policy Studies

Committee Chair

Reginald Leon Green

Committee Member

Charisse Gulosino

Committee Member

Mary Boudreaux

Committee Member

Lou Franceschini

Abstract

The different reform initiatives, which ushered in the accountability movement, were authorized to increase the responsibility of student learning in an effort to close achievement gaps and improve the education of all students. Thus, assessments have become the driving force for determining students' learning outcomes in meeting accountability requirements. Nevertheless, principals and teachers realized that assessments used only to measure the totality of student learning are not enough to address the diverse academic needs of all students. They also need formative assessment. Teachers' use of formative assessment can assist principals by generating classroom and team-based data for student achievement that leads to school improvement. This study had a two-fold purpose. First, the study examined the extent to which teachers perceived that they employed the five strategies of formative assessment in the classroom. Secondly, the study examined teachers' acknowledgement of a school-wide culture that values formative assessment that could influence their use of this practice in the classroom and as a team. Seventy-seven teachers participated in the study. The results revealed that the teachers did not employ the five strategies of formative assessment with equal frequency. Strategy 2, engineering discussions, tasks, and activities that will elicit evidence of learning, had a mean of 3.22 and was used most frequently by teachers. Strategy 5, activating students as owners of their learning, had a mean of 2.72 and was used the least by teachers. Teachers' personal and professional characteristics revealed no statistically significant difference in the frequency with which they use the five strategies of formative assessment in the classroom. Teachers acknowledged principals as proponents of using formative assessment. However, the data indicated that they did not frequently collaborate as a team to create tests to be used formatively across grade levels and subject areas. The results also revealed positive correlations between teachers' acknowledgement of a formative assessment culture and their frequent use of the five strategies in the classrooms. But, a multiple regression was conducted and indicated that only strategy 2 had a significant influence on teachers' perception of a school-wide culture that values formative assessment.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

Download

Share

COinS