Education Commons^™

Principals' Opinions On The Impact Of High-Stakes Testing On Teaching And Learning In The Public Elementary Schools In The State Of Utah, Raylene Jo Hadley

Theses and Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) brought high-stakes testing to the forefront of American public education. With its call for teachers and schools to be accountable for academic performance, NCLB has focused the spotlight on yearly progress, as measured by students' test scores. Issues associated with this charge include the questionable reliability of tests, the variation evident in state standards, and the consequences an emphasis on high-stakes testing may have on teaching and learning in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consequences of high-stakes testing on teaching and learning in public elementary …

Utah Kindergarten Teachers' Challenges And Concerns About Teaching Kindergarten, Ruth Jane Liebschutz Moore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study was an exploration of 55 Utah kindergarten teachers' perceptions of challenges in teaching. It investigated written concerns teachers expressed in a statewide survey of kindergarten teachers. Study findings indicated that two main issues were communicated by teachers: a disparity between their developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices in the classroom, and concerns about children's kindergarten readiness and transition to school. About 56% of teachers felt a struggle in implementing their developmentally appropriate beliefs about education, for a variety of reasons: large class sizes, district and state mandates, and lack of resources, particularly time. Furthermore, 53% of educators conveyed …

Explicitly Differentiated Eighth-Grade Reading Instruction In A Rural Middle School Seeking To Reestablish Adequate Yearly Progress Benchmarks, John W. Hill, Sean Dunphy

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of explicitly differentiated reading instruction on eighth-grade students’ reading comprehension assessment scores and classroom reading grade scores in a rural middle school seeking to reestablish satisfactory No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress, benchmarks. After one school year of participation in assessment-based and readiness-focused explicitly differentiated instruction, randomly assigned students across all three reading ability conditions high (n = 25), middle (n = 25), and low (n = 25) had statistically significantly improved pretest-posttest reading comprehension assessment scores and classroom reading grade scores. Furthermore, statistical equipoise was observed for posttest-posttest …

The Effects Of The Implementation Of Nclb On The Achievement Gap Between African American And White Students In Georgia Middle Schools, Stacey Lee Benson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between the implementation of No Child Left Behind and the achievement gap between African American and white students' eighth-grade math scores on the yearly-standardized test (Criterion Referenced Competency Test - CRCT) in Georgia. A descriptive research design was utilized to examine data obtained from the Georgia Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report cards for each school. The research population was 50 randomly selected middle schools in the state of Georgia. The study found the following: 1) there was an achievement gap between eighth-grade African American and white students' math CRCT scores before the implementation of NCLB …

Identifying Social Studies Content Embedded Inelementary Basal Readers, Wendy Taylor Workman

Theses and Dissertations

In the current educational climate of federally mandated assessments of student learning, the survival of the elementary social studies curriculum may depend on interdisciplinary instructional methods to link social studies to the accountability-favored discipline of literacy. The purpose of this content analysis study was to examine and identify social studies content embedded within a second grade and a fifth grade basal reader from the 2008 Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. Each of the basals were read and coded using the Utah State Office of Education Social Studies Standards indicators and the National Council for the Social Studies Standards as a priori …

A Principal’S Dilemma: Instructional Leader Or Manager, Bettye Grigsby, Gary Schumacher, John Decman, Felix Iii Simieou

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

This study focuses on the emphasis principals’ place on the design and delivery of curriculum and instruction on individual campuses and the extent federal regulation has impacted principal behaviors as instructional leaders. The transformation from the principal’s role of manager to that which is inclusive of instructional leadership is due to the steady increase of the regulations governing the accountability system culminating in No Child Left Behind. In fact, “ … one in three principals says implementation of NCLB is the most pressing issue he or she is facing” (Sergiovanni, 2009, p. 44).

Administrator’S Electronic Checklist A Teacher Accountability System For Building Transformation, Michael Mott, Jerilou Moore, Temeka Shannon

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Data-driven decision making is a major role of principals and school-based administrators. These decision makers use data to improve not only student performance, but also to identify teacher competency, needs for professional development, allocation of resources, and communication of data results (3D, 2010). The format used to collect and report data is varied, but technology seems to be the most widely used means of collection by school districts. There are web-based systems, as well as district developed formats for monitoring student achievement. An effective system of data collection is a simple, easy to use format that provides results in a …

No Child Left Behind: School Processes Associated With Positive Changes, Collaborative Partnership, And Principal Leadership, Thienhuong Hoang

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Parent involvement is one of the key components of the NCLB Act. Under NCLB, every school district is mandated to develop processes to ensure meaningful ways to engage parents. The requirements for parental involvement rest on the premise that parents acting as informed advocates to hold schools and school district accountable. The value placed on family involvement at the federal, district, and local school levels reflects decades of research showing the connection between family involvement and positive student outcomes. Studies on family involvement have concluded that students’ home environment and family involvement are important predictors of a variety of academic …

The Evolving School Improvement Fund, Anne-Maree Ruddy, Ellen Prusinski

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The School Improvement Fund (Section 1003(g) of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) recognizes that schools with high percentages of students in poverty may require additional support in order to help their students achieve academic proficiency. As such, the 1003(g) School Improvement Fund has since 2007 provided competitive funding opportunities to Title I schools considered to be in improvement status under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Fund has provided vital financial support necessary to make critical improvements in the teaching and learning environment of grantee schools, including enhancing professional development for teachers, …

Practicing Democracy In The Nclb Elementary Classroom, Margaret H. Davis

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The practice of teaching democracy in school is diminishing. The implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has forced teachers to teach to the test, and has required some to follow scripted curriculum, leaving little time or incentive for teaching democracy. This study examines the importance of practicing democracy and identifies ways in which it can be done in the NCLB classroom. The literature demonstrates the importance of teaching democracy through practice in schools. Ideas on how to accomplish this in the pre-NCLB classroom are well documented. By surveying public school teachers, this paper endeavors to bring awareness to its …

Student's Attitudes Toward High-Stakes Testing And Its Effect On Educational Decisions, Aldo Alfredo Moran

Dissertations

With the recent increase in accountability due to No Child Left Behind, graduation rates and drop-out rates are important indicators of how well a school district is performing. High-stakes testing scores are at the forefront of a school's success and recognition as a school that is preparing and graduating students to meet society's challenging demands.

*please download the dissertation to see the full Abstract.

Superintendent Perceptions Of The Accreditation Process In The State Of Mississippi, Betty Mae Merhundrew

Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 provides guidelines that all public schools in the United States must follow. Provisions of this law require that specific assessments be given to all students in schools across the United States and that individual states establish one system of accountability for all schools. Although much is being done, public schools are still lacking in the area of accountability reform. Many states set their own achievement goals and standards for which schools within their states are measured and then held accountable for students’ performance. This study examined the perceptions of all Mississippi school …

A Longitudinal Study Of Block Scheduling Versus Traditional Scheduling In Mississippi Schools: Utilizing The Mississippi Student Assessment System And Administrators’ Perceptions, Linda Oettiker Smith

Dissertations

Accountability has become increasingly important in an era of financial stress coupled with the demand for continuous improvement, demonstrated through state mandated tests. In order to address the accountability issues associated with No Child Left Behind and in all probability the future Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is critical to have current data regarding issues related to student achievement. For over a decade, school leaders have been encouraged to examine instructional time, or the use of scheduling formats, such as block scheduling.

This study was intended to provide school and district-level administrators with additional data relevant to the effect …

The Impact Of Evaluation Upon Teacher Leadership, Ismael Abujarad, Noraini Yusof

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Mary Olsen took over the Principalship of a large elementary school of over 1500 students in a crowded urban area. From day one, things did not go as she had planned. The first day it rained, upsetting her plans to have an outdoor line up and greet the students and parents together. When meeting the teachers, she expected a sense of collaboration and willingness to work hard. Instead she faced two diverse groups of educators: one was the veteran work force who did not want any changes, having been at the job for twenty plus years. The second group was …

Meeting The Needs Of Struggling Readers In High School: What Are Rural Schools Doing?, William D. Bursuck, Susan Robbins, Kurt Lazaroff

The Rural Educator

Implementing effective reading programs to meet the demans of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) represents an immense challenge for all high schools, but the challenges for rural high schools may be particularly acute. Rural schools have large concentrations of children living in poverty, greater per-pupil costs and low fiscal capacity, all of which can make meeting the demands of NCLB difficult. The purpose of this article is to report the results of research that examined the question of what rural high schools are doing to meet the needs of their struggling readers. The results of focus groups from …

Home Learning Activities: A Feasible Practice For Increasing Parental Involvement, Heather Bower, Joelle Powers, Laurie Graham

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Research has substantiated the importance of increased parental involvement in schools for improving student academic outcomes. Parental involvement in education has been found to be positively associated with child academic success across multiple populations and age groups (Gutman & McLoyd, 2000; Lareau, 2000; López, Scribner & Mahitivanichcha, 2001; Steinburg, Lamborn, Dornbusch, & Darling, 1992). Results suggest that when parents are actively involved in their child’s education, long lasting academic, social, and emotional benefits occur (Chavkin, 2006). For example, Hill and Craft (2003) found that increased parental involvement leads to early social competence, which predicts academic success. Similarly, parental involvement in …

Predicting Adequate Yearly Progress: Leaving Explanation Behind, Jenifer Moore

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The purpose of this research was to determine if the variables included in the Mississippi Report Card utilized for the calculation of AYP can be used to predict whether or not Mississippi LEAs will attain adequate yearly progress in reading and math using the logistic regression technique. This study demonstrated that using the variables utilized for the calculation of AYP, a predictive model can be successfully utilized to classify Mississippi LEAs that will and will not attain AYP in reading and math with an accuracy greater than that which can be attributed to chance.

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence Of Principals And Student Performance In Mississippi Public Schools, Wanda Maulding, Amy Townsend, Edward Leonard, Larry Sparkman

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Just as the quality of teachers affects students’ academic success, the quality of school leadership is significantly related to student achievement, (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2000). The job of the school administrator is challenging in any set of circumstances, but the leadership in low and marginally performing schools presents additional and unique challenges. In fact, some districts are faced with the socio-economic circumstances often correlated with poor performance (Heck, 1992). Breaking the cycle of poverty for these students is much more likely to occur if the type of quality educational programming afforded to prospective school administrators is dramatically and innovatively enhanced.

Narrowing Of Curriculum: Teaching In An Age Of Accountability, Donna Kay Newberg-Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation made clear the need for increased accountability of U.S. public schools in 2002, there has been a trend toward narrowing curriculum in social studies and other core subjects to focus predominantly on what is tested through state exams. Concerns exist regarding the unintended consequences of curriculum narrowing on low, middle and high socioeconomic status (SES) students in public schools.

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) have been tracking the effects of NCLB since it took effect in 2002 and found that 71 percent of districts nationwide …