Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational assessment'

Within the field of undergraduate program assessment, anecdotal evidence abounds about negative faculty attitudes. Regardless of the common wisdom, there is little research that corroborates these reports. If reports are correct that faculty resistance is wide spread, it is still not clear if that resistance is toward accreditation, professional development, institutional requirements, other calls for accountability, or assessment. In fact, faculty members can be seen as spending much of their careers assessing: Faculty members routinely assess their students, a textbook they are using, whether the curriculum has adequately prepared students for the next class or their careers, and more. Faculty attitudes toward program assessment remain unclear and largely uninvestigated.

The focus of this study is based on 18 interviews of faculty members in three programs of study at a large, research-intensive, land grant institution. The approach is socially constructivist in nature; the theoretical lens is that faculty members have constructed concepts of assessment and that their constructions inform their participation. The study provides information about faculty attitudes toward assessment with a nuanced understanding toward the factors that influence their attitudes. The study reveals that faculty members view student learning outcome assessment as a call for accountability, a reaction that supports their fear that the information they provide will be used to cut positions and programs of study. When assessment is initiated within the program, however, faculty willingly participate to gain the information that assessment provides to improve their curriculum and their teaching. Additionally, how faculty construct their understanding of assessment is related to the epistemological foundations of their disciplines.

The study adds to the body of literature on faculty attitudes toward assessment. Next steps include incorporating faculty perspective and participation into the assessment process. Additional research will reveal the support needed for faculty to engage in assessment and for institutions to support that engagement.

This research study compared the three commonly used norm-referenced assessments (Northwest Evaluation Assessment, STAR Enterprise, and AIMSweb) to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. The basic question was which one of the three assessments provided the best predictive validity scores to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. Yearly scores from three years were gathered to evaluate which one of the three assessments had a stronger correlation score to the MCA. The study was confined to using 4^th grade scores from three different schools located on a Native American reservation. Each school used one of the three common standardized reference assessments, and each school administered the MCA in the spring using winter scores. These scores were used to evaluate whether a student is on track to reach proficiency on the MCA. Findings showed that two of the three assessments had strong correlation scores. NWEA-MAP and STAR Enterprise had the strongest correlation. Further findings showed that STAR Enterprise had the strongest correlation score with a caveat that this is a new assessment and needs more research. Findings from this study allow schools to use two of the assessments with confidence that it is giving them quality scores.

School leaders and principals have an obligation to use every tool at their disposal to maximize student achievement. All students deserve the best use of data to inform the decision-making of those entrusted to deliver the finest education available to them. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of principals in Los Angeles Archdiocesan high schools about the use of assessment data in their schools by finding how they were using assessment data to inform curricular and pedagogical decisions, and then determining what factors affect the use of assessment data to inform their curricular decision-making.

This study was a mixed-method investigation using a quantitative survey to find processes in Archdiocesan high schools that capture and utilize assessment data to inform decision-making, as well as to determine the principals’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges related to assessment data usage. The qualitative aspect of this study consisted of interviews of Archdiocesan high school principals meant to expand upon the findings of the survey. The findings of the study, viewed through the lens of a conceptual framework, suggest a breakdown in the use of data from the very beginning of the process. Standardized assessment data are the information used to drive curricular decisions while data from formative assessments and curriculum maps, are utilized less frequently. The study also found that, while principals feel that their teachers valued the use of data, there was room for growth in the protocols enlisted to analyze assessment data, and in the cultivation of a culture of collaboration and learning.

This research was based on a multi-case study design focused on the leadership practice of high school principals and assistant principals and their roles in improving graduation rates. The study sought to answer one overarching research questions: In schools that demonstrate an increase in graduation rates what leadership practices are evidenced in principals and assistant principals and teacher leaders. One sub-question addressed the tools and interventions that the leadership team practices in relation to improving graduation rates and the second sub-question addressed the accountability of changing standards with respect to graduation rates. A third sub-question sought to answer how interactions of principals and assistant principals relevant to improvement in student performance are interpreted by faculty and staff. The purposeful sample from each of the three high schools consisted of one principal, four assistant principals and one teacher leader. Data collection methods included interviews, observations and qualitative document review of high school graduation rates.

The study reveals six major findings: (a) school leaders establish a clear vision, mission or goal to increase graduation rates, (b) identification, management and evaluation of academic enrichment programs are necessary interventions for student success, (c) school leaders build a culture of student learning and achievement through a system of processes, programs and support initiatives, (d) the leadership team is knowledgeable, strongly motivated and devoted to their role as leaders in serving all students, (e) school leaders use data as guiding variables in making decisions regarding at-risk student achievement and success, and (f) school leaders develop and foster positive relationships with students and teachers.

As we become more advanced technologically in our online educational courses, it is imperative that we also incorporate effective research-based practices such as the use of formative assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of formative self-assessment to academic achievement and self-efficacy in online graduate courses. The research included a review of online education, formative assessment, self-efficacy, and associated learning theories.

A mixed methods study was used that included quantitative and qualitative data for triangulation of the study results. A correlational research design was used for the quantitative approach and a phenomenological research design was used for the qualitative approach. The correlational research design was chosen to examine the relationships between variables and to describe the current state. The phenomenological research design was chosen because the study was focused on the relationship of a particular phenomenon to the participant’s cognitive and dispositional experiences. The subjects included students that were enrolled in Master’s in Education or Doctor of Education courses from three universities located in Southern California. The methodology included student self-assessment through a project rubric, a survey to operationalize academic achievement, and a survey and interviews to operationalize student self-efficacy. While the statistical findings did not reflect strong correlations, the non-statistical findings reflected a positive relationship between formative self-assessment as it related to academic achievement and student self-efficacy in online graduate programs. Formative self-assessment provides online educators with a tool to enhance the course effectiveness and the overall learning process.

Since the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997 and then later, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act in 2004, students that display behaviors that impede learning require that a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) be conducted for the development of a behavior plan that is focused on Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies. The traditional FBA measures and analyzes environmental variables that trigger problem behaviors; however, it does not measure adaptive academic behavior skills that are needed for academic success in the classroom environment. This study’s literature review examines the reasons for incorporating a strength-based model for measuring academic behaviors for a more comprehensive analysis of a student’s strengths as well as deficits. Adaptive/academic behavior skill measurements are also appropriate for identifying and teaching replacement skills. This study examined an academic behavior tool that helps educators to identify both the student’s adaptive academic behavior strengths as well as behavior deficits during the FBA process. In addition, psychometric properties for the statistical relationships between behavior variables were measured for consistency, standardization, and better overall assistance for the classroom educator.

The findings of this analysis support that the psychometrics properties of the academic behavior assessment tool meets the measurements for a reliable and valid tool. The Alpha Cronbach Reliability test measured .96. The principle components factor analysis with a varimax rotation was measured. The factor analysis identified the connections between the studies demographic variables, and the relationship that existed amongst the 25 survey items of the tool. The eigenvalues greater than 1.0 resulted in a four-factor solution that accounted for 69.81% of the variance. Given that the first factor was six times or more times larger than any other factor, a decision to retain only one factor and retain all 25 items to create a total score.

Based on the psychometric measurements of this study, this academic behavior assessment tool possibly will help classroom educators address problem behaviors by identifying the appropriate replacement skills needed for the development of the BIP, interventions, and the FBA process. Additional findings suggest that, used as a screening tool, it may identify skill deficits with preschool-aged children, primary students, special education, and the RtI model, to connect both the academic and behavioral components needed to be taught for academic success.

Corporations seek Master of Business Administration (MBA) students who are ready to perform upon hiring. Business schools need to align instructional practices and technology with student, accreditation, and marketplace demands. Complex simulation use has increased exponentially to provide MBA students with business experience in the classroom. Methods to assess the effectiveness of complex simulations to achieve learning outcomes is limited to student perceptions of learning, satisfaction, and direct assessment separately. The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto comparative study was to examine MBA students’ perception of learning to real performance in integrative courses with complex simulation. Archival MBA student Peregrine COMP™ pretest, posttest, and SIRII™ scores were analyzed using independent t-test, paired sample t-test, and Pearson r coefficient. MBA students perceived higher levels of learning in courses with complex simulation based on the statistically significant increase in SIRII™ scores over courses without simulation. Another key finding from the quantitative study was the statistically significant negative correlation of students’ perception of learning to actual performance. Positive student perceptions of learning could hide a complex simulation’s inability to meet student learning outcomes, according to the statistically significant decrease between pretest, and posttest Peregrine COMP™ scores. Based on the quantitative correlation analysis of student perceptions of learning to actual performance, MBA administrators and faculty need to evaluate the use of instructional technology from multiple data points to avoid applications that offer minimal value to achieving learning outcomes. Future research opportunities could include a larger MBA population from multiple regions of the United States. Additional studies could investigate undergraduate perceptions of learning to actual performance to assess any benefit from complex simulations.

The Student Growth Objectives are assessments created locally or by commercial educational organizations. The students’ scores from the Student Growth Objectives are included in teacher summative evaluation as one of the measures of teacher’s effectiveness. The Danielson Model for Teaching and Learning supports the idea that assessment literate teachers are highly effective. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to identify New Jersey teachers’ competence in student educational assessments. Prizovskaya measured teachers’ assessment literacy level between different groups based on subject taught, years of experience, school assignment and educational degree attained. The data collection occurred via e-mail. Seven hundred ninety eight teachers received an Assessment Literacy Inventory survey developed by Mertler and Campbell. Eighty-two teachers fully completed the survey (N=82). The inferential analysis included an independent-sample t test, One-Way Analyses of Variances test, a post hoc, Tukey test and Welch and Brown-Forsythe tests. The results of this study indicated teachers’ overall score of 51% on entire instrument. The highest overall score of 61% was for Standard 1, Choosing Appropriate Assessment Methods (M = 0.61, SD = 0.23). The lowest overall score of 39% (M = 0.39 and SD = 0.24) was for Standard 2, Developing Appropriate Assessment Methods. The conclusion of this study was that New Jersey teachers demonstrated a low level of competence in student educational assessments. In general, the teacher assessment literacy did not improve during the last two decades. Keywords: assessment literacy, teacher evaluation, student assessment, effective teaching

Children from a low socioeconomic status (SES) are exposed to numerous stress factors that are negatively associated with sustained attention and academic performance. This association suggests that the timed component of lengthy assessments may be unfair for students from such backgrounds, as they may have an inability to sustain attention during lengthy tests. Research has also found academic disparities between gender. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the relationship between continuous and divided timed tests in terms of student test scores, with additional assessments incorporating gender. Two charter schools from a suburban Idaho school district were the sources of the convenience sample. Fifth grade students were tested in groups of approximately 30. The research questions for the study concerned the relationship between continuous and divided assessment protocols and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test scores for low- versus non-low-SES students and among gender. The hypothesis was that there would be a statistically significant difference in TAKS scores between continuous and divided assessments. An ANOVA was used to determine whether a statistical relationship existed between test scores and test protocol by gender. ANOVA results indicated no significant differences in math test scores between test protocols and among gender, suggesting that increased collaborative efforts between families and schools may mitigate factors associated with attentional and academic deficits among students from low-SES environments. The results of this study may be helpful for communities as they develop curricula that may close the academic gap among students of all SES backgrounds.

Community colleges across the nation are under increasing pressure to find ways to improve the rate of which students, placed in remediation, complete college-level coursework. The attrition of students placed into the lowest levels of developmental mathematics has been a challenge for many colleges to overcome. Research has well recorded the lack of progress of students placed three to four levels below a transfer-level course. Yet, few studies have compared the outcome of similar students in accelerated programs designed to shorten the pathways through remediation. This study focused on students placed in the lowest levels of remediation at two colleges offering consecutive sequences of course-redesign and compression models of acceleration. Using multivariate analyses, the comparative effect on completion rates of students accelerated through two different developmental math acceleration programs from two different colleges within a four year period (2013–2017) were examined. Moreover, this study used student background characteristics, math placement and math acceleration model to predict developmental and college level math course completion using logistic regression analysis.

The results of this study suggest students placed in developmental mathematics who are in an accelerated pathway have decreased time to complete remediation and a transfer-level math course. Findings indicate course-redesign acceleration model yielded more statistically significant improvements in transfer-level math and developmental math completion rates for first-generation students, as well as students placed in both low-level and mid-level remediation. The compression model of acceleration showed significant improvement in completion rates for students placed in mid-level remediation yet results were mixed for students placed in low-level remediation. Students in consecutive acceleration courses were most likely to complete a transfer-level math course, and historically underrepresented minority students were more likely to complete remediation, under certain circumstances, in the compression acceleration model.

These findings inform the college administrators on the potential of sequential accelerated programs. The implications of these results contribute to redesigning academic programs and support current developmental policy reforms. Community colleges are encouraged to consider the recommendations in this study, such as integrating course redesign in California Assembly Bill 705 and California Community College Guided Pathways, to help non-traditional students who are most often placed into the lowest levels of remediation.