Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational standards'

Assessing student learning has been part of education since the beginning of formalized schooling. Developments at the national, state, and local level have led to grading reforms over the past quarter century. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ and teachers’ perceptions of standards-based grading to determine if there was a significant difference on standardized tests scores between students graded using standards-based grading and students graded using traditional grading. Teachers and students from one Missouri high school were interviewed to determine their perceptions about standards-based grading. A stratified sample was utilized to select interviewees. Artifacts from the district were analyzed to determine the process in the implementation of standards-based grading. Quantitative data were obtained from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to compare the Missouri Assessment Performance (MAP) Index scores and means on end-of-course exams from the participating high school with Missouri students. A t-test was utilized to determine the difference between the two means. The data revealed teachers’ perceptions of standards-based grading were varied, with only two teachers who preferred standards-based grading. Student perceptions were more positive than those of teachers, with 50% of students who were interviewed preferring standards-based grading. Quantitative data revealed no statistically significant difference between the means on end-of-course exams of students assessed with standards-based grading and students assessed with traditional grading in five of the eight subject areas studied.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact of teacher attitudes and to discover other factors that have an impact on the implementation of a standards-based grading program. This descriptive phenomenology features interviews of 25 educators from Georgia as well as other states and two foreign countries in order to collect their perspectives of the lived experience of the implementation process.

The findings of this study suggest that the attitudes teachers have regarding the implantation process of a standards-based grading program do have a significant impact on the process. Those participants who described themselves as having a positive attitude towards the transition tended to also describe experiencing a more successful implementation of the program. The converse was true as participants describing their experience as being controlled by a negative attitude towards the transition experienced less successful transitions to the standards-based grading program. The findings of this study suggest that school leaders play a vital role in creating a successful implementation process and that other factors such as the quality of professional development and the element of time impact the process.

With only four years of mandated state-standards in adult basic education (ABE), very little is known about the influence of state-standards implementation on the unique learning needs of its adult students. Two decades of research on standards-based education in the U.S. K12 system has yielded widely debated results regarding the impact of state-standards on student achievement. Against this backdrop, state-standards implementation within the distinct context of Minnesota ABE was examined in this study, specifically the perceived influence of standards implementation on teacher practices and student engagement in cognitive rigor, as well as the teacher, site, and student characteristics reported to have either supported or challenged implementation. The basic qualitative design was utilized to collect and interpret the perceptions and experiences of its sample of 12 Minnesota ABE teachers from distinct instructional contexts with 12 or more hours of standards implementation training. Data triangulation was utilized for data collection, including an interview and two member checks. The inductive analysis procedure in concert with the constant comparative method was used to analyze the interviews and develop themes and deeper connections based on the theory of complex adaptive systems. The results of the study showed that, overall, participants reported modest changes in their teaching practices that they perceived to have increased their students’ engagement in cognitive rigor. Participants also reported modest changes in student demonstration of learning that indicated increased cognitive rigor. Findings indicated a minimal contrast to the inconclusive nature of the K12 research base in establishing a link between standards implementation and increased student achievement. Furthermore, the findings showed that state leaders should continue to offer robust training and support teacher collaboration.

This study followed mindset changes in elementary teachers as they transitioned from traditional grading to standards based grading during the earliest stages of the change process. A pre- and post-survey of mindsets of participants, individual interviews, and a focus group interview were conducted. While the results of the pre- and post-survey did not reveal a significant mindset shift, interviews with participants revealed the role of hands-on professional development and interaction with instructional coaches in transitioning teachers to standards based grading and were accompanied by participant examples of shifts in mindsets. Future research recommendations include following this change process through the entire implementation phase, a study of parents’ understanding of standards based grading, a review of other factors that contribute to a shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and finally, analyzing the unleashing phase of change to determine if it creates change initiatives beyond standards based grading.

This study, Teacher Insight: The Implementation of the Common Core State Standards in California School Districts was designed to glean teacher voice on the large-scale reform. With a need for a global workforce in a 21st century society the existing education system is undergoing a tremendous change in order to prepare students for college and career. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was fourfold: (a) to determine how the implementation of the Common Core State Standards is changing teacher practices related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment; (b) to investigate the concerns and challenges faced by teachers as they implement the Common Core State Standards; (c) to determine what types of professional development teachers have been offered regarding the Common Core State Standards and what they perceive has been most beneficial; and (d) to determine what teachers still need from their site leadership to make the implementation successful. Additionally, this study was performed with surveys and interviews administered in three California school districts. Upon examination of the responses from teachers, this study yielded four conclusions. First, implementation of the Common Core State Standards has changed teacher instructional practices. With the fusion of the 21st century skills into the Common Core State Standards teachers are challenged with teaching the new academic standards and simultaneously providing instruction with 21st century skills. Second, implementation of the Common Core State Standards has generated concerns and challenges of teachers. Third, teachers state that collaboration is the most beneficial form of professional development. Fourth, the implementation has created needs from teachers of site leadership. The study also yielded four recommendations. First, it is recommended that school districts provide teachers with professional development on 21st century skills. Second, it is recommended that school districts allocate funding for the purchase of Common Core State Standard resources that have both rigor and relevance. Third, it is recommended that collaboration be the type of professional development that districts utilize, as teachers state it is the most beneficial. Fourth, site leaders are advised to address the needs of teachers by providing them with resources they need for the implementation.

Enacting a vision and surviving as a first-year high school principal in a new suburban school district can be a complex and difficult journey. Secondary-level principals have varied roles, including the improvement of teachers’ practice and student achievement, branding (or rebranding) the school, and acting as community leaders. This retrospective autobiographical research study of an experienced school administrator during the first year of a high school principalship will examine how a principal enacts his vision and educational philosophy while managing the daily operations and expectations associated with a comprehensive suburban high school against the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (2015). Current educational research does not describe the experiences of high school principals’ comprehensively. Similarly, the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) (2015) are relatively new and unexplored concerning their alignment to the role and responsibilities of first year principals. The literature review reveals the role’s complexity, its changing nature, and how principals lead change and deal with conflict while also defining and exploring the notion of a principal’s style. The literature review examines the known aspects about the first year of the principalship. Lastly, the literature review examines the evolution of the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (2015) and how these standards relate to professional practice. As the participant-researcher, the high school principal, engages in his first year in a new building and district, the question “How do a first-year principal’s experiences and understanding of their role and responsibilities align with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders?” will be explored.

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was the identification of teachers’ perceptions of professional development during the transition to and implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the classroom. National reform efforts driven by an increased need for skill acquisition applicable to diverse needs in an ever-expanding global economy and increased demands for teacher accountability in the realm of student achievement requires additional teacher professional development. This study applied the constructs of social learning theory and constructivism in developing both the research questions and subsequent interview questions used during the data collection phase. Identification of overarching themes and patterns in participant responses provided crucial information relevant to the ongoing development of teacher professional development training opportunities from which teachers improve and expand pedagogical knowledge while applying CCSS in classroom instruction. The key emergent these derived from data analysis include, Theme 1: Sharing informational resources; Theme 2: Engagement and active participation; Theme 3: Collaboration enhances implementation; and Theme 4: Implementation and support. This study has the prospective to provide positive progress in the development and delivery of professional development aligned to teachers’ stated interests and concerns.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between the implementation of standards-based grading (SBG) and a rise in student achievement as indicated by the evaluation of end-of-course exam data from the four core subject areas in secondary schools—English, Algebra, Government, and Biology. This mixed methods study focused on the collected data of 6,000 test scores, split evenly from tests taken prior to the launch of SBG and after the launch of SBG, as well as focusing on varying perceptions of SBG from both teachers and members of the community as a whole. Quantitative data consisted of test scores aggregated by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MODESE) and distributed to school districts. Qualitative data were secondary in nature and taken from two separate surveys administered by the Cooperating School District to teachers and parents concerning how they felt about the implementation of SBG. These data were aggregated and analyzed by using coding techniques for qualitative data to determine the study outcomes. The quantitative data indicated that there was no statistically significant increase in test scores over the five years researched for this study. The qualitative data indicated that perceptions of SBG were frequently negative in nature, although there were varying degrees of negativity. This result came from both the teacher and parent responses. According to these qualitative data, parents and teachers alike viewed SBG as diminishing the foundation of the education the students were receiving, while at the same time inadequately preparing them for the post-secondary world in that too many chances were given for them to succeed under SBG.

The purpose of this study was to elicit the perceptions of high school principals regarding state education standards and whether or not increasing education standards has a positive impact on student achievement. Missouri adopted a new set of standards which placed academic focus on fewer topics per subject and required teachers to create lessons that increased critical thinking within the classroom (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [MODESE], 2013b). To identify how the new standards might affect student achievement, four research questions were asked as part of this study. As a result of these questions, findings showed perceptions of the Missouri Learning Standards were more favorable than those associated with Common Core. It was believed among participants of this study that school districts have to develop professional development programs which provide information relevant to instruction and are organized around district goals. Data collected exposed student achievement is more likely to increase if new standards cause school districts to focus on specific goals and if teachers fully understand how to teach the new standards. By failing to adequately prepare teachers, school districts will struggle to properly prepare students for life after high school. Through a renewed focus on teacher comprehension of education standards, school districts can increase student achievement deficiencies and increase the number of students who graduate college- and career-ready.

Report cards and standards-based assessing, grading and reporting continue to be relevant topics of focus for educators. This qualitative study is based on a problem of practice in a school district in northern Illinois that recently implemented standards-based report cards (SBRCs). This study developed while I was a principal of an elementary school during initial implementation of SBRCs. This dissertation expanded from the initial focus on understanding parental perspectives of SBRCs to better understanding the communicative value of SBRCs and professional development that could help parents and teachers.

The research question that informed this qualitative study is: How do parents perceive the strengths and weaknesses of SBRCs? The parents in this study provided insight about strengths and challenges of SBRCs and explained why different teacher communication during the SBRC process provided them with a more comprehensive understanding of their child’s academic performance in school. Effective implementation of SBRCs should maximize comprehensive communication throughout the entire process to enhance parent understanding. Findings from this study can be used by school districts to focus their efforts, knowledge, and professional development on standards-based assessing, grading and reporting that will directly impact the teaching, learning, assessing and communicating in schools.