ERIC Number: ED362836
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1993-Nov
Pages: 47
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Assessment and Decision Making in Alpha. Technical Report No. 589.
Stephens, Diane; And Others
This report presents findings from Alpha, one of four school districts examined in a series of case studies that investigated the complex relationship between reading assessment and instruction. The research was situated in the context of school decision making. Teachers, principals, parents, students, and central office staff were interviewed to determine how decisions were made in the district and how that decision-making process influenced assessment and instruction. In addition, teachers were observed, and discussions were conducted with them about the observations. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed, and field notes from the observations were elaborated. A constant comparative method was used to identify patterns in the data. In Alpha, it was found that assessment-as-test had little impact on instruction. Tests were given and scores were noted, but teachers' opinions, often based on their own non-standardized assessments, were valued more than data from standardized tests. Teachers in Alpha had both control and autonomy; they were seen as professionals and as decision makers. In this district, the focus was on the individual--students, teachers, schools--and the emphasis was on responsibility, not on accountability. (One table and two figures of data are included; a letter to prospective schools describing the research project, and a list of interview and observation codes are attached.) (Author/RS)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Center for the Study of Reading, Urbana, IL.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A