ERIC Number: ED479794
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2003-Apr
Pages: 26
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Alternative Assessment: Primary Grade Literacy Teachers' Attitudes and Practices.
Culbertson, Linda Doutt; Wenfan, Yan
This study investigated primary grade literacy teachers' attitudes toward and practices in alternative assessment by examining the relationship between each and by identifying factors which influence each. Data collection consisted of a survey of 73 elementary schools within one Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were analyzed to answer proposed research questions. Primary grade literacy teachers (n=482) were asked to respond to questions relating to their school and professional attributes, the professional development opportunities afforded them, and their knowledge or and practices in alternative assessment. Survey findings from 159 respondents show that small class size, district-sponsored training, and sufficient time for planning, implementation, collaboration, and reflection contributed overall to teachers knowledge of and practices in alternative assessment. Teachers attitudes toward alternative assessment were also influenced by the professional freedom to choose assessment techniques. Teacher practices in alternative assessment were shown to increase when administrator support, sufficient resources, scholarly reading, and the professional freedom to choose assessment techniques increased. Based on these results, several recommendations for educators are made to prompt more effective assessment in primary grade classrooms. (Contains 5 tables and 28 references.) (Author/SLD)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, April 21-25, 2003). For another paper about this study, see TM 035 039.