Author(s)

Tracey LangeFollow

Date

4-2014

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Cristie McClendon

Keywords

benchmark assessment, data-driven-decision making, formative assessment, interim assessment

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Secondary Education and Teaching

Abstract

The role of data analysis in the jobs of instructional leaders has become as commonplace as teachers creating lesson plans and taking roll in the classroom. Teachers and building leaders routinely use interim assessment data to develop thoughtful and robust instructional plans that address identified areas of student need. The link between the interim assessment data collection and student learning includes the pedagogical changes that teachers implement based on the data from these interim assessments. However, teachers do not always know how to use the data for this purpose or do not always make necessary changes in their instruction. As a result, student achievement goes unchanged. The purpose of this evaluative qualitative case study was to explore how high school teachers used interim assessment data to evaluate their instruction, and if, or how they made resulting changes in that instruction as they prepared students for the Virginia Reading, Literature, and Research (RLR), as well as the Algebra I, II, and Geometry Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments in one school located in Virginia. A secondary purpose of the study was to explore the pedagogical changes teachers had made, if any, in response to reviewing this data. The discovery process highlighted how the teachers used the interim assessment data, their own content knowledge, and pedagogical skills to change their instructional approaches to the content based on the interim assessment feedback.

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