Browsing by Subject "High-stakes testing"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Academic achievement outcomes of former English-language-learners in Texas(2011-05) Ren, Han; Cawthon, Stephanie W.; Rude, Stephanie S.Texas has one of the highest populations of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S., with a complex system for their placement, education, and assessment. Spanish speaking, Hispanic ELLs represent a large proportion of this population. The long-term academic achievement of these ELLs identified in elementary is not well known, especially under the policy changes of No Child Left Behind. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, this study compares student achievement, as measured by high-stakes testing, of Hispanic ELLs enrolled in Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, and their non-ELL, demographically similar peers. Data will be examined at four time points spanning 3rd-9th grade, to suggest implications of Texas educational policy on student achievement.Item Academic achievement outcomes of Latino English-language learners in Texas: a longitudinal analysis(2015-12) Ren, Han; Cawthon, Stephanie W.; Pituch, Keenan A; Svinicki, Marilla D; Keith, Timothy Z; Lopez, Molly ATexas has one of the highest populations of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S., with a complex system for ELL identification, program placement, and high- stakes assessment. Spanish-speaking Latino ELLs represent a large proportion of this population in this state. The long-term academic achievement of ELLs identified in elementary grades and educated in different program placements is not well known. Prior research presents support for Bilingual Education models as most promising for future student achievement. Using strict sampling criteria and analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures, this study compared student achievement during secondary years, as measured by high-stakes assessments, of demographically similar Latino former-ELLs, long-term ELLs, and non-ELLs who received a variety of language service programming during elementary school. This study examined data from a cohort of 18,188 students enrolled in all 10 major urban school districts in Texas from 3rd to 9th grades, between the 2003-2004 and 2009-2010 school years. Math and reading high-stakes test scores during students’ 7th and 9th grade years were used as outcome variables. Key findings show that ELLs who did not receive any language programming have significantly higher achievement outcomes than ELLs who received English as a Second Language (ESL), Bilingual Education, or equal years of ESL and Bilingual. These students performed on par with their non-ELL peers in both math and reading. Results also show achievement differences between former-ELLs who were able to achieve English language proficiency by the start of middle school, and long-term ELLs who remained ELL through secondary education. Former-ELLs had favorable outcomes, with math achievement scores that were higher than non-ELLs, whereas long-term ELLs performed significantly lower than both former- ELLs and non-ELLs at all study points. Interactions between programming received and ELL-type, as well as the effects of immigration status and district of enrollment were explored. Results were unexpected and highlight the need for further longitudinal research on existing ELL populations across the state of Texas. Implications of this study support current educational policies that shift away from prolonged Bilingual Education toward ESL and mainstream-English only programming for ELLs. Additional policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.Item The effect of grade-level retention on student success as defined by the Student Success Initiative of Texas(2010-05) Christenson, Barbara Lynn, 1954-; Olivárez, Rubén; Ovando, Martha N.; Cantu, Norma V.; Rilling, Karon C.; Greer, Carolyn A.Public education in the United States is currently enveloped in an era of intense accountability. At the national level the No Child Left Behind Act, demands accountability in any district or school receiving federal funds One of the goals of the No Child Left Behind legislation had its roots in the Texas education accountability statute of 1999, when former governor George W. Bush signed into law a mandate that became known as the Student Success Initiative. That law required students in the 3rd grade to pass the state reading assessment in order to be promoted to the 4th grade, beginning in the year 2003. The same group of students would be required to pass their 5th and 8th grade reading and math exams to be promoted to the next grade level. The initiative continued for all students. In opposition to the those policies, the body of research regarding grade-level retention concludes that the practice of grade retention is ineffective in increasingstudent achievement (Jimerson, 2001, Harness, 1984, McCoy, 1999). This study examined the Student Success Initiative in Texas. The goal was to determine whether retention in 3rd, 5th, or 8th grade made a signification difference in subsequent TAKS scores in comparison with students who were placed in the next grade level by the official Grade Placement Committee. Data was analyzed from three large urban school districts in Texas. Results were consistent across the three school districts. Students who were retained in third grade performed better the subsequent year in third grade, but those successes did not continue consistently through the 5th and 8th grade years. Students retained in 5th grade for math performed poorly on subsequent tests, as did students retained in the 8th grade for reading or math. However, the group of students that was retained in 5th grade due to failure of the TAKS Reading test exhibited success in the subsequent year as well as the 8th grade year. Overall, TAKS students who were retained did not perform better than students who were placed in the next grade level as they progressed through 8th grade.Item Literacy teaching practices and school reform : an ethnographic study of teachers' relationship with reform(2012-05) Zoch, Melody Jin Patterson; Wetzel, Melissa; Bomer, Randy; Maloch, Beth; Hoffman, James V; Schallert, DianeThis ethnographic study examines the relationship between teachers’ literacy teaching practices and the pressures created from large-scale reform and high-stakes testing. The participants were staff members at one elementary school that primarily serves Latino students, with a history of low-test scores. Primarily drawing on field notes of classroom observations and meetings as well as interview transcripts, this study demonstrates how testing infiltrated literacy teaching at the school and classroom level. Organizational decisions were made to support test preparation in 3rd-5th grades, but resulted in uneven support for teachers and students in the form of monetary resources and how support staff were used. In terms of bilingual education, informed decisions determined students’ language of instruction and testing, but otherwise received little attention. At the classroom level, test preparation infused daily literacy instruction despite a general consensus among teachers that teaching to the test was against their own beliefs. The subsequent literacy teaching practices resulted in narrow definitions of literacy reduced to disconnected skills in isolation without clear connections to meaningful uses of literacy. The ways in which test preparation affected the classroom life could be seen in the ways teachers organized their class schedules to accommodate test preparation, the specific strategies test-taking strategies they taught, and the use of assessments to track student progress and make instructional decisions. While teaching to the test presented challenges for their beliefs, a minority of teachers found ways to make their practices as theoretically defensible as possible while still supporting students with test preparation, such as through the use of high quality children’s literature. Some teachers also participated in conferences and organizations outside of the school as a way of extending their teaching and the curriculum. The findings from this study expand on what we know about teachers’ response to reform and testing because of their ability to respond with agency in a context that otherwise positions them as less-than-professionals. These teachers offer a heartening example of what we really need—proactive decision makers in the classroom who can navigate the demands of working in a high-stakes testing culture while still promoting quality literacy instruction.Item Reading instruction in a high-stakes world: a comparative case study of three fifth-grade teachers(Texas Tech University, 2008-12) Willey-Rendon, Ruby; Watson, Patricia; Furgerson, Paige; Morgan-Fleming, Barbara; Price, Margaret A.Teachers in the United States are faced with the challenges of educating students to the best of their abilities while being held accountable for the test results that these students produce. Therefore, teachers are balancing their beliefs of how to teach reading and the demands of high-stakes testing in order to successfully educate their students as well as accommodate the needs of state high-stakes testing requirements. Previous studies of high-stakes testing and instruction have explored that high-stakes testing has an impact on instruction. While they have explored that high-stakes testing impacts instruction they have not focused on the why or how. The purpose of this qualitative, comparative, case study investigation was to better understand how three fifth grade reading/language arts teachers’ plan for instruction in a high-stakes testing situation. Participants in this case study included three fifth grade reading/language arts teachers. The twelve week data collection consisted of formal interviews, classroom observations, reflective journals, and lesson plans. The data was complied and placed into predetermined categories, open coded, and themes were identified. The findings of this study disclosed that teachers under large amounts of pressure due to high-stakes testing alter their instruction to prepare for the high-stakes test and teach in ways that contradict their educational philosophy. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that high-stakes testing has a negative impact on teachers, students, and instruction.Item School social workers’ perceptions of the impact of high-stakes accountability testing in schools(2011-08) Riordan, Christine Lagana; Franklin, Cynthia; Aguilar, Jemel; Harris, Mary Beth; Reyes, Pedro; Streeter, CalvinAfrican American and Hispanic students and students from families with lower income are particularly at-risk for differential academic achievement and dropout. When students underachieve at school or dropout, they often face severe consequences such as increased risk of incarceration and unemployment. School social workers strive to prevent poor academic achievement and the associated negative outcomes. In recent years, federal and state education policy has focused on reducing disparities in academic achievement through the creation of policies that use high-stakes testing requirements to hold schools accountable for student learning. Research studies on teacher perceptions of high-stakes testing indicate that it is having a negative impact on their job tasks and on school systems. However, there are few studies that examine school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing. This study examines school social workers’ perceptions about high-stakes testing. Specifically, it assesses school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems and how school ratings and student performance might influence these perceptions. It also examines school social workers’ perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their abilities to perform their work tasks. The study sample is drawn from respondents to the Texas School Social Work Survey (n=177). Data were analyzed through secondary data analysis using factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings indicate that school social workers perceive high-stakes testing as having a largely negative impact on school systems and their job tasks. School social workers who predominantly worked with students from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to have negative opinions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their job tasks. School social workers from schools with lower school ratings and those who felt that the students on their caseload tended to struggle on high-stakes tests had more negative perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems. Results indicate the need for school social workers to become more involved in education policy and macro practice, to connect their services to improved academic outcomes for students, and to find new ways to provide school social work services in the “age of accountability.”Item Students' understandings of educational achievement in a high-stakes testing environment : stories from Korean secondary schools(2013-12) Kim, Young-Eun, active 2013; De Lissovoy, Noah, 1968-The purpose of this study is to explore high school students’ understandings of achievement and opportunity through their lived experiences which are constructed under a high-stakes testing environment in Korea. This study undertakes a critical analysis of high-stakes testing and its intersectional effects in terms of structure and culture, attending to students’ everyday experiences in testing practices as these are embedded in certain discourses. Recent scholarship reveals that high-stakes testing reinforces a correspondence between socioeconomic status and educational attainment under the neoliberal educational policies of school choice, privatization, and high-stakes testing. In the analysis of educational policies such as the accountability movement, some studies contend that the political and economic discourses underpinning high-stakes testing are effectively hidden behind educational practices ostensibly aimed at raising standards. To date, however, there has been little attention to how students internalize the logic of neoliberal competition and how they experience educational achievement and opportunity structure within a high-stakes testing environment. Drawing on in-depth interviews of high school students from varying economic and academic backgrounds, this study found that students’ experiences of the high-stakes testing environment are influenced by their social class and achievement levels. High-stakes testing does not contribute to reducing achievement gaps between classes but rather reinforces educational alienation as well as opportunity gaps. Furthermore, high-stakes testing, as a cultural practice which affects students’ daily lives and their experience of curriculum and instruction, contributes to the ideological construction of students’ understandings of achievement and opportunity structure. While students experience structural constraints in achievement, they believe in testing as being a fair and equal opportunity. Concealing students’ struggles within structural barriers as well as their contradictory experiences in relation to ideologies of achievement and success, high-stakes testing becomes the medium through which students’ social desires are reproduced. An intersectional analysis in terms of culture and structure of students’ experiences in relation to high-stakes testing can help us to understand how the achievement ideology responds to students’ aspirations and also how those aspirations help this ideology persist. This study urges educational policies to focus on opportunity gaps and to look at contradictions and struggles that students experience in high-stakes testing.