Abstract
A 1997 statewide survey of Michigan teachers, administrators, and parents about assessment practices revealed that all 3 groups held similar views about what constitutes appropriate assessment in the early years, and they put little faith in test scores. This study reports on follow-up interviews aimed at determining the types, frequency, and utility of assessment techniques used by classroom teachers. Specifically, this study focused on the types of assessment techniques used by a sample of elementary teachers, including how often they use paper-and-pencil tests, how often they write observation notes and what they do with the notes, whether they use children's portfolios as assessment, and whether their teaching is influenced by mandated tests. Study findings revealed that paper and pencil tests were regularly used by teachers in grades 3 and 4 (92%), and rarely or occasionally used by the teachers below that level (16% rarely and 20% occasionally). Seventy-three percent of the early level teachers and 76% of the teachers in grade 3 and 4 used observation for summative rather than formative analysis. Teachers in both groups used checklists frequently, primarily for summative purposes. Portfolios, like other assessment tools, are used primarily for summative rather than formative purposes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Adams, L., & Karabenick, S. (2000). Impact of state testing on students and teaching practices: Much pain, no gain?Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, April 24–28, 2000.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (2002). Member Bulletin. Retrieved March 28, 2002, from www.aacte.org.
Bigelow,B. (1999). Why standardized tests threaten multiculturalism. Educational Leadership, 56(7), 37–40.
Glatthorn, A. A. (1999). Performance standards and authentic learning. Larchmont, NY: Eyes on Education.
Gooding,K. (1994). Teaching to the test: The influence of alternative modes of assessment on teachers’ instructional strategies. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, LA, April 4–8, 1994.
Hart, D. (1994). Authentic assessment: A handbook for educators. New York: Assessment Bookshelf Series.
Kattri, N., Kane, M. B., & Reeve, A. L. (1995). How performance assessments affect teaching and learning. Educational Leadership, 53(3), 80–83.
Lewis, A. (2000). High-stakes testing: Trends and issues. Policy Brief, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (MCREL). Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
Mathison, S. (1991). Implementing curricular change through state-mandated testing: Ethical issues. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 6(3), 201–212.
McMillan, J. H., Myran, S., & Workman, D. (1999). The impact of mandated statewide testing on teachers’ classroom assessment and instructional practices. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, April 19–23, 1999.
Meisels, S. J., Harrington, H. L., McMahon, P., Dichtelmiller, M. L., & Jablon, J. R. (2001). Thinking like a teacher. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Mindes, G., Ireton, H., & Mardell-Czudnowski, C. (1996). Assessing young children. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Moore, W. P. (1994). The devaluation of standardized testing: One district's response to a mandated assessment. Applied Measurement in Education, 7(4), 343–367.
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2000). Professional standards for the accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education. Washington DC: Author.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1996). Assessment standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
Newman, F. M., Secada, W. G., & Wehlage, G. (1995). A guide to authentic instruction and assessment: Vision, standards and scoring. Madison: Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Oakley, C., & Urrabazo, T. (2001). New state LEP testing policy in Texas: Is it an appropriate accountability measure for recent ESL immigrants?Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA, April 10–14, 2001.
Popham, W. J. (2002). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Riede, P. (2001). Testing dissidents. School Administrator, 58(11), 6–11.
Shepard, L. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4–14.
Shepard, L., Kagan, S., & Wurtz, E. (May, 1998). Goal 1 early childhood assessments resource group recommendations. Young Children, 53(3), 52–54.
Stiggins, R. J. (1997). Student-centered classroom assessment(2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Thacker, J. L. (2000). Raising student test scores through comprehensive school improvement. ERS Spectrum, 18(3), 25–29
Trepanier-Street, M. L., McNair, S., & Donegan, M. M. (2001). The views of teachers on assessment: A comparison of lower and upper elementary teachers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15(2), 234–241.
U.S. Department of Education (2001/2002). Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, No child left behind: A desktop reference. Washington, DC: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/reference/title.html
Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (1998). Best Practice: New standards for teaching and learning in America's schools (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McNair, S., Bhargava, A., Adams, L. et al. Teachers Speak Out on Assessment Practices. Early Childhood Education Journal 31, 23–31 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025180617689
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025180617689