Date of Award

Fall 12-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Jill Patterson, Ed.D.

Committee Member

David Reid, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Matthew Block, Ed.D.

Keywords

assessment literacy, assessor identity development, reflective teaching, professional development

Abstract

As teachers gain experience, their assessment knowledge base, personal beliefs, and the educational context come together to shape their identity as an assessor. Therefore, assessment literacy is not simply a stagnant knowledge base of skills but rather that takes shape over time, through reflective teaching continues to develop. This study sought to add to the body of research that highlights and describes, through the lens of the teacher, how beliefs and contextual factors influence a teachers’ assessment literacy in practice.

A qualitative case study methodology was selected for this study to explore how elementary K–5 teachers’ personal beliefs play a role in the assessment culture of classrooms within a high-performing school district. This methodology was chosen because it facilitated the exploration of teachers’ assessment practices and assessor identity development through multiple data sources. Data were collected through three data sources; surveys, focus group interviews, and artifact-based self-reflection. Themes emerged that highlighted how teachers perceive their own assessment literacy as a fluid and ongoing process.

Findings suggest that the teachers in this high-performing school district believe engaging in reflective teaching practices would allow them the time to reflect on inherent biases as well as context influences and grow as assessment literate teachers. Implications from the study include that professional development, which allows teachers to spend time with data that has been collected and engage in dialogue with colleagues, would enhance teacher assessment practices by supporting assessment-based decision making and instructional choices.

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