Teachers' Judgments of Second Graders' Academic Competence and Impacts on Reading Comprehension: Racial and Gender Differences

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 8 Poster Session 2

Abstract

This research examined: (a) To what extent do second-grade teachers’ judgments of students’ academic competence agree with direct assessments of reading? (b) When controlling for students’ assessed passage comprehension, does teacher judgment of students’ global academic competence vary when considering student and teacher demographical factors? And, (c) do reading comprehension gains vary depending on teachers’ judgments? The study included 2nd grade students (n=501; 58% White, 42% African-American (Black); 46% males) and 40 teachers (78% White, 17% Black, 5% other; 39 females). Teachers’ ratings of students’ academic competence agreed with a direct assessment; additionally, teachers rated White Boys > White Girls ≥ Black Girls > Black boys. Teachers’ judgments positively predicted spring reading outcomes, even when controlling for fall scores.

Author

• Novell E. Tani, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University