Exploring Seven Novice Elementary Teachers' Formative Literacy Assessment Practices: A National Study

• In Event: 45.092 - MTCC Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 45.092-12 - Teacher Attitudes and Approaches in Literacy Education

Abstract

This mixed methods research study systematically examined seven novice K-6 teachers’ formative literacy assessment practices and how those practices informed their instruction. We collected and analyzed qualitative interview data while conducting quantitative analyses of participants’ K-6 students’ literacy assessment data. Interview data revealed that participants knew students beyond assessments, i.e., how students’ different contexts influenced their literacy learning. Teachers exercised professional judgment over which formative assessments they used, assessment data interpretation, and how data influenced instruction. Various statistical tests (e.g., t-tests, repeated-measures ANOVA) indicated that results concerning student growth were mostly positive. Investigating how novice teachers considered formative literacy assessments to make instructional decisions provided a way to examine one component of their effective instructional practices.

Authors

• Roya Qualls Scales, Western Carolina University

• Susan D. Lenski, Portland State University

• Thomas DeVere Wolsey, University of Central Florida

• Dana L. Grisham, National University

• W. David Scales, Western Carolina University

• Linda D. Smetana, California State University - East Bay

• Karen K. Yoder, Goshen College

• Elizabeth Dobler, Emporia State University

• Janet R. Young, Brigham Young University