What Administrators Value: A Qualitative Examination of Teacher Experiences With a School Readiness Assessment

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Examining Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment Design and Use (Table 3)

Abstract

This study investigated the impact a mandated school readiness assessment had on teacher perceptions of administrators and data cultures. This qualitative study utilized empirical data collected in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed across multiple phases through an initial coding process, followed by coding through the lens of the Social Interactionist Theory and Data Culture Continuum Framework. Teachers across the study felt a disconnection between themselves and school, district, and state level administrators requiring teachers implement the assessment. This disconnect and lack of interaction played a part in perpetuating a misunderstanding of the purpose and intended use of the assessment. The way administrators communicate their value of data from assessments is vital in boosting teacher morale and school culture.

Authors

• T. Scott Holcomb, Duke University
  Presenting Author

• Kaitlyn Otey Holshouser, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
  Presenting Author