The Effects of High-Stakes Accountability on Instructional Practices: Propensity Score Weighting and Structural Equation Modeling

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Abstract

Utilizing data on elementary school social studies teachers (N =4,319) from the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4) and propensity score weighting and structural equation modeling, this study examined the causal effect of state testing policy on teachers’ instructional practices. This study indicates several key findings. Teachers who worked in states that sanctioned low-performing schools perceived to engage in more text-based instruction than multimodal instruction. Conversely, teachers were more likely to use multimodal student-centered instruction in states that did not sanction underperforming schools. This study suggests that school accountability systems should promote schools to focus on improving learning for all groups of students and allow teachers to implement quality ambitious multi-modal education, especially in low-income, low-performing schools.

Author

• Hyeri Hong, The University of Iowa