Learning from student assessment results

Schools and districts across the country face pressure to raise test scores. Testing requirements also are on the rise, in part due to the federal No Child Left Behind legislation (2002). This dissertation explores the circumstances under which student assessment results can help improve instruction, and what roles school districts can play in this process. Specifically, the dissertation focuses on formative assessments: how they are selected and supported by districts, and how they are used by both school and district staff. This dissertation relies on case studies of four districts drawn from two states. Case study data include interviews with school-based educators, district personnel, and for-profit providers of data services, where applicable. It focuses on results from mathematics assessments in the elementary grades. This research finds that in order for teachers to use student assessment results to improve their instructional practice, a set of complementary investments needs to be in place. These investments, all of which can be affected by district policies, include: formative assessments, and, ideally, assessments that match the curriculum being taught; time for teachers and administrators to do this work; training for teachers and administrators to learn to analyze data and for teachers to develop the capacity to analyze their own instruction and the instruction of their peers; and coaches to help school-level staff collect, analyze, and act on student assessment results.