ASSESSMENT AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS by MacKenzie Largent A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah December 4, 2018 Approved __________________________________ DeeDee Mower, Ph.D. _________________________________ Nadia Wrosch, Ed.D. __________________________________ Stephanie Speicher, Ph.D. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 2 Acknowledgements Participating in Weber State University’s Master of Education program has been a great learning experience. I have enjoyed learning from many wonderful professors and educators. Earning this degree has helped me improve my teaching, learning, and writing skills, and become a better teacher. A special thank you to Dr. Mower for all of her help and guidance with this project. I have truly enjoyed learning from her. I would also like to thank Dr. Wrosch and Dr. Speicher for their guidance on this project. Finally to my mom for her loving support and her willingness to proofread. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 3 Table of Contents NATURE OF THE PROBLEM...........................................................................................6 Literature Review.....................................................................................................8 Classroom Assessment.................................................................................8 Types of Assessments ......................................................................8 Assessment Philosophies ...........................................................................12 How Teachers Use Assessment Information .............................................13 Instructional Practices ................................................................................16 Interventions ..............................................................................................18 PURPOSE ..........................................................................................................................20 METHOD AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................................21 Participants .............................................................................................................21 Procedures ..............................................................................................................21 Data Collection and Analysis.................................................................................23 FINDINGS .........................................................................................................................24 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................42 Limitations .............................................................................................................47 Further Research and Implications ........................................................................47 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................50 APPENDIX A: Focus Group Discussion Questions .........................................................53 APPENDIX B: Focus Group Question Schedule ..............................................................54 APPENDIX C: IRB Approval ...........................................................................................55 ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 4 APPENDIX D: District Approval ......................................................................................56 ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 5 ABSTRACT Monitoring instruction through assessments helps teachers ensure their instruction is meeting the needs of their students. The purpose of this project was to learn about the assessment practices of teachers in an urban elementary school. The project sought to learn about teachers’ assessment philosophies, and how their instruction is influenced by assessment results. The researcher used a grounded-theory qualitative approach to learn about assessment philosophies and practices used by the elementary school teachers. Three teachers with more than ten years of teaching experience participated in a focus group that discussed questions related to assessment philosophy and use in classroom instruction. Results from frequent assessments aligned to learning goals help teachers plan instruction based on what students need to meet the learning goals. Teachers discussed the importance of not relying on assumptions of what students know, but relying on evidences that show what students do and do not know. Assessment philosophies were found to be influenced by increased teacher knowledge of foundational skills and learning what assessment can show a teacher by using assessments. Having a clear purpose aligned with learning goals, and using the results to plan instruction make assessments valuable instructional tools. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 6 NATURE OF THE PROBLEM As an elementary teacher for ten years working with first, second, and fourth graders, I have had concerns about how teachers know if the instruction they plan and implement helps students progress in their learning and meet academic goals. Included in that concern is a desire to know how well my instruction helps my students progress through and meet academic goals. Many elementary teachers devote considerable time and effort to planning and delivering quality instruction. However, students do not always successfully master all the standards and skills they are required to in each grade level. For the 2016-2017 school year, 71% of first, second, and third graders in Utah met grade-level reading competency standards and less than half of third through sixth graders were proficient on end of level English Language Arts (ELA) assessments (Utah State Board of Education, 2017). When teachers pair instruction with assessments, they can ensure instruction meets the needs of their students. Teachers need to deliver instruction that helps students meet grade-level proficiency requirements. Providing quality instruction and learning activities is a teacher’s primary responsibility. Without measuring student learning with assessments, teachers will not know if the instruction they provided helped students meet required standards. Teachers need to be able to monitor instruction to know whether or not the instruction produced intended results (Jones, Yssel, & Grant, 2012). Assessments help teachers determine if instruction has been adequate in helping students reach proficiency in standards and skills. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 7 Assessments that measure learning accurately will help teachers monitor instructional efficacy(Kaftan, Buck, and Haack, 2006). The kinds of assessments elementary teachers use, and how they use the information from those assessments can enhance the quality of instruction delivered to students. Some teachers deliver instruction that helps students achieve desired results while others do not. Teachers need to be able to monitor instruction to know whether or not the instruction produced intended results. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 8 INTRODUCTION A wide-variety of assessment techniques are available to help teachers gauge the quality and effectiveness of their instruction and monitor student progress (Guskey, 2003). Some teachers deliver instruction which helps students achieve desired results while others do not. There are assessments that provide teachers with a clear picture of students’ understanding of topic helps teachers monitor instructional efficacy. The assessments elementary teachers use and how they use the information from those assessments can enhance the quality of instruction delivered to students (Popham, 2011, p. 271). LITERATURE REVIEW Teachers are responsible for providing instruction for their students and ensuring all their students meet set standards (Levy, 2008, p.161). Assessments are used to monitor how well students progress through instructional material and the degree to which they met the required standards. This literature review will discuss different types of assessments, assessment philosophies and how those affects whether the main purpose for the assessments is to assign a grade or guide instructional decisions. The review will also discuss how assessments are used by teachers to leverage instructional practices to best help students learn (Popham, 2011, p. 271). Classroom Assessment Types of Assessments Three main types of assessments, summative, formative, and interim, are used by teachers, administrators, parents, and students, to determine if students meet learning objectives and standards. Summative assessments are given at the end of an instructional ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 9 interval. The results of summative assessments provide the results of the instruction. (Halverson, Prichett, & Watson, 2007, p. 4). Formative assessments occur throughout the instructional interval and provide information about student learning throughout the process (Halverson et al., 2007, p. 4). According to Gipps (1994), the main difference between summative and formative assessments is how the assessments are used (p. 125). Summative assessments to provide a review of students’ abilities at the end of the term or school year while formative assessments provide a survey of students’ abilities during instruction that allow teachers to make instructional adjustments (Boston, 2002). Interim assessments are used to show students’ levels and skills before the end of the year, and are typically given at the school or district level (Perie, Marion, Gong, 2007, p. 3, 6.) There are many assessment options available to teachers. The paper provides an overview of the three assessment types mentioned and provides insight into teacher choice sets in determining which assessment to use and when. Summative Summative assessments can be used to determine grades at the end of a term, unit, grading period, or school year, or required as part of accountability measures at the district, state, or national level to determine if student performance met required standards (Perie et al., 2007, p.3). Halverson et al., (2007) clarify that “Summative assessment is used to determine whether the student has successfully learned what was taught” (p. 163). According to Perie, Marion, and Gong (2007), summative assessment data can be compiled and applied across classrooms, school-wide, district-wide, statewide, and nationwide. Summative assessments “are given one time at the end of the semester or school year to evaluate students’ performance against a defined set of content ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 10 standards.” (Perie et al., 2007, p.3). Summative assessments are also less flexible than other assessment types. Due to the nature of summative assessments, teachers are not usually able to use the data to help improve the performance of their current group of students. Rather the data from end of semester or end of year summative assessments is often used as part of accountability programs. Relative to formative and interim assessments, summative assessments have long cycle lengths (Perie et. al, 2007). Formative Formative assessments are more frequent than summative assessments and given throughout instructional intervals rather than one assessment at the end of an instructional interval. Formative assessments are tools teachers can use to learn what their students understand and to inform instructional decisions (Kaftan, Buck, & Haack, 2006). Formative assessments can improve learning by providing feedback to the teacher on student performance that gives direction for the next instructional steps (Bell & Cowie, 2001). Kaftan, Buck, and Haack (2006) argue that instruction is focused on the learners when it is guided by formative assessment. There are a variety of forms of formative assessments (i.e. exit tickets, essays, written responses, class discussions, portfolios, etc.) so teachers can use what fits their instructional model best to measure their students’ learning (Levy, 2008). To improve learning, formative assessment needs to be part of a system where teachers analyze the results to determine what students need and how they will meet those needs (Black & William, 1998). Instruction can be tailored to student needs with the use of formative assessments, and have short assessment cycles relative to summative and interim assessments (Perie et al., 2007, p. 3). ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 11 Interim According to Perie et al. (2007), interim assessments are typically given at the school or district level. The results of interim assessments are used to measure student progress towards mastering standards that will be included on summative assessments (Perie et al). Interim assessment data can be used at the teacher, school, or district level (Perie et al., 2007). Interim assessments are used to assess students’ knowledge and skills before the end of the school year. Relative to formative and summative assessments, interim assessments have a medium cycle length (Perie et al., 2007). ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 12 Assessment Philosophies Assessment philosophies can show the purpose for which assessments are used in the classroom. A mastery assessment philosophy will make classroom assessment an ongoing process that informs and guides instructional decisions. A performance-based assessment philosophy use classroom assessment an opportunity for students to earn points for grading purposes (Kaftan et al., 2006, p. 49; Guskey, 2003). Kaftan, et. al. (2006) argued that a student’s ability to answer questions on a worksheet or in class does not necessarily mean they understand the material to the level the teacher hopes. To use assessments to guide and improve instruction, teachers need to assure that assessments provide meaningful information about a student’s understanding of the material (Kaftan, Buck, & Hack, 2006). The philosophy determines the purpose for which an assessment is given to students and how the information from the assessment is used. Individual differences among teachers account for variation in choices teachers make. Teachers’ personal beliefs and philosophies are key factors in determining classroom practices (McMullen et al., 2006). According to McMillan, Myran, and Workman (2002), individual teacher beliefs account for many variations in assessment and instructional practices (p. 212). Teachers’ philosophies vary on how to assess students and what to do with the results of those assessments. Often assessments are used to measure students’ ability to perform on an academic task. Some classrooms provide one opportunity to complete these graded assignments, and the results are then used to generate points for grades. Students not being able to show they have learned from their mistakes and improved their abilities was one problem found when given one opportunity to take an assessment. Mastery and performance are two differing assessment ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 13 philosophies. Teachers who use a mastery philosophy give students multiple opportunities to show improvement and learning, whereas a teaching approach with a performance philosophy uses a one-time measurement to determine proficiency (Gustkey 2003). How teachers use assessment information Popham (2011) wrote that proficient use of assessments improves teachers’ ability to make instructional decisions more likely to benefit student academic performances. Teachers can respond to the information they get of their students’ performance, and center their classrooms and instruction on what students need. According to Daly et al. (2007) effective teachers are informed of what their students need to master and understand why the students are successful or not in showing mastery of the skills. Once teachers know what their students need they can plan instruction adapted to meeting those needs. Bell and Cowie (2001) found professional knowledge and experience to be important in understanding assessment information and knowing how to take action to best meet the needs of students. Planning assessments with a purpose makes them more useful for teachers’ use. Teachers need to have a clear purpose for assessments whether they are being used for points, for grades, or for feedback to plan future instruction (Kaftan et al., 2006). The first step teachers should take when considering assessments is to define what they want to assess, and then select or design the assessment to ensure it will provide the information the teacher needs (Gibbs, 1994). A purpose helps teachers prepare the most applicable assessments for their students, which will in turn provide information most suited for the ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 14 need. When teachers are able to measure student learning they use what they learned from the data to improve instruction (Kaftan et al., 2006). Pressure on students, teachers, and schools to do well on benchmark assessments leads to concerns over teaching to tests to ensure good results rather than focusing on standards. However, if teachers use the standards as a basis for learning and assessments on learning goals, then teaching to the test is avoided (Guskey, 2003). These assessments can have several purposes including monitoring progress towards learning goals and giving feedback to teachers and students on their learning (Bell & Cowie, 2001). Assessments are useful when teachers understand the data and are able to use the student data to enhance instruction (Carlson, Borman, & Robinson, 2011). When half or more of the class is not proficient on a standard, the instruction did not work (Guskey, 2003). Assessment results allow teachers to reflect on the effectiveness of their instruction in meeting the student’s learning needs (Halverson et al., 2007). Besides teachers, students are also consumers of assessment results. When teachers use assessment results to focus on improving student learning, students see their learning as a priority. Formative assessments give both teachers and students feedback on their progress towards meeting standards (Kaftan et al., 2006). According to Gibbs (1994), student improvement happens when students learn to understand the quality expected of them, and what mastery of a standard looks like. Assessment results help teachers plan instruction. Summative assessments show teachers weaknesses in instruction that can be improved upon so teachers can improve instruction in weak areas for future students (Carlson, et al., 2011). Teachers can also use student responses to questions and tasks to plan future lessons (Bell & Cowie, 2001). In a ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 15 report on a Massachusetts benchmark program, authors discussed how the power in benchmark assessments does not come from their existence, but from the way the results are used to plan instruction. (Henderson, Petrosino, Guckenburg, & Hamilton, 2007). Assessments do not fix students’ problems, informed teachers and the way they use results, fix instructional problems. Instruction can be adjusted to student needs using assessment results as a guide. Teachers compare student performance to set performance criteria to determine if there is a gap in knowledge (Black & William, 1998, p. 53). After identifying problems and their causes, teachers then implement instruction needed by individual or groups (Hoover, 2011). Adjustments to better meet student needs can be made to future instructional plans as well as in the midst of instruction. One form of assessment teachers use is to check for student understanding as they teach and adjust the lesson according to student needs and responses. This form of assessment becomes valuable because student responses can be difficult to predict (Bell & Cowie, 2001). Instead of moving on before students are ready, teachers are able to use information from assessments to know when to continue working on a standard or skill that has not been mastered. Teachers not only analyze what students are able to do correctly, but also gain an understanding of the mistakes students made and what can be done to correct the mistakes. An analysis of student errors and what those errors say about student learning helps teachers identify and plan remedies to students’ misconceptions (Perie, Marion, & Gong, 2009). Instead of moving on with new standards and skills while students have misconceptions, teachers address misconceptions so that students are more ready to move ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 16 on to new material (Kaftan et al., 2006). Understanding misconceptions helps teachers plan instruction that is centered on what students need. Instructional Practices William (2011) concluded that instruction required evaluation and adjustment to help students progress through and meet academic goals. Assessments can be embedded within instructional practices. Guskey (2003) stated that teachers “need to see their assessments as an integral part of the instruction process and as crucial for helping students learn” (p. 7). Teachers need to ensure instruction is effective in meeting the students’ needs to make the most of available instructional time (Jones, Yssel, & Grant, 2012). Learning what students’ need and what instructional methods work for students helps teachers provide effective instruction at all levels, including core instruction and intervention, that helps meet student needs (Levy, 2008). Instruction is most effective when it is at the correct level for each student and can be adjusted to students’ needs (Daly, Martens, Barnett, Witt, & Olson, 2007). Providing interventions, reteaching, and being flexible with students’ needs does not mean teachers have to forgo required curriculum and standards. These practices will make instruction more effective (Guskey, 2003). Levy (2008) argued that while all students need to meet the same standards, each may need an individual path to meet the standards. Assessing to understand the strengths and weaknesses of students helps teachers tailor instruction to student needs and evaluate the provided instruction (Daly et al., 2007). By learning student academic abilities and instructional needs and designing instruction to meet those, teachers create student-centered classrooms. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 17 Assessment is an important component of instruction. Duschl and Gitomer (1997) stated that “assessment is a process that ought to be seamlessly integrated with and pervasive in the instructional activities of the classroom” (p. 43). Bell and Cowie (2001) reported on a research project investigating formative assessment in some science classrooms in New Zealand. Through learning how science teachers used formative assessments, they found that assessment activities can be built in with instructional activities. Opportunities to assess students to learn about student progress and understanding can overlap instructional activities (Bell & Cowie, 2001). Frequent assessment embedded throughout instruction allows teachers to know how their students are responding to instruction before the end of instruction. In her article about differentiating instruction and classroom activities, Levy (2008) noted that teachers can adjust instruction and respond to students’ misunderstandings before instruction is complete (Levy, 2008). In his reflection on his own teaching experiences, Popham (2011) noted that instructional modifications made using information from assessments can lead to increases in student achievement. Pre-assessing allows teachers to pinpoint students’ individual levels and begin instruction there. Continual and frequent assessment helps teachers plan current and future instruction, know when to reteach, and know when students are ready for new material (Bell & Cowie, 2001). Teachers need to know students are prepared for the next section of instruction by having the prerequisite knowledge and skills for the upcoming material (Levy, 2008). Regularly assessing students’ understanding, skills, and knowledge and using the results of those assessments to plan instruction will make the instruction more effective. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 18 Interventions Some students will need more than instructional adjustments and reteaching. These students require additional instruction in the form of interventions. Interventions based on information from formative assessments correct identified misconceptions and fill in missing skills and understandings (Guskey, 2003). Teachers need to ensure interventions are matched to students’ identified instructional needs or the interventions will not address the problem (Daly et al., 2007). Proper assessments throughout an intervention will ensure the students spend the correct amount of time in the intervention and that the intervention is working for the individual students. Through results, the teacher can adjust groups as the students need (Levy, 2008). The use of assessments will help teachers make sure interventions are correctly matched to the learners’ needs. Interventions correctly-matched with students will make them more successful (Daly et al., 2007). Using assessment results, teachers can select the proper interventions to help students make progress in their learning. Teachers give many assessments throughout the school year. Some assessments are based on teacher choice. Others are mandated. Three main assessment categories include summative, formative, and interim. Many instructional and assessment decisions are influenced by individual teacher philosophies and beliefs, as well as the purpose of the assessment. Giving assessments goes hand in hand with how they are used by the teacher. Some assessment tasks can be used for planning, guiding, and adjusting instruction as well as for creating grades. Students who need additional instruction and academic interventions can be identified using assessments. In conclusion, assessments ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 19 play an important role in the daily routines of teachers and students, and can improve instructional quality (Popham, 2011). ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 20 PURPOSE Assessment options available to teachers range from summative assessments given at the culmination of instruction to formative assessments teachers give throughout instruction. Assessing students in meaningful ways and applying what was learned from those assessments to instructional planning and delivery will empower teachers to help their students achieve mastery and make progress towards meeting learning standards (Carlson, Geoffrey, & Robinson, 2011) The purpose of this study was to learn about the assessment philosophy and types and frequency of language arts assessments three teachers at an elementary school in Utah use and how those assessments influence the language arts instruction delivered to their students. Research Questions 1. How do elementary teachers’ philosophies align with the assessments they give? 2. How do teachers’ assessment philosophies align with mandated assessments? 3. How have assessments changed teachers’ philosophy? 4. How is classroom instruction influenced by assessments? ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 21 METHODS AND ANALYSIS Participants This study included three elementary teachers who all teach English Language Arts in the same urban elementary school that provides free breakfast and lunch for all students. All participants are Caucasian females with degrees in education. For ease of discussion, each teacher is referred to with a pseudonym throughout this paper. Jane is in her 13th year of teaching, Sue is in her 32nd year of teaching, and Kate is in her 33rd year of teaching. Jane is teaching fifth grade for the first time this year. She is part of a team of teachers implementing a blended model with fourth and fifth grades. In the blended model the teachers work together to create fluid groupings of students to support more reteaching opportunities than are typically available to elementary teachers and students. Most of her teaching experience has been in second grade. Sue teaches fifth and sixth grade students who participate in the school’s Spanish Dual Immersion program. Kate teaches first grade. Procedures The participating teachers were asked to participate based on their position as faculty representatives on the school leadership team which includes teachers who have an impact on positive school culture, principal’s identification of them teachers with good instructional processes, as well as their reputations with their colleagues of being teachers with good instructional practices. The members of the school leadership team also have responsibilities to mentor other teachers in the school. Jane and Sue are on the school’s leadership team. Teacher participants did not receive compensation for their participation in the focus group. There was no cost involved in running the focus group, the only ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 22 requirement was a time commitment. The primary researcher worked at the same school as the teacher participants, therefore the participants were the researcher’s colleagues. This allowed the researcher to establish trusting relationships with the participants before the research began. As a result, the participants felt more comfortable in the interviews than had they not known the researchers. The focus group participation did not require the researcher to determine what was ‘good’ or ‘best’ teaching practices of the teachers individually. After the researcher obtained IRB approval, the participants completed consent forms for their participation in the focus groups. Teacher participants were given a list of discussion topics before the focus group meetings so if they wished, they could consider ideas and experiences they would like to share. The participants then met three times in the beginning of the second quarter to discuss assessment related topics from Yao (2015) and include their own teaching experiences. The final research question was created by the researcher. The discussion topics included: ● What is assessment? What do you think of when you think of assessment? ● Discuss the relationship between assessment and instruction. ● Discuss the aspect of assessment you enjoy most. ● Discuss the aspect of assessment that is the most challenging. ● Discuss the usefulness of your classroom assessments. ● Have you used similar assessments throughout your teaching practice, or have they changed? Explain. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 23 The researcher did not ask the teachers to specifically state their assessment philosophies, but chose instead to use what the teachers shared in discussion to describe their assessment philosophies. Data Collection and Analysis The researcher used a Grounded Theory qualitative approach to analyze the data. Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) is using observational and interview data to generate constructivists readings of the data to reflect apparent philosophical foundations and dilemmas. Focus groups illustrate details about educational practices that are embedded in particular educational spaces and time. The inquiries in the focus group were identified by the researcher and the interactions by the participants revealed deeper meanings and implementations of their assessment philosophies. The guidance of Grounded Theory helped the researcher focus on the repetitive themes that arose from the conversations in the focus group. The themes and answers formed as the discussions progressed generated the data that was analyzed. The analysis of the discussions, themes, and sub-themes were used to interpret answers to the research questions. The focus group was led by the primary researcher. Dialogue from the focus group discussions was recorded and transcribed. The discussions were recorded on a passcode protected smartphone, and the transcription kept on a password protected computer. Teacher participants also had the option of emailing responses to the researcher if they were to think of more ideas they want to share after meeting or if they were not comfortable sharing certain thoughts with the rest of the group. The transcript of the discussions was analyzed using NVivo for recurring themes and sub-themes. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 24 FINDINGS The purpose of this study was to learn about the assessment philosophy and types and frequency of language arts assessments three teachers at an elementary school in Utah use, and how those assessments influence the language arts instruction delivered to their students. The teachers discussed their assessment practices related to language arts as well as assessment practices related to math and science subject areas. The purposes and philosophies remained consistent across all subjects, with specific subject references serving as an example of how the teachers use assessment. The teachers communicated similar goals and purposes for assessment. How do elementary teachers’ philosophies align with the assessments they give? The participating teachers described assessment as a tool which helps them create a purposeful and goal-oriented approach to instruction. Teachers described their reliance on assessment as measuring progress towards academic goals and adjusting to the results of those measurements. Kate stated that assessment is a “Check for me to like, okay, I need to change something because X, Y, and Z didn’t get it yet as it was presented.” She also described adjusting to measurements of academic goals by placing students in small group instruction. She said, “I am really looking okay, A,B,C, and D didn't get it I need to pull them tomorrow in a small group and work with them some more before we turn them loose on the next assignment.” Sue shares with her students how she uses assessments to measure their progress. She said she tells her students “[Assessments are] how I determine if you are making gains.” The participating teachers shared how crucial they feel it is to understand what their students know and are able to do. Sue shared, “I think that was what you were ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 25 saying with assessment and instruction, you have to use it wisely you can see what as a teacher what you may be missing or another way to have to re-teach to get something across or maybe I'm just missing something altogether that's not in my instructions.” While discussing the need to assess students, Kate stated, “Well, we have to do it that way. Otherwise you're throwing out everything and saying ‘I hope you get it all! Hope you catch it!’” This applies to knowing what students know as a result of instruction and knowing what students know in relation to what teachers need to teach them. Finding if students have knowledge gaps that may make learning new material difficult was expressed as an important use of assessments before instruction starts. Sue shared, “I use [assessments] to find out what the gap is, or what is it what students don't know before I begin teaching, or what do they know so I'm not really teaching something that they already have down.” Participants described the importance of making sure students were ready for the instruction they planned to give. Kate described prerequisite skills as “The foundation,” while Sue described concepts building on one another. The teachers shared their belief that they must fill those gaps for students to be ready to meet the learning goals and objectives the teachers have set for them. Sue described teaching new skills without foundational skills by saying, “If they don’t have it you’re building a house without a foundation and it will fall apart.” Kate gave an example from a math concept she was working on, saying, “I've got kids who aren't sure on numbers one through 10 or one through twenty so yeah it's not surprising that they don't know tens and ones and greater than and less than because they don't have the basics and we're still working, counting, what’s this number, let’s write that many things and count them again.” ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 26 All the participating teachers shared why they rely heavily on assessments in order to make instructional decisions. The teachers explained they don’t think getting a feel for how students are doing with instruction or assuming they understand material is adequate. Jane described a situation where she had not typically taught phonemic awareness because she assumed her students had those skills. The skill had been skipped because it was assumed the students didn’t need instruction in it. She stated, “ It’s the same as what I was saying with the assuming. We assumed for years and years and years they had a solid foundation, that phonemic awareness, and then we tested them last year. Not at all though. There were kids in second grade last year that had nothing at all. And then [after teaching phonemic awareness] in the phonics they started to get it.” Actually, having data as evidence of how well students understand and apply information from instruction is important to the participating teachers. As an example, Jane described a recent situation where she thought her students seemed to be doing really well with new instructional material, but then she assessed them and the students were not able to show her that they knew as well as she assumed they did. She shared, “I think it’s [assessment] a good check-in for me too because like we have been working on magnets with science and they have been doing really well I thought, and then I gave them a classroom like assessment today and most of them didn't pass it. It's a good check in for me, like okay what did I miss that wasn't explicit enough that I thought was because it seem like in conversation they were good. Then we take them to the actual like paper pencil type it wasn't there, it just wasn’t.” Jane also shared how making instructional groups using assessment data helps her plan instruction. She said, “ I know how much to scaffold them and how explicit to be.” ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 27 Jane described assessment as a “good gauge” for knowing where to start assessment on a day-to-day basis. She stated, “If you have good enough assessments, you can pull out teeny tiny skill sets. We use the IXL that way. Just for an exit slip that you would use everyday. That IXL is a good gauge of where I need to start the lesson the next day.” Quick assessments during instruction that the teachers then in turn use to plan instruction for the next day illustrated how these teachers base their instruction on assessment on a day-to-day basis. Kate described how planning daily instruction based on assessments helps her to improve her students’ skills rather than just hoping the instruction works well in the end. In response to another participant stating that her instruction is based on assessment, she stated, “Well, we have to do it that way. Otherwise you're throwing out everything and saying ‘I hope you get it all! Hope you catch it!” Kate also described, “In my class it's kind of like building all week or two weeks or with informal [assessment], informal, informal as I’m looking at assignments, as I am walking around looking at what their showing on their whiteboards or whatever and getting a pretty good idea so that I can help those who I can see who are struggling so that when we get to formal assessment at end of week or end of two week period they're more prepared to show what they know.” Assessments help the teachers focus on instructional goals and approach instruction with a focus on student outcomes. A final aspect of assessment the participating teachers value is reteaching. The teachers indicated a focus on making sure all their students master skills and meet learning objectives. In order to do that, the teachers expressed a common philosophy of not waiting until the end of the instructional cycle to find out how well their students understand what they are teaching, but of frequently using informal assessments woven ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 28 throughout their instruction to adjust and reteach small portions of the skills as they go rather than waiting until more instruction has gone by. Jane expressed that assessments can give her a clear reason why students have not mastered a skill, helping her to reteach the skill. She shared an experience with a student whose reading skills were not improving. “There is one student last year she could read, but then she hit her brick wall and wasn't making any progress. In about November we noticed that she just wasn’t making any more growth. Then we started the LETRS training and then I went back and re-taught the phonemic awareness, and she had by far hands-down like the most growth in my class. It was crazy that we had just plugged in those little things because she hadn't been hearing it clearly because of the Spanish. I didn't know she wasn't saying it correctly. It was close enough that I couldn't catch it. It was cool and really eye-opening for both of us [teachers].” The participating elementary teachers use to help them plan and deliver instruction according to what will help students be most successful. They communicated a purpose tied to instructional goals for all assessments they choose to give. Sue described the process as follows, “An assessment is a culmination of what I have already written where I want the kids to be with an outcome is it from what I'm teaching and it's everything that leads up to that formal part of whether they finally actually, did they meet that. So I have to start with the assessment, [that] begins with me having my objectives, my goals with that end goal I want them to get to, and then everything between to get there.” Later on Sue also stated, “It's not just like for that time being like I gave this, here’s a score, move on. I look at it as an overall, like it’s a continuation. How the data I collected today is going to be somehow looped to what I do next time. There is a ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 29 connection with every assessment that I give. It’s not just an assessment on its own by itself. It’s somehow connected to everything that you do. And so sometimes like we were talking earlier, you just can’t go on. You have to keep working and find another way to assess that because it’s still not mastered enough as a group. So I can’t go on to this next set of data or assessment because we haven’t really mastered this one. There is more of a connection. A rhyme or reason to why we are giving them. Not just because it was the end of the unit or the end of the book.” The assessments were described as focused enough to give the teachers information they can use to know what the students do and don’t know and understand. The participating teachers look for ways to make the data generated from assessments benefit their students. Jane described a new strategy she has been trying, creating assessments using Google Forms. She said, “I've been starting the forms for the reading and writing. The forms they are corrected for you and so I'll use those as my exit slips now and then the next day will either like that determines my instruction or like we've been doing we’ll go over it with the kids and give them ahas. You know, this is why I thought this. They explain in the discussion piece. That’s been really cool. I use that as an informal assessment. It’s not graded. Then I know where to go. I like that.” Summary The participating teachers set academic goals for their students, and then measure their students’ progress towards those goals using assessments. The participating teachers use the results of the measuring assessments to guide them in adjusting their instruction. Assessments are used by the participating teachers to know what their students know and understand what their students are able to do. They see this as important in helping them ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 30 know what skills students are ready for instruction in. Assessments are used to find knowledge gaps students students may have. The participating teachers work to fill in knowledge gaps to help grade-level instruction be more successful than had they not filled in knowledge gaps. Teachers shared the idea of needing evidence of students’ knowledge and abilities rather than assuming what students understand and can do. They use evidence, not assumptions, to make their decisions because they have had experiences where they thought their students were doing well understanding instruction and learning skills only to later assess them and find out they were not. Reteaching was discussed by the teachers as an important component of assessment. When the teachers see evidence students do not understand instruction or have not mastered skills they feel reteaching and helping students reach mastery before moving on is important. How do teachers’ assessment philosophies align with mandated assessments? Along with assessments the teachers choose, they also discussed mandated assessments. Specifically, they discussed interim assessments given district-wide they had recently given to their students. The interim assessments did not align as well with the participating teachers’ instruction as the assessments they chose because the interim assessments included more standards than the teachers felt students could master sufficiently in the given time. Kate stated, “I think another aspect that’s challenging, and I feel that's more with our CIAs [Common Interim Assessments], is having time for the kids to master the skill. I feel like their introduced to it, but they don't get enough time to actually master it before they are actually tested on it. Because we have so many skills to introduce to them that they just don't get the mastery time.” Preparing for mandated assessments seemed to put the teachers in a position where they had to balance their ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 31 philosophies with requirements. Jane shared, “I know with our CIAs to pull out and just not teach certain standards because there's too many like you said they they won't master that many so we pull out the essential standards. That's hard to know the kids are going to go in there and get frustrated with that, but it's also hard to know that you're not able to teach everything because, like you said, it takes long time to master that stuff. I mean you can teach a very short explicit lesson, and they still need the rest of the time to practice it, and maybe another whole day, some even more than that before they are [at] mastery. So that’s difficult.” Participating teachers were able to describe ways in which they used the data from the interim assessments to benefit their students. The participating teachers working with upper elementary students explained a process where they went through each assessment with their classes after results were available. Jane described the process, “Well in the older grades, which I love, after the CIA they they pulled up their scores, like their answer choices, and then we went back through the test. They got to look at the assessment that they just had taken, and it is very motivating to my kids. They decided whether they got the answer incorrect, on the ones they got incorrect, because they were just going too fast like being careless or if they really didn't know it. Some of them identified some real like standards that they were going to focus on and they have.” Sue said about the same process, “It’s really neat to see the kids all the sudden go ‘Ohhh’ or they realize they really didn't get it. They’re like ‘Oh, I thought the question asked something totally different. Okay, I thought it meant something else.’ So that helps you fill in the gaps real quick.” ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 32 Remaining consistent with how the participating teachers use assessments they choose, they also discussed using the interim assessment data to reteach standards and skills to students who did not master them. Jane explained that she uses the interim assessment data to create reteaching groups, “The reteach group is more fluid, I would say, based on what we're teaching and the CIA.” Summary The teachers mostly discussed thoughts about their district’s Common Interim Assessments (CIA) which they had given within the month previous to the discussion group meetings. Teachers explained how they focus on what they called “essential standards” because they did not feel they had time to instruct their students to mastery on all the standards the CIA would include. The teachers with older elementary students guided the students to review their individual results of the CIA to help them reflect on their abilities and set goals. The participating teachers also discussed using the results to create reteach groups for specific standards. How have assessments changed teachers’ philosophy? Participating teachers stated they look at the data from assessments differently than they did earlier in their teaching experience. They described how previously they gave assessments as scheduled by the curriculum they used, assigned a score, and moved on. Now their assessments have a continuation and connection to other assessments and instructional activities. Kate explained how she is now more aware of informal assessments, specifically using exit tickets, than she used to be. She looks at how each student performed on an assessment and plans a reteach before moving on instead of correcting assignments and moving on like she previously did. She stated, “Yes I would ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 33 correct their papers, but I didn’t necessarily look to see oh you know A,B,C, and D really struggled with this concept we just moved onto the next page and did it. But now I am really looking okay, A,B,C, and D didn't get it I need to pull them tomorrow in a small group and work with them some more before we turn them loose on the next assignment kind of thing and so I'm looking at that daily more now than I used to.” Sue described how her assessment decisions were based on needing a grade or because the class was at the end of a unit or book. Now that teacher’s assessments are based on standards and needing to know what the students know and are able to do. She stated, “When I first started teaching, it was like how many grades do you need to to have, you know, fifteen grades put in and all that well now I feel myself having two or three but they're strong ones because everything that I do to lead up that assessment has to be related. So my assessment drives my teaching. So I'm doing all these little things in between so that when they take that assessment they can be successful or if they're not, they don't master it, you get some clear reasons why. You can find it, if they weren’t here, or know they still didn't understand certain terms, or whatever it may be. It's because of everything that I gave them. I may not have put it in my gradebook, but I know I taught this. I can put a checkmark, that I did activities or something exit tickets, follow little assessment things on the way to check it. But that drives you know my instruction. But I know if I'm doing a lot of that stuff then that when I give that assessment this is not an arbitrary grade, it has some meat to it.” A professional learning opportunity had recently become available to two of the participating teachers, Kate and Jane. The opportunity involved learning more about teaching beginning literacy skills. Kate and Jane described how what they were learning ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 34 introduced them to new assessments, for example phonemic awareness assessments previously mentioned, they now give their students, and how those assessment have changed what they teach. Learning about fundamental skills, specifically phonemic awareness, they previously overlooked changed how and what they assessed. Jane said, “ I know that we didn't even do the phonemic [awareness] at all until last year so like just going to even the LETRS training has changed how I assess, just knowing more.” The participating teachers explained they give more assessments at the beginning of the school year than they previously did. As previously stated, the participating teachers rely on assessments to know what their students know rather than assume the students have specific skills and knowledge. This change in practice has lead the teachers to assess at the beginning of the year in order to see what their students know and what they are ready to start learning. Kate stated, “We do a lot more testing at the beginning of the year now than we ever used to do to just kind of know where to start.” Sue added that she uses beginning of year testing to get, “A baseline of where they are starting.” Kate added, “I wouldn't even know where to start now without it. I can’t just jump right into the grade level content.” This practice helps the participating teachers be aware of and fill in gaps in skills and knowledge so the students are more prepared for grade level content. The more the teachers have used results from assessments to direct their instruction, the more they have learned how the results help them meet student needs and plan instruction that will help their students. For example, Jane’s experience mentioned earlier where she thought her students had a good understanding of magnets, but after the assessment she realized they didn’t. Also the experiences of Jane and Kate discussed earlier where they thought their students were ready for the phonics instruction they were ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 35 providing, only to assess and find out they weren’t because they lacked phonemic awareness skills. While discussing beginning of year assessments and how she does more than she used to, Jane stated, “Which I wouldn't even know where to start now without it. I can’t just jump right into the grade level content.” Summary Participating teachers shared how they now look at and use assessment data differently than they did earlier in their careers. Assessments are conducted at the beginning of the school year by the participating teachers more than they previously did. The teachers have learned new skills to assess for and the need to find out if students have sufficient knowledge and skills to start grade level instruction. A professional learning opportunity two of the teachers participate in has changed what those teachers assess and then instruct based on the new assessments. These teachers have learned about the importance of phonemic awareness, and therefore started assessing it and then teaching it to those students who assessments showed they needed it. Through experiences where teachers assumed or felt like their students understood standards and skills, but then assessed the students only to learn they did not understand or possess the skills, the teachers have learned they need to measure with assessments to have evidence of what students know, understand, and are able to do rather than assume. How is classroom instruction influenced by assessment? Assessment directs the participating teachers how to decide what to teach. They identify knowledge and skill gaps before instruction starts, starting to teach there. Instruction is also directed by assessment because the participating teachers check to see if instruction worked like the teacher hoped, and where the students are ready for the ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 36 teacher to start instruction the next day. Jane stated, “I like that it [assessment] helps you take all the guesswork out of it. Well I mean if they match up it takes a lot of the guesswork out for me and then you can get straight to the meat of everything.” The participating teachers use assessment results to plan their instruction. For example, Kate described the reasons she was changing the focus of her foundational literacy skills instruction, “We've really been hitting the phonemic awareness hard and we're reassessing at this point. A lot of them are starting to master where they had holes before, and so we’re moving out of phonemic awareness and into sorts and reading books because they can now hear those sounds and they are being able to produce those sounds you know vocally and in writing much better. It’s made a lot of difference.” Mandated assessments, specifically the interim assessments, influence which standards the participating teachers teach. The participating teachers shared how they select the standards they focus on based on the standards that will be on their upcoming interim assessments they consider to be essential for the grade level to master. Jane described the process by saying, “I know with our CIAs to pull out and just not teach certain standards because there's too many, like you said, they they won't master that many so we pull out the essential standards.” The participating teachers discussed starting their instruction by setting learning goals and objectives for their students. Using assessment, the teachers determine which students are struggling and which students are learning skills and standards. Ultimately, the assessments tell teachers when students have met learning goals and objectives. Sue stated, “Sometimes, like we were talking earlier, you just can’t go on. You have to keep working and find another way to assess that because it’s still not mastered enough as a group. So I can’t go on to this next set of ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 37 data or assessment because we haven’t really mastered this one.” Kate shared, “I think the reteach lets me know where my gaps are as well as the kids’ gaps and what we have to do to get everybody passed that. I mean, do we need back up and do a whole group? Was it a way basic something or was it just one little part that they didn't quite get. One group of kids? Was it one group of kids? So I think it drives the further instruction because a lot of the skill then there is no point in going onto the next skill because if they don't have that skill there's no point in going on the next they won't get it right as the foundation so I think it drives a lot of the instruction.” Participating teachers use assessment results to know students’ needs and abilities. Kate shared how she uses assessment results to determine which instructional activities and center activities students will participate in. She stated, “Well we use like our phonemic assessment and our DIBELS to set up our small groups for reading and I use I have math centers in my classroom that if they finish the IXL practice then they finish whatever math page or pages we’re doing that day then they can go to the math center and they are set up at based on skills that they need more practice in. So the assessment tells me what center those children can go to. So a lot of small group instruction is based on assessments. And obviously the reteach, a small group or the whole class.” Summary Participating teachers described using assessment to check if their instruction worked to teach students skills and standards. They used frequent assessments to monitor how students were responding to instruction throughout the instructional process to make adjustments as needed for the students to master the material. Assessment results were ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 38 also used to decide what skills and standards students were ready to learn. Teachers determined if there were gaps in student knowledge and abilities they needed to fill before beginning instruction. Assessment results were also used to determine when students were ready to begin instruction for new standards such as when Kate stated that according to assessment results, her students had increased their phonological abilities and were prepared to move to new early literacy activities and skills. Kate also described using assessment to determine what small group instruction and center activities her students would participate in. Jane described using assessment data to determine what reteaching groups her students would participate in. Challenges associated with assessment. Many uses for and benefits of assessment have been discussed. While assessment was discussed as a valuable tool, there are also challenges associated with implementing effective assessments including time, reteaching, and creating assessments the participating teachers shared. The idea of time as a challenge was brought up in the discussion several times. The participating teachers mentioned struggling to have enough time for instruction.In response to “Discuss the aspect of assessment that is the most challenging,” Kate stated, “The reteach, finding time to do the reteach and finding a way to do the reteach.” They shared frustrations of not having enough instructional time to teach to mastery all standards. Kate stated, “I think another aspect that’s challenging is, and I feel that's more with our CIAs, having time for the kids to master the skill. I feel like they’re introduced to it, but they don't get enough time to actually master it before they are actually tested on it. Because we have so many skills to introduce to them that they just don't get the ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 39 mastery time and so I feel like time is a part I don't like just because I feel like there's so much in so little time.” Reteaching was described as a challenge by the participating teachers although they also described it as being an important component. They shared frustrations of trying to find ways to reteach. The frustrations were described by stating once they have tried all the approaches to the standard they know they are not sure how to continue helping the students who have not mastered the standard yet. Fitting time into a packed instructional schedule to reteach students who have not mastered standards and skills was also described as difficult by the participating teachers. Kate stated, “The reteach, finding time to do the reteach and finding a way to do the reteach because like a lot of times in math I feel like I've showed him how to do it with manipulatives I’ve showed them how to do it with drawings and I've showed them how to do it with number lines and so when it comes to read teach sometimes it like well how can I do this differently? You know what are these kids missing from these other times that we did it this way, this way, this way? How can I help them figure it out so that they get it? A lot of times it is like OK when I'm I going to do this and how am I going to do this?” In agreement, Jane added, “Because what other way can I possibly do it?” Sue also expressed a concern over balance. She mentioned that balancing enough assessments to have the right information to inform her instruction adequately without over-assessing her students can be challenging. She stated, “One challenging so that I'm not over-assessing because it can be really easy to fall in that trap and over-assess. and so is challenging to know. To find that timing of the assessment too. Because everything has to align right so that can be really challenging.” ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 40 Creating assessments was mentioned as another challenge when Sue stated, “Creating an assessment with a strong enough rigor, but yet that it's not the rigor isn't too hard for something. You know it's just it's going to frustrate the kids. To actually create an assessment is really difficult. It's not as easy as people think and writing a question because you have to take so much apart and put in there.” She went on to add, “ you want them to feel success you have to give rigor that is not as overwhelming or challenging to have them feel those little successes. I think a good assessment somehow builds that up. You have a little bit of everything you have you know the ones [Depth of Knowledge] to even the fours [Depth of Knowledge]. There maybe not always be the expectation that are going to do the three or four [Depth of Knowledge] but the hope that that's what you can get. But do they have enough that they can just spew it back, regurgitate I guess, but make connections. Those are those twos and getting to those threes and making the connection and then the applying it. I think finding the time to actually create a really good assessment is challenging.”. Writing was mentioned by all of the participating teachers as being a difficult subject to assess. Kate stated, “Writing is really hard to assess. Even with great rubrics, it’s hard to assess. Because a lot of it, I don't know how to say it, is vague even if the rubric specific. It is open to your interpretation. I find grading writing the very hardest, or scoring writing.” Jane stated, “The writing and like reading where they have to write their answers. Making sure that everybody, especially with a rubric, on the same, like grading same way. That’s hard for me to not judge too high or too low because often times the rubrics are very like really, really specific that I have a hard time with those.” Later she added, “It [grading writing] is open to your interpretation.” Jane also gave an example ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 41 from a recent meeting with colleagues to go over assessment results where teachers struggled to collectively define what being on topic looked like for that particular writing assignment. She shared, “We had issue of topic, of on topic. and I mean there's a wide variety of on topic and then the ones that are, it's just hard to know if they're on the line or passed it. You know what I mean, because they are close, but where do you draw the line the hard line. That is what we just experienced in our last PLC. It is tough.” While the participating teachers articulated many uses and benefits assessment provides for their instruction, they also shared challenges such as time, reteaching, balance, creating assessments, and how difficult it can be to grade writing. Summary Along with benefits of assessment, teachers also described some challenges. These challenges included time. Teachers reported a limited amount of instructional time with many standards they are required to teach, leading to a limited amount of time to reteach unmastered skills and standards. Teachers also discussed having a limited amount of time to create what they feel are quality assessments that will give them good information to base their instructional decisions on. Reteach was discussed as a component of the teachers’ assessment practices because they use the assessments to determine what they need to reteach. However, the teachers described challenges knowing how they could reteach. They felt they used many different strategies during the initial instruction so they were not sure what additional strategies they could use to reteach the unmastered skills and standards. Writing was described as the hardest subject to assess because evaluating writing is subjective, even with good, detailed rubrics. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 42 DISCUSSION Mastery Assessment Philosophy The researcher did not specifically ask the participating teachers to describe their assessment philosophies, rather the researcher looked for ways the teachers described their uses and views of assessment throughout the discussions to describe the participating teachers’ assessment philosophies. The participating teachers all described a goal of students achieving mastery through the teacher use of assessment. Sue shared how she set goals and objectives for her students and then used assessments to measure progress towards meeting those goals and objectives. She also told her students she gave them assessments to see if they were making gains towards meeting goals. All three participating teachings described using assessments to find out what knowledge gaps students need to have filled so they will be ready to successfully master the standards and skills the participating teachers need to teach. The teachers have found that finding and filling knowledge gaps in foundational skills helps students more successfully master new skills and standards. The teachers also discussed concerns about needing to teach more standards than they thought they can get students to master in the given amount of time. Jane explained she picks a few “essential” standards to focus on getting students to mastery on those standards rather than only exposing her students to all the standards that would be on the Common Interim Assessment (CIA). Kate also shared the concern that her students do not have enough time to master all the standards they are required to for the CIAs. Throughout the discussions, the participating teachers expressed their efforts to help their students achieve mastery in the skills and standards they teach. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 43 To help students achieve mastery, participating teachers described a process where they reteach skills and standards students did not master on assessments until the students are able to master the skills and standards on subsequent assessments. Kate provides small group instruction and center activities, Jane creates a reteach instructional group for students who have not mastered standards, and Sue continues to include the standards in her instruction until assessments show students have mastered the standards. How Philosophies Align with Mandated Assessments Jane and Sue shared they helped their students reflect on their abilities, what standards they have mastered and what standards they need to continue to work on, following the CIA. These teachers used the mandated assessment as an opportunity for their students to get an overview of their own mastery levels and set goals about what skills and standards they want to improve. Jane used the information she got from the CIA to create groups in which her students were retaught standards they had not mastered, which was consistent with her goal of helping her students achieve mastery in the skills and standards she taught. Jane and Kate shared a frustration with the students being assessed on more standards than they thought could be mastered with the assessment schedule. As mentioned previously, Jane selected what she called “essential” standards to focus on getting the students to master rather than trying to instruct all the standards on the assessment. Influences on Assessment Practices ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 44 The participating teachers described ways in which their assessments have changed through their teaching careers due to experiences with giving assessments and learning more about what their students need to know and be able to do. The participating teachers shared experiences where the results of assessments were different than they had anticipated, and this changed what they saw as their need for assessments. Jane shared she has learned through experience that she cannot assume students know something, she needs evidence of what students know to be sure. She gave the example her lesson about magnets where she thought the students were learning the material well, and then she learned through an assessment she gave they did not understand the concept like she thought they did. This helped her adjust her instruction before moving on to help her students master the standard. She gives assessments because she has learned through experience she cannot assume her students understand what she has taught, she needs evidence. The participating teachers explained they have increased their use of assessments at the beginning of the school year. They have learned through experience of giving other assessments and trying to teach students with gaps in their knowledge that they cannot assume students enter their classrooms with all the background knowledge necessary to learn the skills and standards they will be teaching. They give their students assessments to learn what they know and what additional knowledge the students will need to be ready to learn the skills and standards they will teach throughout the year. This practice has been supported for them when they have had experiences like the one Jane described from the previous year. She had a student whom she thought was a good reader, but then the student stopped making progress. Jane filled in background knowledge and the ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 45 student made great improvement in her reading skills. Kate explained this year she assessed the skills the students’ phonemic awareness skills at the beginning of the year, targeted instruction towards those skills, and reassessed to find they had successfully learned the phonemic awareness skills making them more prepared for the next phase of phonics instruction she was preparing. Another factor related to teachers’ assessment practices was new learning. Jane and Kate are participating in a professional learning opportunity where they are studying early literacy skills in depth. What they have learned in this training has shown them more skills they need to assess to decide if students need instruction in that skill, like Kate did with phonemic awareness, or if students are ready for more advanced skills. They have already found success using these practices with the examples in the previous paragraph. Jane explained that learning more changes what she assesses. Assessment Influence Classroom Instruction Information from assessments help teachers provide instruction that helps their students master skills and standards. The participating teachers described how assessment practices help them evaluate instructional effectiveness. Kate explained how she looks at which students did not master a standard or skill on her assessments and looks for ways to help them keep learning and working on a skill or standard by planning small group instruction they will be included in. Jane described how she uses assessment to have evidence of whether or not her students have learned a standard, or if she needs to approach the instruction differently. Kate and Sue explained how they know when students are ready to learn new standards based on assessments. Kate gave the earlier example of knowing students were ready to move on to new phonics and early reading ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 46 skills after they mastered phonemic awareness on her reassessment. Sue uses assessments to know if her students need to keep working on a standard or if they are ready to move on. The teachers also use assessments to determine what instructional activities and groupings students will participate in. Jane uses assessments to create instructional groups and reteaching groups. Kate uses assessments to decide what center activities her students will participate in. The participating teachers described how assessments they give keep them aware of how well their instruction is helping students master skills and standards, helps them know when students are ready for new standards, and determines the instructional groups and activities students will participate in. Personal Reflection Throughout my practice as an elementary teacher, I have been concerned about how to know if the instruction I prepared and delivered met the needs of my students. Countless hours have been spent planning and implementing instruction, but how do I know if I planned the right instructional activities? While listening to the focus group discussions, I reflected on my own practice. I thought about decisions I have made, such as I used to give assessments that came with the provided curriculum according to the schedule in the curriculum. Now I hand pick which assessments from the curriculum, which components of those assessments I use, and select what I use and when I use it to best support learning goals I have set for my students. Through experience I learned even the best phonics lesson won’t work for all students if it is not at the correct level for them. Through professional learning opportunities I have learned more about beginning literacy skills and what I skills I need to assess in order to learn what phonics lessons my students need. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 47 I have recently moved to a new grade level and am trying to learn all I need to help my students learn and the appropriate learning goals and objectives I need to have for them. Moving forward, I want to reflect on my assessment practices with this new grade level. Am I assessing all the learning goals I have for my students in ways that will help me plan and adjust instruction to help them successfully meet those goals? Are there skills I am not assessing I should be? Do my assessments have the appropriate level of rigor to show me what my students can and cannot do? While listening to the participating teachers discuss their assessment practices I was reminded how important it is to listen to and counsel with colleagues. I want to find more opportunities to listen to, learn from, and collaborate with my colleagues to help improve my teaching practices. Limitations A limitation of this study is the small sample size all from the same elementary school. A larger sample could provide insights into other schools with differing dynamics and how teachers may answer differently based upon those dynamics. The three focus group discussion meetings took place within a one week period. This likely created more of a focus on what the teachers were doing within the time frame rather than a longer scope of assessment practices. Further Research and Implications This research project included participants all with at least thirteen years of teaching experience in a Title I school that has been focused on improving student achievement and student growth. To further this research, answering similar questions with teachers at schools with a different demographic and with teachers with less ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 48 experience would help researchers understand how the school environment and teacher experience impact the teachers’ assessment philosophies. This research was conducted in a focus group setting where teachers explained their practices. To learn more about these teachers’ practices, a case study that included classroom observations could show the researcher what the implementation of the practices looks like. The teachers in this study are members of the school leadership team and considered good teachers. To learn what they are doing that is different from other, less successful teachers, the focus group could be repeated with struggling teachers to compare the responses to find ways to help struggling teachers improve. This research will be shared with school and district administration for uses of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to discussion. Conclusion In conclusion, participating teachers described focus on mastery with their assessments. The participating teachers use assessment to measure progress towards goals and mastery of skills and standards. The participating teachers shared they think it is important to have evidence of student abilities rather than assume what students know and can do. The teachers use assessment to help students reach mastery by using assessment information to guide them to reteach students until they are at skill or standard mastery. Participating teachers chose to focus instruction on “essential” standards they were responsible for teaching during the time leading up to their CIAs they gave because they felt there were too many standards and not enough time for the students to reach mastery on all of the standards addressed on the CIAs. The teachers used the results from ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 49 the CIAs to help students reflect on how well they had mastered skills and standards and set goals for improvement, as well as identify needs and create instructional groups for reteaching skills and standards. Experiences and new learning influenced teachers’ assessment practices. Participating teachers rely on assessments to provide evidence that students understand and know concepts rather than assuming or feeling like the students are understanding. New learning opportunities for teachers taught them about literacy skills students need they previously were not as aware of, and therefore lead to a change in what skills the participating teachers assess. Assessments influenced classroom instruction by providing information for teachers to evaluate if instruction worked or if the instruction needed to be adjusted and continued to be taught before students achieved mastery. The information from assessments helped teachers determine what instructional activities, small group instruction, and reteaching groups students would participate in. The participating teachers described assessment as a tool they use to determine when students have mastered a skill, concept, or standard, and to determine what instruction students need to successfully achieve mastery in those skills, concepts, and standards. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 50 References Bell, B., & Cowie, B. (2001). The characteristics of formative assessment in science education. 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Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(1), 81-91. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 52 Perie, M., Marion, S., & Gong, B. (2007). Moving toward a comprehensive assessment system: A framework for considering interim assessments. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3), 5-13. Popham, W. J. (2011). Assessment literacy overlooked: A teacher educator's confession. The Teacher Educator, 46(4), 265-273. Utah State Board of Education (2018). Data and statistics. Retrieved from https://www.schools.utah.gov/data/reports Yao, Y. (2015). Teacher perceptions of classroom assessment: A focus group interview. SRATE Journal, 24(2), 51-58. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 53 Appendix A: Focus Group Discussion Questions Focus Group Discussion Questions - What is assessment? What do you think of when you think of assessment? - Discuss the relationship between assessment and instruction. - Discuss the aspect of assessment you enjoy most. - Discuss the aspect of assessment that is the most challenging. - Discuss the usefulness of your classroom assessments. Yao, Y. (2015). Teacher Perceptions of Classroom Assessment: A Focus Group Interview. SRATE Journal, 24(2), 51-58. The questions from this study were chosen because they are from a study aimed to learn about teacher perceptions of assessment, which is similar to the objectives of this study. The researcher has chosen to add one additional question: - Have you used similar assessments throughout your teaching practice, or have they changed? Explain. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 54 Appendix B: Focus Group Question Schedule First Meeting - What is assessment? What do you think of when you think of assessment? - Discuss the relationship between assessment and instruction. Second Meeting - Discuss the aspect of assessment you enjoy most. - Discuss the aspect of assessment that is the most challenging. Third Meeting - Discuss the usefulness of your classroom assessments. - Have you used similar assessments throughout your teaching practice, or have they changed over time? Explain. ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 55 Appendix C: IRB Approval ASSESSMENT AND ELA INSTRUCTION 56 Appendix D: District Approval