Elementary Teacher Use of Formative Assessment

Donna McLamb Cotton, Gardner-Webb University

Abstract

This dissertation was designed to examine elementary teacher use of formative assessment and the impact formative assessment may have on student achievement as measured by benchmark assessments. The study was conducted in a school district in northwestern North Carolina. The teachers in this study have had NCFALCON training in the use of formative assessment but may not be implementing formative assessment to its fullest potential within their everyday instruction. As research regarding formative assessment indicates increased student achievement, it is important to know if teachers are using formative assessment to its fullest potential.

The study used teacher and student surveys on the use of formative assessment as well as ClassScape® reading and math common district benchmark results of the students surveyed. Using data from the surveys, the researcher compared the teacher ratings of the use of formative assessment to student ratings of teacher use of formative assessment as well as comparing both sets of survey data to benchmark scores.

An analysis of variance and a regression analysis were used in this study. The data from these analyses revealed that students rated teachers more highly in the use of formative assessment. The analyses also indicate that student perception of the teacher's use of formative assessment may predict reading benchmark scores.