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Table 2: percentage of responses and descriptive statistics by item for beliefs about teaching

Item 1 a 2 3 4 5 Mdn M SD
9 High stakes testing permits teachers to use the full range of their teaching skills. 6 40 25 23 6 3.00 2.84 1.05
10 High stakes testing leads to better teaching. 7 33 32 25 4 3.00 2.85 1.00
11 Students’ scores on a high stakes test are a valid measure of teaching ability. 13 47 26 13 1 2.00 2.41 0.91
12 Students’ scores on a high stakes test are a valid way to determine the quality of education. 9 48 26 16 0 2.00 2.51 0.89
13 The quality of teachers’ instruction is directly related to student performance on a high stakes test. 7 39 22 28 4 3.00 2.84 1.04
14 High stakes testing requires preparation that reduces time to teach other subjects’ content. 3 15 16 54 12 4.00 3.58 0.98
15 Students’ scores on a high stakes test provide feedback for teachers to improve their teaching. 1 8 15 67 8 4.00 3.74 0.76
16 High stakes testing reduces the teaching and learning process to a student’s test score. 5 25 27 37 5 3.00 3.11 1.02
17 High stakes testing motivates teachers to improve the teaching and learning process. 3 20 22 50 5 4.00 3.36 0.95
18 High stakes testing has increased cooperation among teachers. 5 16 23 48 8 4.00 3.38 1.00

Note. a 1 ( Strongly Disagree ), 2 ( Disagree ), 3 ( Neither Agree nor Disagree ), 4 ( Agree ), and 5 ( Strongly Agree ).

Principals disagreed (median value of 2) that students’ scores on a high stakes test are a valid measure of teaching ability and that students’ scores on a high stakes test are a valid way to determine the quality of education.

Beliefs about work satisfaction

Five items represent principals’ beliefs of work satisfaction. Principals agreed (median value of 4) with two of five items (see Table 3). Principals agreed that (a) principals work satisfaction decreases when the focus is on high stakes testing outcomes and (b) high stakes testing has increased principal and teacher cooperation. With a median value of 3, principals neither agreed nor disagreed that (a) high stakes testing diminishes the desire to be an educator and (b) the use of high stakes testing leads to principals leaving the profession. Principals disagreed (median value of 2) that principal morale increased due to high stakes testing.

Table 3: percentage of responses and descriptive statistics by item for beliefs about work satisfaction

Item 1 a 2 3 4 5 Mdn M SD
19 Principal morale has increased because of high stakes testing. 22 54 20 3 1 2.00 2.06 0.78
20 High stakes testing diminishes the desire to be an educator. 5 19 26 38 12 3.00 3.32 1.07
21 High stakes testing has increased principal and teacher cooperation. 3 17 27 49 4 4.00 3.34 0.90
22 The use of high stakes testing as a single measure to determine student achievement leads to principals leaving the profession. 4 20 36 31 8 3.00 3.19 0.99
23 Principals’ work satisfaction declines when the focus is on high stakes test outcomes. 3 20 25 43 11 4.00 3.39 1.00

Note. a 1 ( Strongly Disagree ), 2 ( Disagree ), 3 ( Neither Agree nor Disagree ), 4 ( Agree ), and 5 ( Strongly Agree ).

Beliefs about stress

Principals’ beliefs about stress consist of 10 items . Principals strongly agreed (median value of 5) with four items (see Table 4). Principals strongly agreed that (a) stress increases with the public advertisement of high stakes testing results, (b) punitive measures associated with high stakes testing increases stress, (c) stress increases when the accountability grade declines, and (d) stress increases when the school receives a failing grade. Principals agreed (median value of 4) that (a) principals experience stress in an effort to maintain their school’s accountability grade, (b) principals leave the profession from stress due to high stakes testing, (c) high stakes testing leads to competition among principals, (d) stress increases due to district supervisors’ pressure to increase students’ scores, and (e) principals increase teacher stress. Principals disagreed (median value of 2) that pressure to improve high stakes test scores may result in principals cheating to improve scores.

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Source:  OpenStax, Education leadership review, volume 12, number 1 (april 2011). OpenStax CNX. Mar 26, 2011 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11285/1.2
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