Teacher log of students’ opportunity to learn and classroom observation: an initial investigation of convergence

Abstract

The present study investigated the convergent validity of the Instructional Learning Opportunities Guidance System (MyiLOGS; Kurz and Elliott 2012), a teacher self-report log designed to measure students’ opportunity to learn (OTL) the intended curriculum. MyiLOGS is compared to the Classroom Strategies Assessment System—Observer Form (CSAS-O; Reddy and Dudek 2016), an online multidimensional assessment of instruction and behavior management practices. The study included 71 kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and 11 school principals from six high poverty charter schools in the northeastern USA. Results provided initial evidence for the relationship between OTL and principal observer ratings of instruction. As hypothesized, results indicate significant positive correlations between teacher ratings of time spent on instruction and time spent on academic standards with observer ratings of teaching strategies; and significant negative correlations with observer discrepancy ratings for instructional and behavior management. These findings indicate that the MyiLOGS teacher self-report formative assessment may support teachers’ movement towards improving their teaching practice. Limitations of the measures and generalizability are discussed.