Teachers’ Use of Standardized Assessments to Monitor Learning and Its Impact on Student Reading Achievement

Abstract

Reading instruction must be “intentional, systematic, and explicit” and “implemented by a knowledgeable teacher” (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2019, p. 87). The era of accountability has brought standardized assessments to the forefront of reading instruction. However, gaps about assessment-related and instructional practices and their impact on student achievement exist in the literature. The present study aims to provide needed insights on how these practices help or hinder, specifically, historically low-performing students. Using student achievement and teacher survey data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten 2011 (ECLS-K), and through the lens of data use theory (Hutchins, 1995; Spillane, 2012), hierarchical multiple regression analyses were run to examine the relationship between fifth grade teachers’ (a) use of standardized tests to monitor learning and students’ reading achievement (b) reading instructional practices and use of standardized tests to monitor learning, and (c) reading instructional practices and students’ reading achievement, all while controlling for students’ socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity and teachers’ assessment-related professional development participation. Results indicate each of the three models is statistically significant (p < .05), paving the way for the reconceptualization of assessment instruction in teacher preparation programs and in professional development opportunities.