Steve Myran

Elementary Teachers' Classroom Assessment and Grading Practices

Abstract The authors investigated the assessment and grading practices of over 900 Grades 3-5 teachers representing urban, suburban, and rural schools. Teachers indicated the extent to which they used various factors to grade students, the types of assessments used, the cognitive level of assessments, and the grades awarded. Teachers appeared to conceptualize 6 major factors when they graded students; they placed the greatest weight on academic performance and academic-enabling behaviors, such as effort and improvement, and much less emphasis on homework, comparisons with other students, grade distributions of other teachers, and borderline cases. The teachers used 3 types of assessments—constructed-response, objective, and teacher-made major examinations; they differentiated between recall and higher level cognitive skills. However, there were few relationships between assessment and grade level, subject matter assessed, and grades awarded. Results are discussed in light of other research, indicating that teachers use a “hodgepodge” of factors when assessing and grading students.

Services for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Recommendations for improving school and community-based services for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the state of Virginia were investigated. Participants consisted of 783 parents of children birth to age 22 with a medical diagnosis of ASD. Data obtained through an open-ended survey question were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Parents recommended improving the quality, quantity, accessibility, and availability of services; educating and training individuals to work effectively with children with ASD; increasing funding for services; and creating appropriate school placements and educational programs. The findings from this study suggest the need for increased individualization of and accessibility to services. Future state-level research must examine the variables that affect parent recommendations and evaluate the quality of existing services for children with ASD.

Understanding Mentoring In Leadership Development Perspectives of District Administrators and Aspiring Leaders

According to Daresh, collaboration between veteran and new or aspiring leaders can promote an environment that is conducive to high levels of student achievement. This study sought to understand the mentoring relationship between veteran school leaders and aspiring leaders within a district that is in Year 2 of a School Leadership Program grant. Results focused on two main themes: (a) accountability time pressures and (b) development and sustainability of the mentor/mentee relationship. Implications for school district leadership and university leadership preparation programs are discussed.

Best Practices of Successful Elementary School Leaders.

Purpose – This study is one in a series which aims to examine the theories of actions developed and internalized by school principals that help them serve as successful leaders in the tumultuous accountability climate. The dearth of recent empirical research focusing on best practices of successful school principals in a post‐NCLB nation sets the tone for and drives the study.Design/methodology/approach – An inductive exploratory study was designed to provide insight into how successful elementary school principals facilitate high levels of student achievement. The research was grounded by allowing principals to talk about what their actual practices as leaders.Findings – The principals provided a wealth of information that helped to identify common themes of practice across all 12 participants. The following categories represent the central themes: leadership with data; honesty and relationships; fostering ownership and collaboration; recognizing and developing leadership; and instructional awareness and...

Building Bridges between Knowledge and Practice: A University-School District Leadership Preparation Program Partnership.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a Year 1 account of a partnership between a university and rural school district focusing specifically on how the project has helped to bridge the theory to practice divide and strengthen university‐district ties.Design/methodology/approach – A design‐based research paradigm was utilized to investigate how creating more authentic and contextually relevant university‐school partnerships and embedding leadership preparation in the context of practice may help build stronger bridges between theory and practice.Findings – The findings highlight that holistic approaches to leadership preparation, developing relationships, coordinating meaningful professional development, realism in design and experiences, and introspection are all ways that cohort members, as well as other district personnel, have been able to build stronger bridges between theory and practice.Practical implications – The findings can assist universities and districts in developing and supporti...

The Impact of an Alternative Professional Development Model on Teacher Practices in Formative Assessment and Student Learning.

Among contemporary means of enhancing student learning, formative assessment is perhaps one of the most important and effective. While formative assessment ideas and practices have been shown to have a proven record enhancing student learning, these practices are slow to be fully integrated into teachers’ day-to-day classroom practices. This study describes a collaborative effort among university faculty and public school partners to train teachers in the skills and practices of formative assessment. Regarding teachers’ involvement in the formative assessment professional development, findings highlight that 1) teachers’ participation in the professional development efforts did strengthen their understanding of both general knowledge of formative assessment and the use of formative assessment practices, 2) teachers’ plans to use the strategies in the future were related to their understanding of these strategies, and 3) in-depth and comprehensive understanding of formative assessment practices were critical to concrete applications of such practices in their classrooms. With respect to the impact on student learning, an overall effect size of .41 was found for teachers who utilized a formative assessment strategy compared with district averages for similar learning objectives when the practices were not used.

Content and Context of the Administrative Internship: How Mentoring and Sustained Activities Impact Preparation

As universities prepare educational leaders for twenty-first century schools, the quality and authenticity of the internship experience require both the strengths of university faculty and the expertise of practitioners to create authentic experiences that seek to bridge the theory-to-practice divide. One mechanism to achieve this is through quality mentorship by school- and central-office-based personnel during the internship experience. A central aspect of this professional relationship is the ability for the mentor to provide access to quality activities that will prepare the aspiring leader for his/her first administrative position. This exploratory study examined language utilized by interns in their time logs as well as information gleaned from preliminary surveys of both interns and mentors upon completion of their experience. Findings revealed the complexity of language analysis and revealed a need for understanding activities of interns and interactions with mentors in a contextual fashion.

Problem Posing in Leadership Education: Using Case Study to Foster More Effective Problem Solving.

This case explores Crabapple Middle, a struggling urban school in the midst of a transition that seeks new leadership that can overcome the challenges of two sub-cultures that divide the school and community. In an effort to address issues of low academic performance and negative community perception, an International Baccalaureate magnet program was introduced as a proactive solution. However, the failure to engage in problem posing to identify underlying problems lead school leaders to seek solutions too quickly and to overlook the deeper systemic issues. Teaching notes are provided that outline the concept of problem posing as a means of overcoming the rush to problem solving. Teaching notes advocate for actively prompting discourse that challenges the theory/practice binary and facilitates discursive assessment and critical reflectivity.

Chapter 9 Learning from the Evolution of a University–District Partnership

This chapter provides an overview of the development of a USDE SLP-funded leadership preparation partnership between a local school division and our university. We specifically describe our efforts to cultivate an authentic and purposeful partnership that would allow us to move beyond the limitations of the traditional leadership preparation programs that have been so widely criticized in the literature. This chapter describes the research and development efforts which involved iterative cycles of design, implementation, reflection, and redesign that helped to identify problems of practice and develop meaningful solutions to these identified areas of need. We also discuss four key elements of effective university–school partnerships that grew out of our efforts to build and refine an effective partnership.