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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas at Dallas, 2006 / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-134)

In the past, educational accountability was in the form of fiscal and organizational efficiency. Since the early 1980s, however, the focus of accountability initiatives has shifted to student learning. This is a summary of 8 elementary principals’ views about the demands for accountability made of them and their schools, and the ways in which they responded to these expectations. Individual interviews were conducted to gather their perceptions of accountability initiatives underway in Manitoba. Included is a discussion of: (1) the range and intensity of accountability demands perceived by principals, (2) the contradictions experienced by principals as a result of multiple yet differentiated accountability initiatives, as reflected in the distinction in the research literature between market competition, decentralized decision-making, managerial, and professional accountability approaches, and (3) principals’ responses to these demands, and the justification used for the strategies that they adopted. / October 2006

In the past, educational accountability was in the form of fiscal and organizational efficiency. Since the early 1980s, however, the focus of accountability initiatives has shifted to student learning. This is a summary of 8 elementary principals’ views about the demands for accountability made of them and their schools, and the ways in which they responded to these expectations. Individual interviews were conducted to gather their perceptions of accountability initiatives underway in Manitoba. Included is a discussion of: (1) the range and intensity of accountability demands perceived by principals, (2) the contradictions experienced by principals as a result of multiple yet differentiated accountability initiatives, as reflected in the distinction in the research literature between market competition, decentralized decision-making, managerial, and professional accountability approaches, and (3) principals’ responses to these demands, and the justification used for the strategies that they adopted.

In the past, educational accountability was in the form of fiscal and organizational efficiency. Since the early 1980s, however, the focus of accountability initiatives has shifted to student learning. This is a summary of 8 elementary principals’ views about the demands for accountability made of them and their schools, and the ways in which they responded to these expectations. Individual interviews were conducted to gather their perceptions of accountability initiatives underway in Manitoba. Included is a discussion of: (1) the range and intensity of accountability demands perceived by principals, (2) the contradictions experienced by principals as a result of multiple yet differentiated accountability initiatives, as reflected in the distinction in the research literature between market competition, decentralized decision-making, managerial, and professional accountability approaches, and (3) principals’ responses to these demands, and the justification used for the strategies that they adopted.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-150).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-96).

The validity of value-added systems of measurement is crucially dependent upon there being a demonstrably unambiguous relationship between the so-called baseline, or intake measures, and any subsequent measure of performance at a later stage. The reliability of such procedures is dependent on the relationships between these two measures being relatively stable over time. A number of questions arise with regard to both the validity and reliability of value-added procedures at any level in education, but this appears to be particularly problematic at Key Stage 3. Target-setting procedures usually employ value-added data as the basis for predicting future performance, and the validity and reliability of target-setting procedures is therefore also problematic. In a five-year longitudinal case study of one secondary comprehensive school, the validity of both of these procedures was investigated using quantitative and qualitative methods. The validity and reliability of Key Stage 2 data, and data from the NFER Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), as baseline data for value-added procedures, was investigated using regression analysis. Wider perceptions of value-added procedures were opened up using detailed interviews with a representative cross-section of teachers. Target-setting procedures were investigated by analysing numerical performance data in curriculum areas, by the use of questionnaires to students, staff and parents, and by detailed interviews with a representative sample of students. The results of the investigation suggest that whilst value-added procedures have a high level of validity and reliability for Mathematics at Key Stage 3, this is less true for English and Science. For non-core subjects there appears to be no rational basis upon which value-added procedures can be used. Staff attitudes towards both value-added and target-setting were often quite ambivalent; those of students and parents were generally much more positive. A number of concerns emerged with regard to the ways in which such procedures appear to be distorting teaching and learning, producing a culture of performativity where learning is increasingly seen as a means to an end, rather than a worthwhile end in itself. These findings raise some fundamental questions about our philosophy of education, about accountability, and about the knowledge claims which are made as a result of such procedures.

The community college mission is to provide open access to higher education for all students. For that reason, accountability measures have focused primarily on student access to their institutions. However, in recent years there was a shift to include student progress and outcomes, in addition to access, as measures of institutional effectiveness. With this shift came concerns by community college leadership on a national level that they were being held accountable with measures that were inappropriate for this sector of higher education. As a result, the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) was created. This framework is unique in that it was designed for and by community colleges and is currently being piloted on a national basis by the American Association of Community Colleges at approximately 100 locations. This qualitative research case study, based upon grounded theory, chronicles the participation process of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in the development and piloting of accountability metrics using the VFA model to measure student progress and outcomes and the resultant impact on policy and practice at the CCAC. In my research, I found a number of factors shaping the implementation of the VFA pilot. The decision of the CCAC to participate in the development and pilot project of the VFA can be traced back to the increased pressure of accountability on the institution and the leadership of the current president and his philosophy about data informed decision-making. Other findings that influenced the implementation of the VFA included the limitations of the pre-VFA metric definitions and measurements that were being used to account for student progress and outcomes. In my treatise I describe the implementation issues, including the challenges and benefits of using the VFA accountability model, and then examine how it has impacted organizational policy and practices. / text