The No Child Left Behind Act directs states to establish annual assessments to measure student mastery of state-established learning expectations. American public school students in grades 3 through 8, with few exceptions, take a series of state-mandated assessments each year; students in grades 10 through 12 take a series of state-mandated assessments at least once during those years. NCLB and state laws mandate considerable consequences if students do not perform well on the assessments. Research suggests that the standardized tests associated with NCLB affect curricula and pedagogy. What is not known is the level of control teachers believe they have over the curricular and pedagogic changes, and how that level of perceived control affects teachers’ perceptions of their ability to prepare students for the state-mandated tests. The purpose of this research study was to examine how teachers’ perceptions of autonomy affect their perceptions of efficacy regarding state-mandated testing. Data were collected with the Teaching Autonomy Scale (Pearson & Hall, 1993) and follow-up interviews with teachers from a suburban Connecticut public school district. The findings of the study suggest that teacher perceptions of autonomy do not significantly affect their perceptions of efficacy regarding the state-mandated tests associated with NCLB. The findings also suggest that teacher perceptions of autonomy do affect how teachers view the state-mandated standardized tests. Teachers with high perceived autonomy tended to report that the state-mandated tests had less of an impact on their classroom practices; had some discretion regarding how to use curricular materials in their classes; said that their students performed well on the state-mandated tests because the students engaged in authentic learning exercises that taught the students the skills and concepts assessed by the tests; tended to view the state-tests as assessments of the reading, writing, and math curricula; and tended to report that the state-mandated tests had mostly positive effects on education. Implications for practice, public policy, and further research are presented. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

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The problem of the study was to examine the effects of Texas legislated basic skills testing as the effects relate to teachers, administrators, and local school districts. Questionnaires consisting of thirty questions were mailed to a stratified random sample of 120 educators from all twenty Regional Service Centers in Texas. Both teachers and administrators were included in the sample. Factual information and personal opinions were solicited to determine how educators and local school districts have been responding to the testing reform directives. Responses of educational groups and demographic types were compared using the chi-square test and presented in descriptive and tabular form.. Nine findings, nine conclusions, and six recommendations resulted from the study.

Classroom teachers determine how reading is taught and their decisions are influenced both by the policies instituted by local, state and national agencies and the beliefs teachers hold. Teacher decision making strongly influences the teaching of reading in classrooms. Marzano (2003) stated, â â ¦ all researchers agree that the impact of decisions made by individual teachers is far greater than the impact of decisions made at the school level (p. 71). Snow, Burns and Griffin (1998) state "quality classroom instruction in kindergarten and the primary grades is the single best weapon against reading failure" (p. 343). Research on teacher decision making developed in the early 1980's, yet little current research focuses on decision making concerning reading instruction. Often studies examine primary level reading instruction and if grades beyond primary are investigated, comprehension is the center of the examination (Durkin, 1978). The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the decisions 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade experienced teachers make in their reading instructional practices. A case study approach was used with an analysis of data from field based observations and semi- structured interviews of 7 public school classroom teachers in one school. Artifact analysis from teacher samples and an analysis of reading instructional policies within the school and schools system were used to expand the analysis of data. Three major themes were identified: (1) grouping; (2) instructional focus; and (3) strategies. Major differences were found between second grade, where students did not take the state mandated testing (SMT), and third and fourth grades where students were required to take the state mandated testing (SMT). Second grade teachers focused their reading instruction on the aesthetic components of reading with the purpose of developing readers who found enjoyment in reading. Third and fourth grade teachers focused their reading instruction on preparing students for test taking. This dissonance in reading instruction created a gap, or chasm in the decisions made about reading instruction in these grades. The chasm appeared to be based on the dissonance of purpose for grade levels. The emphasis on passing the SMT greatly affected the purpose of teacher decisions on the third and fourth grade levels, and this purpose is influenced by local, state and federal policy of accountability by high-stakes testing. / Ph. D.

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