| Keywords: No Child Left Behind, A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Assessment, Assessment Literacy, Assessment for Learning, Conceptions, Summative Assessments, Benchmark Assessments, Formative Assessment.;This quantitative study is designed to investigate and explain sixth through eighth grade teachers' conceptions of assessment and assessment practices and to determine whether the independent variables (gender, age, years taught, degree earned, training, and grades taught) are related to the dependent conceptions (beliefs) of assessment.;The instrument used to conduct this study is the Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment III Abridged (COA-III, Brown 2003). This inventory is a self-reported survey that allows teachers to indicate their level of agreement with statements related to the four main purposes of assessment: 1) assessment improves teaching and learning (Improvement), 2) assessment makes students accountable for learning (Student Accountability), 3) assessment makes schools and teachers accountable for learning (School Accountability), and 4) assessment is irrelevant (Irrelevancy) (Brown, 2011).;With the implementation of new national assessments educators must understand how student achievement is measured and how to interpret data appropriately. Leaders must ensure that teacher preparation and training are provided to all educators. Data from this study provide a better understanding about how sixth through eighth grade teachers' assessment beliefs and practices relate to each other and establish a template for future professional development. |
