Assessment Literacy Within Middle School-Level Math Professional Learning Communities

2018 ◽  
pp. 119-139
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wheat
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Level ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Math Growth ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Middle School Level

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been implemented in school districts as a means to promote effective instructional policy initiatives and best practices. The purpose of this chapter is to identify assessment literacy commonalities within middle school-level math PLCs and to compare those commonalities across PLCs with different levels of student math growth. Multiple indicators of assessment literacy were used to supply rich descriptions of assessment literacy within each PLC using a procedure recommended by Bernhardt for effective data-driven decision making. Based upon the findings the researcher concluded that commonalities existed among PLCs with different levels of student math growth.

Assessment Literacy Within Middle School-Level Math Professional Learning Communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 767-787
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wheat
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Level ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Math Growth ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Middle School Level

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been implemented in school districts as a means to promote effective instructional policy initiatives and best practices. The purpose of this chapter is to identify assessment literacy commonalities within middle school-level math PLCs and to compare those commonalities across PLCs with different levels of student math growth. Multiple indicators of assessment literacy were used to supply rich descriptions of assessment literacy within each PLC using a procedure recommended by Bernhardt for effective data-driven decision making. Based upon the findings the researcher concluded that commonalities existed among PLCs with different levels of student math growth.

The Role of School-Level Mechanisms: How Principal Support, Professional Learning Communities, Collective Responsibility, and Group-Level Teacher Expectations Affect Student Achievement

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 742-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joo-Ho Park ◽  
In Heok Lee ◽  
North Cooc
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
Teacher Expectations ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
School Level ◽  
Principal Support ◽  
Group Level

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how principal support, professional learning communities, collective responsibility, and group-level teacher expectations affect 11th-grade student math achievement. Research Methods: Data for this study were from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. This study used a multilevel structural equation model to examine how principal support, professional learning communities, collective responsibility, and teacher expectations at the group level affect school math achievement. Findings: The study identified a model of school-level factors affecting students: Principal support positively influenced both professional learning communities and collective responsibility, which in turn, affected student math achievement via group-level teacher expectations; on the other hand, the impact of principal support on group-level teacher expectation and the direct associations of both professional learning communities and collective responsibility with student achievement were not statically significant. Implications: Focusing on how a school-level mechanism influences student achievement provides a better understanding of sustaining high school performance through school reform initiatives (e.g., principal leadership training, building professional learning communities, or interventions to improve group-level teachers’ expectations). To improve student achievement, the current study emphasizes why principals should give more attention to exerting supportive and egalitarian leadership that can contribute to a school’s positive climate and lead to changing teachers’ instructional behaviors and attitudes, rather than focusing on directive or restrictive leadership and managing behaviors.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Effect of School Organizational Culture and Professional Learning Communities on Teacher Efficacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217
Author(s):  
Suk Yeol Lee
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Efficacy ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Organisation ◽  
Organisation Culture

Introduction. The aim of the study is to find ways to expand teacher efficacy by examining how the teacher’s efficacy varies according to the school organisation culture and the level of the professional learning community. Materials and Methods. Survey methods were used to collect the data from 400 in-service teachers at elementary, middle, and high schools in South Korea, with five schools selected from each region, respectively. This study utilizes the data from 359 teachers. This study used a random sampling method, taking the location of the school into consideration. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the overall trends in school organisation culture. T-test was used to examine differences among research variables depending on the personal background of gender and teacher level, and the F-test and Scheffe tests were used for school level and teaching experience. Results. First, school’s organization culture is transforming and evolving into a more ideal and model culture. As schools increasingly transform into innovative schools, innovative cultures and group cultures gradually form. Second, a school is a type of organization system that elicits responses elicits a variety of responses from the teachers depending on their personal background and characteristics. Third, professional learning communities have a positive effect on teacher efficacy. Therefore, school organisation culture can be seen as a better predictor of teacher ef ficacy than a professional learning community. Discussion and Conclusion. The article is of interest to the managers of the school educat ion system.

scholarly journals Teacher Talk in Professional Learning Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Karin Brodie ◽  
Tinoda Chimhande
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Teacher Talk ◽  
Teacher Communities ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Over Time

Professional learning communities can be important sites for teacher learning depending on the quality of the conversations in these communities. This paper shows how different activities in teacher communities support different kinds of conversation at different levels of depth, through examining the conversations of four professional learning communities of mathematics teachers over two years. Our analysis suggests three key findings. First, there were strong relationships between different activities and the content of the conversations in the communities. Second, the depth of the conversation in the communities was constant across activities and over time. Third, conversations about learner thinking, a key goal of the project, did not increase over time, but there were increases in talk about mathematics and practice. We explore the implications of these findings for teacher learning.

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