Linking teachers' classroom assessment practices and students' achievement on the SAIP 2001 mathematics assessment

Abstract

The current study answers the question: What are the relationships between teachers' assessment practices and students' mathematics achievement in large-scale assessment tests? The investigated teachers' assessment practices and students' achievement were defined according to the School Achievement Indicator Program (SAIP) 2001 mathematics achievement test and its accompanying teachers' questionnaire. The study focused on the problem solving component of that test. The assessment practices were investigated within three dimensions: assessment tools (e.g. teacher made multiple-choice tests, projects, and portfolios), assessment purpose (e.g. feedback, and diagnosis), and homework purpose (e.g. feedback and grading). Correlational analyses were employed to investigate whether there are relations between the assessment variables and students' mathematical achievements. Research findings proposed a few relations between students' achievement and the investigated assessment practices. The directions and the strengths of these relations varied based on a few factors such as the distribution of teachers' assessment practices, the amount of missing data, and the data deletions during analyses. The research findings could contribute to the literature on mathematical assessment, and also propose potential relations from which teachers, administrators, and policy makers may predict possible impacts of assessment practices on students' achievement.