SRI-Teknisk rapport-sen.v13 - DPU

Section B: Study Aims and Rationale
98
English
B.1 What are the broad aims of the study? Explicitly stated (please specify)
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship
between (a) changes in the scores from the
Maryland State Performance Assessment Program
from 1993 to 1998 and (b) classroom instruction and
assessment practices, student learning and motivation,
students' and teachers' beliefs about and
attitudes toward the assessment, and a school
characteristic. Several factors from each of these
dimensions were found to explain a significant
amount of variability in school performance over
time using growth models.
B.2 What is the purpose of the study? B: Exploration of relationships
B.3 If the study addresses a 'what works' question,
does it focus on outcomes or process?
B.4 Why was the study done at that point in time,
in those contexts and with those people or institutions?
Explicitly stated (please specify)
The nature of assessment programs has also
changed with time to mirror
the philosophies of different educational reform
movements. In accordance with
the most recent educational reform movement, a
number of states are now implementing
statewide assessment programs that involve performance-based
tasks, in
response to arguments that assessments utilizing
more traditional types of standardized
tests have led to educational practices that overemphasize
basic skills
(e.g., Resnick & Resnick, 1992). The prevailing
assumption underlying the use of
performance-based assessments is that they encourage
the use of instructional
strategies and techniques that foster reasoning,
problem solving, and communication
(National Council on Education Standards and
Testing, 1992). One state implementing
such an assessment program is Maryland.
The Maryland State Performance
Assessment Program (MSPAP) is designed to provide
school-level
information at Grades 3, 5, and 8 and to provide
information for school accountability
and improvement (Maryland State Board of Educa-