The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies to overcome limitations to instructional creativity resulting from an emphasis on standardized test preparation in southeast Michigan. The target population for this study were elementary teachers who taught 4th grade with 5 or more years of teaching experience. Purposeful…

Educators rely on a conglomeration of assessment instruments to appraise, measure, monitor, and document evidence of students' academic readiness, learning progressions, acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge, and extensive educational needs. The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program for Mathematics (MAAP-M) and the i-Ready Assessment…

This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between the overall and sub-component scores (operations and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, and geometry) of the i-Ready and TNReady assessments for fourth-grade students in a Title 1 elementary school in Middle Tennessee. The study included 109 students with complete data…

The following is a dissertation looking to address the impact of STEM-focused education on fifth-grade standardized test scores in mathematics and science. STEM education has become such an integral part of American education in recent years, and its importance continues to extend beyond the research available. The purpose of this quantitative…

This dissertation investigates the impact of attending a STEM-designated elementary school on students' math, ELA (English Language Arts), and science achievement and growth scores. As technology continues to advance in education, educators are exploring innovative instructional methods. With a concerning decline in math proficiency nationwide,…

The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to determine the difference in students' LEAP ELA achievement scores in grades 3-5 based on the teacher's level of dyslexia knowledge. This study used the Phonological Deficit Theory (PDT) and the Criterion Referenced Assessment Theory (CRT) as its foundation. PDT describes the levels of…

Standardized testing is generally regarded in schools today as the primary way to measure and determine student achievement. Student performance determines the degree to which schools, teachers, and students are identified as being successful. The problem being investigated by this study was that all students are spending too much classroom…

Standardized testing results in fourth-grade math have shown that students in the United States continually score below students in many other nations, despite funding education at levels well above the global average. The problem addressed in this study was that fourth-grade math students in the United States were not performing as well on…

Schools are tasked with ensuring that students with disabilities are educated within general education classrooms, alongside non-disabled peers, to the maximum extent possible. This study investigated the influence of classroom placement on academic achievement in reading and mathematics for a group of students with mild learning disabilities, who…

State-wide tests are designed to measure student overall ability on grade-level standards. School leaders want fine-grained information on student performance to inform curriculum and instruction. One currently used target scoring method, which compares student scores to expected values is currently used to give this feedback to schools, but there…

Purpose: The overarching purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the extent to which Grade 4 Black students differed in their reading performance on the Texas state-mandated assessment by their gender and by their economic status. Specifically addressed was the degree to which differences were presented in their ability to…

Since zero-tolerance policies were put into effect, suspension rates have risen dramatically in the United States (Ayers et al., 2001). This fact is unsettling because research shows that suspension has a negative impact on both academic achievement and poor life outcomes (Rausch & Skiba, 2005). The goal of this quantitative study was to…

The purpose of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the learning of students in public education through the analysis of standardized assessment performance before and during COVID-19. The study also compares virtual learning and face-to-face students' change in performance on the standardized assessments. To answer the…

The problem addressed in this study was that in response to low standardized test scores, instructional strategies were required to be implemented in English Language Arts (ELA), but teachers in Grades 1 through 5 in the study site experienced challenges using these strategies to meet student learning needs. The explored teachers' experiences and…

This quantitative correlational non-experimental study examined the predictable relationship between the ACCESS for English Language Learners scale score and the Georgia Milestones English Language Arts (GMAS-ELA) standardized assessment for reclassified fifth-grade English language learners during the 2018-2019 school year. The problem addressed…