A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE INTENDED PURPOSE, ACTUAL USE, AND PERCEIVED BENEFIT OF DISTRICT-LED INTERIM ASSESSMENTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study examined the intended purposes, actual uses, and perceived benefits of interim assessments on student achievement from the perspectives of district leaders, school administrators, and classroom teachers. Quantitative research methodologies were utilized to describe the phenomena of interim assessment use in a sample of North Carolina school districts. Responses from an online survey were analyzed in order to categorize respondents' interim assessment use as Instructional, Predictive, Evaluative, or Multiple and to compare the dominant categories of district leaders, school administrators, and classroom teachers (Perie et al., 2009). The findings reveal that interim assessments are given for Instructional purposes, using Instructional data analysis methods, and have Instructional benefits for students. When results were parsed by district, several endorsed the "Multiple" category suggesting a wide variety of purposes, uses, and benefits within the same district. When results were compared across roles, a statistically significant difference was found between district leaders, school administrators and classroom teachers. The results indicate that within the sample population surveyed, a person's response to questions regarding the purpose, use, and benefit of interim assessments is related to their role within the district. The findings from the study espouse two main recommendations. First, it is vital that district and state educational leaders make careful and informed decisions about the purpose and use of interim assessments prior to implementation. Second, districts need to develop and communicate a coherent implementation plan that is aligned to the selected purpose and consistent across various roles within the district. Future research studies on the use of interim assessments may build a more comprehensive picture of and offer a more in-depth explanation for the phenomena revealed in this study. Such research could include a qualitative study on data analysis methods that are aligned to a specific interim assessment purpose, a case study showcasing schools in North Carolina that are using interim assessments for various purposes, and a quantitative study to determine whether interim assessments can be correlated to improved student achievement.