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Teachers' Sensemaking: Middle School and High School Language Arts Grading and Assessing Practices for Writing

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Teachers' Sensemaking: Middle School and High School Language Arts Grading and Assessing Practices for Writing Rowan University Rowan Digital Works Theses and Dissertations 4-8-2020 Teachers' sensemaking: Middle school and high school language arts grading and assessing practices for writing Lana Michele Cook Rowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons, and the Secondary Education Commons Recommended Citation Cook, Lana Michele, "Teachers' sensemaking: Middle school and high school language arts grading and assessing practices for writing" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 2771. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2771 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TEACHERS’ SENSEMAKING: MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS GRADING AND ASSESSING PRACTICES FOR WRITING by Lana Michele Cook A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership College of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirement For the degree of Doctor of Education at Rowan University March 25, 2020 Dissertation Chair: Monica Reid Kerrigan, Ph.D. © 2020 Lana Michele Cook Dedication I dedicate this dissertation, and all of my life’s work promoting the education and well-being of children, to my sons: James Richard, Robert William, and Daniel Henry. My three children are entrusted to the very system I aspire to impact, and as a classroom teacher, this knowledge drives my daily work. Nothing has made my work feel more urgent, important, or necessary than my role as a mother; the lens through which I view my classroom and the world is only possible because of the love I hold for each of you. Thank you for your patience with my work and for the myriad ways in which you inspire me every single day. Acknowledgments This work was patiently and thoroughly guided by my committee chair; thank you, Dr. Monica Kerrigan. Thank you also to Dr. Sam and Dr. Mitani for your feedback and advice. Phil, Bobbie, Amy, and Erin, and the Rowan University fall 2015 online cohort, thank you for your ongoing support, intelligence, humor, and advice. Thank you to all of the educators who so graciously dedicated their time to participate in these interviews and to the beloved schools I have taught in, particularly Haddonfield Friends School and my current teaching community. I would also like to acknowledge my parents, Rick and Bettyanne Murray. You created a support system of love and advice that has carried me through adulthood. Mom, you have inspired me as a mother, an educator, and a believer in the limitless promise and potential of all children. You taught me that adults have the power to shape children, and that we always need to wield that power with patience, love, and altruism. Dad, you taught me endurance and fortitude-- to demand more of myself and to forge ahead, regardless of what lay before me. To my siblings and their amazing families: Rick, Michele, Mikayla, Bryanna, Richard, Tara, Kevin, Aidan, Carys, Casey, Sean, and Annelien, I am so grateful for each of you. To my amazing sons, who reminded me time and again to be “perseverant.” I know that your future will be better for the insights I have gained in this process. Finally, to my husband, James, for the better half of my life, you have been by my side. Thank you for your unconditional support, encouragement, and love; thank you for pushing me to be and do my best. I love you all more than words could express. iv Abstract Lana M. Cook TEACHERS’ SENSEMAKING: MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADING AND ASSESSING PRACTICES FOR WRITING 2019-2020 Monica Reid Kerrigan, Ph.D. Doctor of Education This qualitative case study will examine how middle and high school language arts teachers in a single school district make sense of their grading practices. This paper explores how Language Arts teachers at different grade levels may be faced with a variety of contextual factors that influence their grading practices. In order to do justice to this topic, a literature review will situate and contextualize writing instruction, learning standards, and assessments. Using a qualitative single case study design, this study will present the findings from nineteen in-depth teacher interviews, document analysis, and field notes. v Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................... v List of Tables............................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................. 2 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................. 3 Literature Overview ............................................................................................... 4 Rationale and Significance ..................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 6 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 8 Summary ............................................................................................................... 8 Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2: Literature Review ....................................................................................... 10 Literature Search Strategy ...................................................................................... 11 Language Arts Writing and Instructional Models ................................................... 13 Writing Instruction ............................................................................................ 14 Workshop and Traditional Models of Instruction .............................................. 15 Grading.................................................................................................................. 16 Assessment ....................................................................................................... 17 A History of Grading ........................................................................................ 18 A Brief Taxonomy of Grading Schemas ............................................................ 19 Teachers’ Values and Beliefs ............................................................................ 20 Horizontal and Vertical Misalignment ............................................................... 25 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Validity ............................................................................................................. 29 Best Practice .......................................................................................................... 32 Start with Clear Goals ....................................................................................... 33 Feedback ........................................................................................................... 33 Accuracy .......................................................................................................... 34 Misalignment With Best Practice ........................................................................... 35 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 38 Summary .............................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 3: Methodology .............................................................................................. 42 Research Questions ................................................................................................ 42 Research Design ................................................................................................... 43 Setting ................................................................................................................... 44 The School District .......................................................................................... 45 Sample and Participant Selection ..................................................................... 45 Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 46 Interviews ........................................................................................................ 47 Documents ....................................................................................................... 48 Field Notes ...................................................................................................... 48 Research Validity .................................................................................................. 49 Credibility ........................................................................................................ 50 Reliability ........................................................................................................ 50 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................
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