HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STANDARDS-BASED GRADING BY D’ANDRE JOVAN WEAVER DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Educational Administration and Leadership in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Donald G. Hackmann, Chair and Director of Research Professor S. Kern Alexander Associate Professor Christopher Span Dr. Linda Sloat ii Abstract As a result of the national shift to a more standards-based model for education, principals across the country are leading organizational change in all aspects of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership for student learning. One reform initiative, entitled standards-based grading (SBG), attempts to reimagine the way schools measure and communicate student progress toward learning (Guskey, 2009). Although this approach is gaining traction and more schools are adopting this method for measuring and communicating student learning (Guskey et al., 2011; Jung & Guskey, 2011; Marzano & Heflebower, 2011), there is a void in the literature that documents how principals create and use policies to govern the implementation of standards-based grading, specifically in high schools. Although many districts give principals autonomy around the rollout of SBG within their schools, most districts have not published a common definition or guidelines for policy and implementation practices for this reform initiative. In the absence of a common definition, district policy, or implementation guidelines for SBG, principals are left to interpret, create policy, and implement this shift in grading practices based on their unique understandings and interpretations. To better understand this phenomenon, this qualitative research study sought to examine and understand how 10 public high school principals from six states created policies, implemented, and sustained the use of standards-based grading in their schools. Three research questions framed this study: (a) from principals’ perspectives, how has the implementation of standards-based grading promoted improved student learning; (b) what core systems and structures must be in place to implement standards-based grading and what process did principals use to create and communicate the policies governing standards-based grading in their high schools; and (c) what factors have advanced or hindered the implementation of standards- iii based grading in high schools? To guide data collection and analysis, the Transformation of Intentions (Hall, 1995; Hall & McGinty, 1997) conceptual framework was used to explore how high school principals led the policy creation process used to govern the implementation of standards-based grading. I explored three aspects of the Transformation of Intentions framework: intentions, process intentions, and content intentions. Findings revealed that principals decided to implement standards-based grading ultimately to improve student learning, teacher practice, improve the validity and reliability of grading, and to communicate student learning more clearly to stakeholder groups. The principals reported that school-wide systems and structures, such as the use of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), time built into the master schedule for intervention and acceleration of student learning, progress monitoring, and the establishment of common language, beliefs, and consistent practices school-wide must all be in place to support the adoption of grading reform measures. Finally, in addition to the identification of recommended policies and practices associated with sustained implementation of standards-based grading, results showed the need to include teachers and other stakeholder groups in all decision and implementation processes. Implications from this study focused on principals garnering support to lead grading reform from central office and implications for principal leadership, teacher practice, the student and parent experience, and postsecondary institutions. iv Acknowledgments As I think about the last 8 years and all the times I was afraid I’d never finish, Jesus, you were right there with me, pushing me along, working things out, quietly directing my path and calming my storms. God, I love you so much! Life is not possible, nor worth living, without you. Chyla, you’re the only girl I’ve ever loved. God answered my prayers 18 years ago when he sat you in front of me in Mr. Lamantia’s Cisco Networking class our sophomore year in high school. You make life beautiful. This dissertation would not have been completed had it not been for you. I’ll spend the rest of my life writing love notes to you now! To Elle Moriah and Ava Elise; this moment in your dad’s life is the starting line for you. Greater things than this dissertation will come from you both. Your mom and I love you girls more than ourselves and we are both so proud of who you are today, who you’ll become tomorrow, and the change you’ll bring to this world and to those who will need your strength the most. You two are our legacies; love God, love people, change the world. I had to have been less than five years old when my grandmother told me that I would “be somebody one day.” The completion of this dissertation puts me one step closer to proving her right. Grandma, I love you so much; thank you for sacrificing for our family and for always putting us first. Mom, you were the perfect parent and my first teacher; I couldn’t imagine who I would have become had it not been for your love for me. I know how to love, how to lead, and how to sacrifice because of you. I love you unconditionally. This dissertation is dedicated to my brother, David, a young man for whom I will forever be proud; I love you brother! To my God children, Alyssa, Kyndall, Kamylle, and Myles, I love you kids more than you’ll ever know; to my cousins, aunt and uncles, thank you for being a part v of my life . I love you; to Pappa P, Mommy Yvette, Omar, Erika, Jabar, Regina, Amiyah, Alana, AJ, and Anya, thank you for always supporting and encouraging me . I love you! To the teachers and mentors who have ushered me through every pivotal stage of my life; I wouldn’t be who I am today without the love, support, advocacy, direction, and mentorship from Carolyn Curry, Marion Shelton, Roy Curry Jr. Michael McFarland, Arthur Culver, Dorland Norris, Dedrick Martin, Linda Page, Curtis and Zetta Cowsen, and Mrs. Morton. You all are perfect representations of God’s love and none of you will ever know just how much you each mean to me. I’ll spend every waking day helping others the way you’ve each helped me. To the members of my defense committee; I don’t have the words to truly communicate how much love and respect I have for you. As a former student in each of your classes, I credit you with shaping my perspective on education and leadership; I model the way I educate others based off of my experiences under your care. Dr. Span, Dr. Alexander, and Dr. Sloat, thank you so much for believing in me for all these years. Thank you for pushing me to be better and for preparing me to be an excellent leader. I hope to one day make you proud. Finally, to Dr. Hackmann, who has become much more to me than a dissertation advisor. Thank you for being tough when you needed to and for reigniting my desire to finish this degree. This journey has been long, full of moments of joy and periods of solitude and frustration, but through it all, you’ve been there to support me and push me through. You’ve helped change the entire course of my life and have indirectly influenced the lives of others through your care for me. I’m forever in your debt. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 Literature Review .................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3 Research Methodology ............................................................................................ 77 Chapter 4 Findings .................................................................................................................... 91 Chapter 5 Discussion, Implications, and Recommendations ................................................ 164 References ...................................................................................................................................218 Appendix A Email Soliciting Candidates ................................................................................244 Appendix B Consent Form ........................................................................................................245 Appendix C Interview Protocol and Questions .......................................................................247 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Traditional grading practices in public education have some inherent limitations and can adversely affect student learning, motivation, and engagement in school, particularly for students of color and students from poverty (Goldschmidt & Wang, 1999; Howley, Kusimo, & Parrott, 1999; Lee & Burkam, 2003; Parsons, 1959). Before grading practices began to become standardized in the 1900s, performance was assessed by one’s ability to demonstrate learning and the capacity to perform a task in real and authentic ways (Hutt