High school teachers' attitudes toward a statewide high stakes student performance assessment (original) (raw)

A study examined Maryland high school teachers' attitudes toward specific individual characteristics of the Maryland Writing Test as well as their overall attitudes toward the test. Subjects, 538 English/language arts, mathematics, science, End social studies teachers in Maryland's 176 public high schools, responded to a survey designed to elicit responses on each of the 18 identified distinguishing characteristics of the writing test. Through a proportional random sampling procedure, a total of 1,220 surveys were sent to the teachers. Results indicated that: (1) 97% of the subjects have favorable total overall attitude scores on the survey instrument; (2) as a group, English/language arts teachers had a higher percentage of teachers with "more-than-important" attitudes toward the test than do those in groups of mathematics, science, and social studies teachers; (3) no moderate or strong differences existed in the total overall attitude scores teachers had based on the number of years they have taught; and (4) teacher in all groups had favorable attitudes toward the 18 identified characteristics of the test. (Seventeen tables of data are included; 24 references, a list of the panel of experts who assisted in development of the survey instrument, an information sheet about the Maryland Writing Test, and the survey instrument are included.) (RS)