A dissertation completed at The Center for Education, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013
THE PERCEIVED STAFF DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS (GRADES 1-5) IN PENNSYLVAMA IN RELATION TO THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND THE PENNSYLVANIA SYSTEM OF SCHOOL ASSESSMENT (PSSA) Suzannne L. Laverick, Ed. D. January 15, 2002
RETURN edited 7/23/02

ABSTRACT

In this country today, educators have become increasingly concerned with the implications of the standards movement on everyday practice. States have created and implemented academic standards of achievement and accompanying assessments. Since 1992, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) has been administered in all public schools throughout the Commonwealth to assess school and district curricula in relation to state academic standards; in 1995, the state began reporting individual scores as well.

Teachers are directly affected by the implementation of academic standards and accompanying high-stakes assessments. To be successful, they need to alter instruction delivery and concept development. Teachers will require time to receive the necessary training and make changes in appropriate instructional practices. Staff development is a necessary component of instructional change, and is frequently provided both before and during implementation of standards.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceived staff development needs of Pennsylvania elementary teachers (grades 1-5) in relation to the implementation of Pennsylvania academic standards as assessed by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests for Reading and Mathematics each spring for fifth grade students. This study involved administering a Likert type questionnaire to Pennsylvania teachers from schools in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Northampton, Lehigh and Berks Counties. Teachers of students in grades 1 through 5 were surveyed and asked to report on their grade level and status as either a beginning or veteran teacher. The survey included items based on the literature of staff development in education, effective teaching practices that effect student achievement, and effective practices in standardsbased programs. Findings from this research include topics of staff development needs as perceived by elementary teachers surveyed as well as types of staff development needs in relation to the variables of grade level, teacher tenure and school achievement related to PSSA.

The results indicated a need for designing remediation and enrichment strategies, performance tasks similar to those used in the Pennsylvania testing, and standards-based units, as well as the need to learn about the use of authentic problems as an instructional tool. Of collaboration with colleagues, reflection and refinement of practice and on-going follow-up training, teachers indicated the most need for collaboration with colleagues as a form of staff development.

The most noted types of professional development included observations of classes and programs and participation in programs related to PSSA and/or standards, as well as attendance at conferences related to PSSA. In relation to the variable of grade level taught, teachers of grades 1 through 4 perceived a greater need for on-going follow-up training after inservices as well as staff development in test-driven instructional practices and understanding Pennsylvania standards than those who teach grade 5.

An analysis of the results related to tenure indicated that teachers with less tenure perceived a greater need for observation staff development than those with greater tenure. In relation to the variable of school achievement scores, teachers in schools with higher math PSSA scores perceived a greater need for classroom instruction staff development than teachers in schools with lower math PSSA scores. Conversely, teachers in schools with lower reading PSSA scores perceived a greater need for school group staff development than teachers in schools with higher reading PSSA scores.

These results may be related to the types of instruction perceived necessary for the disparate curriculum areas of reading and math. Schools were categorized as gainers, decliners and stayers based on an analysis of differences in PSSA math and reading scores for each school in the study for 1999 and 2000. An analysis of perceived staff development needs based on these categories showed that decliners, gainers and stayers all had the same level of need for all factors, indicating the desire for all schools' scores to improve, a possible by-product of the PSSA accountability system.

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