Training teachers in a large urban area to administer and interpret a new literacy assessment: lessons learned from New York City

Abstract

A nine‐item survey was administered to 47 New York City public school kindergarten through third‐grade teachers to determine their experiences during training in the administration and interpretation of the Early Childhood Literacy Assessment System (ECLAS‐2). Results show that most teachers found that their ECLAS‐2 training was insufficient to accurately administer the test and interpret the results. Furthermore, information about what teachers do with the ECLAS‐2 data once they are collected indicates that approximately one‐half of the teachers are utilizing the data to inform their teaching decisions. The results of this investigation indicate that proper assessment training can influence how teachers collect and use data. Recommendations for improvement in assessment training are provided.