| Summary: | Thesis advisor: Laura M. O'Dwyer === This mixed-methods study analyses data from interviews with 29 principals in four school districts, to describe patterns in the principals’ values concerning high-quality mathematics instruction and in the aspects of instruction they noticed when observing short videos of elementary school mathematics classes. Principals valued many aspects of instruction, including elements of general pedagogy, teachers interacting with content and students, content-related pedagogy, students interacting with content, and evidence of student outcomes. As a group, principals noticed the same types of instructional elements that they valued, as well as other, less-commonly-valued elements. Hierarchical linear models were used to compare ratings given to teachers by their principals on three aspects of instructional effectiveness, to scores from video- and student-test-score-based measures of corresponding constructs. Mathematical Quality of Instruction, Classroom Assessment System™ and value-added scores each accounted for unique portions of variance in teachers’ scores on a composite principal rating scale, showing that the underlying “high-quality mathematics” construct measured by principals had some elements in common with each of the other three constructs. However, substantial variance remained unaccounted for, suggesting that principals’ concept of high-quality mathematics also comprises elements not measured by any of the other three instruments. === Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. === Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. === Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.
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