Tell Me What You Really Think: Student Voice in Assessment Design for Educational Leadership Programs - read online free

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Explores how graduate candidates in two educational leadership programs perceive assessment and how their “student voice” should inform assessment design and implementation. Uses a multi-method case study with focus groups, interviews, and document analysis at a midwestern U.S. university. Finds recurring themes about candidate assessment preferences and highlights a gap in guidance documents that omit language on incorporating student voice for assessment development, while programs align to ELCC, CAEP, and transitioning NELP standards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose and Research Questions

Literature Review and Theoretical Foundation

Student Voice and Assessment in IHEs

Tell Me What You Really Think: Student Voice in Assessment Design for Educational Leadership Programs Gregg B. Dionne Central Michigan University Katie Sloan Central Michigan University Georgina E. Wilson Central Michigan University Student voice related to assessment, particularly in graduate educational leadership preparation programs, can be a powerful source of data to inform program development and implementation. This case study explores student experience and attitude toward assessment in two graduatelevel educational leadership programs at a midwestern university in the U.S. A multi-method case study design was employed to gain an understanding of current assessment practices including focus groups, interviews, and document analysis. Findings reveal multiple themes related to students’ preferences for assessment as well as the absence of language pertaining to the use of student voice in the development and implementation of assessment in available guidance documents. Keywords: Student voice; educational leadership; assessment; case study Education Leadership Review, Volume 23, Number 1, Fall 2022 250 Faculty at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) utilize assessment to evaluate student learning and performance on learning objectives (Ashenafi, 2017), provide formative information about instruction (Blair & Noel, 2014), and program evaluation and improvement purposes (Stein et al., 2021) . Key assessments are often used to provide summative data about student and program performance. While IHEs are tasked with ensuring the validity and reliability of key assessments, the inclusion of student voice in the creation and implementation of these assessments is often neglected (Bain, 2010), as evidenced by a gap in the literature regarding student voice in higher education assessment, particularly related to educational leadership programs. This study offers new knowledge regarding key assessments by collecting and analyzing student feedback in two educational leadership preparation programs at one institution in the Midwestern U.S. For the purposes of this study, candidate and student are used interchangeably to designate participants in advanced educational leadership certification programs. This study was conceptualized as IHE faculty were updating key assessments during program development and accreditation activities for two programs that lead to certification atthe building and central office levels. During this process, it became apparent that guidance surrounding student voice was missing in available assessment resources. Literature related to graduate degree programming for educational leadership preparation programs also failed to answer questions on the topic. Both programs were aligned to the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards, required state approval, and were undergoing an accreditation cycle through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at the time of this study while transitioning to the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards. Both programs were administered through an educational leadership department and both faculty member researchers possess PK-12 administration backgrounds and practical PK-12 experience related to student voice in education. Importantly, candidates enrolled in educational leadership preparation programs typically have educational and professional backgrounds in assessment practices in PK-12 education, as most are current teachers or administrators. In working with these students as research participants, researchers gained access to their expertise, consultation, and informed feedback that differs from participants without experience in assessment design and implementation (Blair & Valdez-Noel, 2014; Jensen & Bennett, 2016) . Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore current assessment practices in two graduate educational leadership prog

FAQs

What is the study’s main focus regarding assessment in educational leadership programs?

The study examines students’ experiences and attitudes toward assessment and evaluates how student voice relates to assessment practices in two graduate educational leadership programs.

How does the study collect data?

It uses a multi-method case study design, including focus groups, interviews, and document analysis to understand current assessment practices and guidance materials.

What key gap does the study identify in guidance documents?

Available guidance documents lack language about using student voice in the development and implementation of assessment within educational leadership program contexts.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca