The Predictive Validity of Classroom Observations - Do Teachers’ Framework for Teaching Scores Predict Kindergarteners’ Achievement and Motivation?

Oct 15, 2026

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Using multilevel analysis, the study examines whether Framework for Teaching (FFT) observation scores predict kindergarten students’ end-of-year achievement and motivation in reading and mathematics. Data from 81 kindergarten teachers covering eight reading and eight mathematics lessons across the year are analyzed while controlling students’ sex, ethnicity, and initial achievement. Standardized achievement is predicted by FFT scores, but the explained variance is small, and FFT scores do not predict criterion-referenced achievement or motivation.

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The Predictive Validity of Classroom Observations

Teacher Accountability for Student Achievement

Teacher FFT Scores and Student Achievement and Motivation

American Educational Research Journal October 2020, Vol. 57, No. 5, pp. 2021–2058 DOI: 10.3102/0002831219891409 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions) 􀀂 2019 AERA. [http://aerj](http://aerj).[aera.net](aera.net) The Predictive Validity of Classroom Observations: Do Teachers’ Framework for Teaching Scores Predict Kindergarteners’Achievement and Motivation? Helen Patrick Panayota Mantzicopoulos Purdue University Brian F. French Washington State University We used multilevel analysis to examine the predictive validity of scores from the Framework for Teaching (FFT), the observation measure used most often to evaluate teachers’ instruction. We investigated how well 81 kindergarten teachers’ FFT scores for eight reading and eight mathematics lessons observed throughout the year predicted students’ year-end achievement and motivation in reading and mathematics, controlling for students’ sex, ethnicity, and achievement entering kindergarten. Standardized reading and mathematics achievement were each predicted by FFT scores; however, they accounted for very little of the overall variance in students’ achievement: 2.5% for reading and 1.3% for mathematics. Neither students’ endof-year criterion-referenced achievement nor motivation were predicted by FFT scores. HELEN PATRICK is a professor of educational psychology in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University, 100 North University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098; [e-mail:](e-mail: hpatrick@purdue.edu. Her)[ hpatrick@purdue.edu](e-mail: hpatrick@purdue.edu. Her)[. Her](e-mail: hpatrick@purdue.edu. Her) research includes examining associations of classroom contexts and teacher practices with student motivation, engagement, and achievement. PANAYOTA MANTZICOPOULOS is a professor of educational psychology in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Her research focuses on the links between teacher practices in the early years of school and young children’s learning and engagement. BRIAN F. FRENCH is a professor of educational psychology at Washington State University. He investigates the properties of test scores used to make decisions about individuals and groups. His research includes both methodological and applied studies in the area of educational and psychological measurement. Patrick et al. KEYWORDS: classroom research, elementary schools, hierarchical linear modeling, instructional practices, learning environments, mixed methods, observational research, school/teacher effectiveness, teacher assessment Despite a plethora of initiatives intended to ensure high academic achievement for students across the United States, results have been disappointing. Attributions for low student achievement vary; however, a commonly cited claim is that ineffective teachers are in large part responsible (Weisberg, Sexton, Mulhern, & Keeling, 2009) . Over the past decade, politicians and policy advocates argued for the need to shift attention to teachers’instruction. They proposed that student achievement would be increased if teachers were observed and evaluated in their use of instructional practices associated with achievement, and those with low scores were dismissed (The New Teacher Project, 2010; Weisberg et al., 2009) . These arguments influenced subsequent policies in the United States. Observation-based measures of instruction (OMI) are now ubiquitous in teacher evaluation systems throughout the United States (Cohen & Goldhaber, 2016; Steinberg & Kraft, 2017) . Although it is crucial that their use is grounded in robust empirical evidence, there is little published, independently reviewed research supporting the validity of using OMI scores to evaluate teachers. This includes research that examines the rationale for their use—that scores predict students’ achievement growth (Weisberg et al., 2009) . Therefore, research that addresses associations between teacher

FAQs

What does the study test about FFT observation scores?

It tests whether FFT scores from classroom observations predict kindergarteners’ year-end achievement and motivation in reading and mathematics.

How were the predictions analyzed in the research?

The study uses multilevel analysis, controlling for students’ sex, ethnicity, and achievement when entering kindergarten.

Do FFT scores strongly predict student outcomes?

FFT scores predict standardized reading and mathematics achievement, but they explain very little of the overall variance; they do not predict end-of-year criterion-referenced achievement or motivation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford