ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of a group of third-grade teachers related to the use of summaries in reading instruction. It examines the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about what constitutes a good summary, how to teach children to write summaries, and the use of summaries for assessment purposes. The chapter also examines the nature and extent of changes in teachers’ ideas and practices related to summary, during the first semester of a year-long staff development program designed to help participants develop performance assessments in reading and mathematics, the Alternative Assessments in Reading and Mathematics project. It analyzes the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of 5 third-grade teachers related to summary as a component of their reading program. The chapter presents patterns of teacher change and stability and discusses them in terms of the themes from cognitive psychology.
