The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of departmentalization as a strategy at the elementary upper grades to affect gains in the school’s accountability and gains in achievement performance. Based upon standardized testing measures, accountability for student achievement has dramatically increased in elementary schools; rigorous standards have increasingly affected teachers to become highly skilled in subject content areas. This increase in teacher content knowledge expertise requirements have caused many administrators to seek alternative instructional strategies to meet this need. Departmentalization is one of many potential methods that administrators and educators may implement in order to provide expert subject area instructors at the elementary grades. This study determined if there was a significant difference in the success of students in the fourth and fifth grades when departmentalizing versus maintaining a traditional classroom organizational structure. Research, interviews and state assessment data looked at determining the success of departmentalizing. Results of this study did not definitively suggest that departmentalization was the answer to increase student achievement, but the research, surveys and interviews do suggest that departmentalization is effective when implemented with several additional supportive factors such as, teacher buy-in, communication and sufficient professional development.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of departmentalization as a strategy at the elementary upper grades to affect gains in the school’s accountability and gains in achievement performance. Based upon standardized testing measures, accountability for student achievement has dramatically increased in elementary schools; rigorous standards have increasingly affected teachers to become highly skilled in subject content areas. This increase in teacher content knowledge expertise requirements have caused many administrators to seek alternative instructional strategies to meet this need. Departmentalization is one of many potential methods that administrators and educators may implement in order to provide expert subject area instructors at the elementary grades. This study determined if there was a significant difference in the success of students in the fourth and fifth grades when departmentalizing versus maintaining a traditional classroom organizational structure. Research, interviews and state assessment data looked at determining the success of departmentalizing. Results of this study did not definitively suggest that departmentalization was the answer to increase student achievement, but the research, surveys and interviews do suggest that departmentalization is effective when implemented with several additional supportive factors such as, teacher buy-in, communication and sufficient professional development.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Crabb, Pamela"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Susan Moxley","Dr. Carla Sparks","Dr. Daniel Buckman"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z","subjects":["Departmentalization","Fourth and Fifth grades","Elementary","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/504","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Susan Moxley","Dr. Carla Sparks","Dr. Daniel Buckman"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Crabb, Pamela"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-08-23T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Departmentalization","Fourth and Fifth grades","Elementary","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/504"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of departmentalization as a strategy at the elementary upper grades to affect gains in the school’s accountability and gains in achievement performance. Based upon standardized testing measures, accountability for student achievement has dramatically increased in elementary schools; rigorous standards have increasingly affected teachers to become highly skilled in subject content areas. This increase in teacher content knowledge expertise requirements have caused many administrators to seek alternative instructional strategies to meet this need. Departmentalization is one of many potential methods that administrators and educators may implement in order to provide expert subject area instructors at the elementary grades. This study determined if there was a significant difference in the success of students in the fourth and fifth grades when departmentalizing versus maintaining a traditional classroom organizational structure. Research, interviews and state assessment data looked at determining the success of departmentalizing. Results of this study did not definitively suggest that departmentalization was the answer to increase student achievement, but the research, surveys and interviews do suggest that departmentalization is effective when implemented with several additional supportive factors such as, teacher buy-in, communication and sufficient professional development.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Program Evaluation of Departmentalizing in Upper Elementary"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Susan Moxley","Dr. Carla Sparks","Dr. Daniel Buckman"],"dc:creator":["Crabb, Pamela"],"dc:date.available":["2020-08-23T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of departmentalization as a strategy at the elementary upper grades to affect gains in the school’s accountability and gains in achievement performance. Based upon standardized testing measures, accountability for student achievement has dramatically increased in elementary schools; rigorous standards have increasingly affected teachers to become highly skilled in subject content areas. This increase in teacher content knowledge expertise requirements have caused many administrators to seek alternative instructional strategies to meet this need. Departmentalization is one of many potential methods that administrators and educators may implement in order to provide expert subject area instructors at the elementary grades. This study determined if there was a significant difference in the success of students in the fourth and fifth grades when departmentalizing versus maintaining a traditional classroom organizational structure. Research, interviews and state assessment data looked at determining the success of departmentalizing. Results of this study did not definitively suggest that departmentalization was the answer to increase student achievement, but the research, surveys and interviews do suggest that departmentalization is effective when implemented with several additional supportive factors such as, teacher buy-in, communication and sufficient professional development.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/504"],"dc:subject":["Departmentalization","Fourth and Fifth grades","Elementary","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education"],"dc:title":["Program Evaluation of Departmentalizing in Upper Elementary"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z"}