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The impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandated state science assessment on elementary teachers' beliefs about teaching science and their classroom practice is relatively unknown. For many years, the teaching of science has been minimized in elementary schools in favor of more emphasis on reading and mathematics. This study examines the dynamics of bringing science to the forefront of assessment in elementary schools and the resulting teacher belief and instructional shifts that take place in response to NCLB. Results indicated that teachers' beliefs about teaching science remained unchanged despite policy changes mandated in NCLB. Teacher beliefs related to their perceptions of what their administrators and peer groups' think they should be doing influenced their practice the most. Most teachers reported positive feelings and attitudes about science and reported that their students had positive feelings and attitudes about science; however, teachers reported teaching science less as a result of NCLB. Implications for elementary science education reform and policy are discussed.

This study reports on the continued large-sample validation of the Inventory for Teaching and Learning (ITAL), a new teacher perception measure of "reformed (inquiry- and standards-based) and traditional teaching and learning" developed for use in science and mathematics classrooms. The continued validation of the ITAL used large samples of elementary and secondary teachers in four regions in Georgia and included initial, exploratory analyses to operationally define and refine ITAL measurement dimensions (Ellett & Monsaas, 2007; Ellett, Monsaas, Payne, & Pevey, 2005, 2006). As a new measure, the ITAL embodies the recommendations and standards for the teaching of mathematics and science that have been endorsed by professional societies for mathematicians, scientists, and educators (e.g., the National Council for the Teaching of Mathematics, the National Academy of Science/National Research Council, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science). (Contains 3 tables.)