The past year saw LOTS of discussion about different types of assessment and their most suitable uses. In fact, we’ve heard from many districts that recent conversations have led to frank evaluations of what assessments they need, and in some cases, what assessments they no longer need.
With a focus on college and career readiness (CCR), many states have implemented new standards for instruction and annual accountability assessments. Districts now must reconsider their assessments to make sure their beginning-of-year, mid-year, or end-of-year measures are consistent with the state’s expectations of higher-order critical thinking skills.
We recently attended the 2017 California Science Teachers Association (CSTA) conference in Sacramento. Conversations with teachers underscored the continuing need for classroom and district science resources to support the transition to NGSS*.
We recently posted a piece on our Opinions page that outlines the current expectations of statewide tests, and presents a solution that includes teacher-administered measures without adding additional testing time or burden on teachers. We provide a brief summary below. Read the full article.
The harsh reality is that behind the school choice movement is some people’s belief that public schools just aren’t doing a good job of educating children. This belief is bolstered by U.S. students’ disappointing performance on international tests and data showing that an increasing number of entering college freshmen need remedial course work. Despite alternative explanations of this evidence, the negative views of our public schools feed a more general movement toward privatization by the powers that be.
“Why do assessment?” That’s the question we ask ourselves regularly, on behalf of our customers and clients. It helps us stay true to our mission—to improve teaching and learning—and to make sure we’re delivering valuable solutions to the students, teachers, and administrators who assess students every day.
You’ve told us that district leaders are struggling to reduce the time they spend on testing. Your assessment calendars are full, and you’re under pressure to carve out more time for student instruction. We understand that reality, and we can help.