June 2022 – Embrace the Absurd

We Swallowed a Fly

State Testing Edition I know of a state that started to test I don’t why they started to test Soon followed by the rest. First, the state tested at 4, 8, and 10 Kids filled in the bubbles and picked up a pen Their essays proved direct writing was best But I don’t why theContinue reading “We Swallowed a Fly”

Predicting, The Future of State Testing

My focus this week is on the future of state testing. Like many state tests, my thoughts contain a mix of wishful thinking, faulty forecasting, harsh reality, and not enough deep thinking. For those of you who prefer a quick read, a succinct summary of my prediction for the future of state testing is providedContinue reading “Predicting, The Future of State Testing”

Are You My Accountability System?

It seems obvious that school accountability is a shared responsibility. As is often the case, however, when everyone is responsible, nobody is accountable.

Look to Your Left

The BLS Class of ’77 – By the Numbers Forty-five years ago this week, I walked across the stage at Hynes Auditorium in Boston, one of 226 graduates of the Boston Latin School Class of 1977. It was the culmination of a six-year odyssey. Our class looked a lot different than it did when weContinue reading “Look to Your Left”

Don’t Be Constrained by Constraints

We all know that large scale state testing is bound by constraints. Some might go so far as to argue that state testing is defined by these constraints. Time, cost, security, well-intentioned but ill-conceived federal regulations, and outdated peer review expectations all tightly shape the who, what, when, where, why, and how of state testing.Continue reading “Don’t Be Constrained by Constraints”

The Ernie Scale

Based on a true story In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rich Hill and Stuart Kahl led their little company that could, Advanced Systems, in reimagining, reinventing, and reshaping large-scale state testing. We were a ragtag band of young idealists who didn’t know any better. Our successes and failures were spectacular. Little that weContinue reading “The Ernie Scale”