Author Archives: Charlie DePascale

American Education: A Tangled Can of Monkeys

Try as I might, my mind just won’t let go of the story about the school year for Pawtucket, Rhode Island elementary school students being extended because it was discovered that the school day has been 5 minutes too short. From beginning to end, from regulation to problem to solution to acceptance, the issue in Pawtucket, is a microcosm of the complexities that are going to make it so difficult to reform public education in the United States. 

Culture > Curriculum > Courses

As I leaf through excited posts and articles about how AI is going to help assess durable skills and bring to life the freshly painted portraits of high school graduates, I start to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and a tightness in my chest. My fear is that once again we’re going to do this backwards, that is by beginning with assessment. It’s critical, particularly with these the types of skills that are being discussed today that we remember to consider curriculum before assessment and more importantly, culture before curriculum. 

Assessment ________ Learning

The relationship between assessment and learning is one that we’ve been struggling to understand for as long as I can remember. Before we jump headlong into reimagining assessment, it will be beneficial to clarify what we mean by both terms as well as the relationship(s) between them. 

Let’s begin with a simple filling in the blank item:  Assessment ______ Learning.

The Tale Of The Tape

All signs suggest that we might finally be emerging from our decade-long period of malaise regarding large-scale testing. Advances in AI, flexibility from the feds, and new buckets of money are making people giddy. Happy Days Are Here Again! In such heady times, however, it’s critical that we step back and take a sober look at our place in the education world.

The Real World of Educational Measurement

Educational measurement begins in the real world. On that point there seems to be universal agreement. Where, however, does it end? Consensus on that question is not quite as strong. For a while now, I’ve had a nagging feeling that something was missing from our definition of educational measurement. Educational measurement has to end where it began; that is, in the real world.

To Those Burrs In Our Saddle

I truly enjoyed reading the many posts describing the amazing work showcased at NCME in LA; and the positive, uplifting experience that the conference was for everyone. But in this week’s post I want to acknowledge the contribution of those who take it upon themselves to poke, prod, and noodge at every presentation and in response to every post.  It takes a village and they are part of ours.

On Scales, Achievement Standards, and Trends

A bonus blog post in honor of #NCME2026 conference week. Last month I tugged on Superman’s cape when I suggested that preserving the NAEP trend might not be in our best interest. Today, I refresh a presentation from the early days of the CCSS, PARCC, and Smarter Balanced to clarify that reporting a NAEP trend is not the problem. Rather, the problem may be in the way that we in educational measurement and assessment tie trends to fixed achievement standards and scales.

How I Spent My Winter Mornings

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this past winter I decided to try to try my hand at solving the New York Times Crossword, something I had avoided doing to this point in my life. Along the way I acquired a little proficiency in solving crosswords, I remembered some important lessons about teaching and learning new skills, in general. Time will spent.