I have watched approaches like standards-based grading, microcredentialing, and competencies ebb and flow over the past couple of decades, but the slow but steady movement has always been in one direction; that is, from abstract to concrete. Today, as we stand on the cusp of a new era of assessment it seems to me that the journey is nearly complete. Latent traits, once the staple and foundation of educational measurement have been set aside in favor of clearly defined observable skills. On the surface, it may seem like I am making a distinction in search of a difference. However, that distinction may be the crux of the difference between assessment of learning and assessment for or in service of learning. And the implications for measurement, testing, and how we report results are quite real.
Author Archives: Charlie DePascale
Psychometricians: Oh, The Humanity!
In today’s post I ponder a question that has vexed many of us for years: Are psychometrician’s human? You smirk, but who among us after attempting to converse with a psychometrician during a meeting break or conference reception hasn’t walked away thinking that they just engaged in a Turing Test – and not a very good one at that. Of course, in today’s emerging AI world, the real question of interest is not whether psychometricians are human, but the extent, if any, to which they must be. Not surprisingly, ultimately the answer leads to the question of what you mean by psychometrics.
A New Look at the “Moon and Stars Above”
Happy Moon Day! At one time I dreamed of being an astronomer, but ended up an assessment specialist. Three Moon Days ago in a post titled “Moon and Stars Above” I asked the question, “How far afield is a career in state testing from staring off into the night sky and asking why?” I reflected on the challenges facing our field as we attempt to shift from large-scale testing (i.e., assessment focused on “the moon and stars above”) to assessment focused on instruction and individual students. The challenges I noted three years ago remain the same. With the emergence of AI, however, I think that it’s worthwhile reconsidering them on this Moon Day and asking why not.
The Midsummer Classic
Last night in Philadelphia the American League defeated the National League 4-0 in the 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It’s still the best of the major professional sports all-star games. I’m afraid, however, that the game has long outlived its moniker, The Midsummer Classic. A point made only more clear by its position sandwiched on Fox television between two of the most important football games in the world, the Word Cup semi-finals. But in the end, I’m OK with that.
Pipe Dreams
“The USMNT will be good enough to compete in the World Cup.”
“Soccer will finally take off and become popular in the United States.”
“The Maine Democratic Party won’t shoot itself in the foot this election cycle.”
“Large-scale test results can be used to inform instruction.”
All of the above fit the classic definition of a pipe dream; that is, “an idea plan, or hope that is unrealistic, impractical, or nearly impossible to achieve.” The other critical component of each of those pipe dreams is that we are able to convince ourselves that it is achievable, repeatedly and often in the face of daunting evidence. Education policy, specifically policy related to assessment is rife with such pipe dreams. The questions I ponder this week, as we look to the future of assessment, is the extent to which pipe dreams are a necessary evil and when is it time to let go of them.
America 250 – Coloring Within The Lines
It’s America’s 250th birthday. That anniversary has me thinking about US History and the Wizard’s quote from the musical Wicked, “where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true… we call it history.” One of the few things that’s clear to me about history is that the past is constantly changing. With that in mind, in today’s post, I take a look back at one view of US history from the Bicentennial in 1976. And I pose this question to you, if asked to design a 32-item test or 32-week course on US History from 1776-1976, how would your view differ from the one presented in the post? What events and people would you include?
Showing Some Love for the OG NAEP
It’s common knowledge that for technical and practical reasons I’m not a big fan of preserving NAEP trends. I’m a little suspect of trying to stretch test scales across decades back to the 1990s, let alone back to the 1970s. That being said, I’m also one who respects history and lineage. And as we emerge from Father’s Day weekend, it’s appropriate to take a little time to pay homage to the “father” of the current NAEP assessment and those who championed its cause. I think that it’s safe to say that without the solid foundation laid by the NAEP Long Term Trend assessment, the Main NAEP with its state-level results wouldn’t have gotten off the ground in the 1990s.
Ten Numbers That Shook My World
We all have them. The images that we can never unsee. The quote, song lyric, or perhaps poem that we never forget. That friend, colleague, or chance interaction that had a profound impact on us. Having spent my life immersed in data, I guess that it makes sense that I also have a list of ten numbers or statistics that shook my professional world. I discuss those numbers in today’s “very special” blog post. That is, it’s way too long, but like Netflix, I give you the option to binge this as a naughty summer reading treat or to break up the 10 self-contained “episodes” on your own.
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.
Embrace the Absurd 