Charlie DePascale

Testing Democracy

After 25 years, an article about the Massachusetts Teachers Association opposing the MCAS tests is not exactly “Man Bites Dog” material. Whether you are celebrating, commiserating, or merely commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System this summer, you know that one constant across the MCAS quarter century has been the opposition ofContinue reading “Testing Democracy”

Clearing Our Heads on School Accountability

It will be impossible to improve or reimagine school accountability systems until we are ready to acknowledge that the premise on which current systems are based is patently false.

Moon and Stars Above

There was a time I was certain that I was going to be an astronomer when I grew up. That period fell between my fireman/baseball player phase and the musician/educator phase that lasted into my late-20s. It was the end of the Sixties and most everyone’s attention was focused on the heavens because there wasContinue reading “Moon and Stars Above”

Affirming and Actionable Assessment

As I took in the post-decision analysis in the wake of the affirmative action ruling something jumped out at me. Among those lamenting the Supreme Court’s decision, two very different arguments were being made in support of the importance of colleges and universities being able to use race as a factor in their admissions process.Continue reading “Affirming and Actionable Assessment”

Don’t Get Old

“Don’t get old.” Those were the final words of wisdom my father shared with me as we were wrapping up a visit at the rehab center about three days before he passed away in late June 2009. I was 50 at the time and Dad was a month shy of turning 77. I’ve cut thatContinue reading “Don’t Get Old”

A Through Line to Through-year

After a series of fits and starts over the past 15 years, through-year assessment finally is having its day in the sun. The warmth of the sun inevitably and appropriately, however, becomes the glare of the spotlight, and halfway through the year of through-year it’s not yet clear how well through-year assessment will withstand theContinue reading “A Through Line to Through-year”

One of My Posts is Not Like the Others

In August 2019, Taylor Swift released the song Cruel Summer as the second track on her long-awaited seventh studio album, Lover. Despite initial commercial success, critical acclaim, and the sickest bridge you’ve ever heard, the song was never released as a single. Blame it on the pandemic. A few weeks earlier in the summer ofContinue reading “One of My Posts is Not Like the Others”

Make Room for Daddy

While rummaging through a box of old photos and other treasures the other day I came across the School Days memory book which my mother had lovingly and meticulously curated from kindergarten through twelfth grade. There in the first-grade pouch, tucked in among the report card, class photo, and orange dental certificates (iykyn) was myContinue reading “Make Room for Daddy”

A Little Less IRT, A Little More IRS

It is clear to even the staunchest advocates of state testing and test-based accountability that item response theory (IRT) is not the best foundation on which to build models of school performance, let alone school effectiveness. It is time, therefore, to shift our accountability focus from IRT and building better tests to lessons we canContinue reading “A Little Less IRT, A Little More IRS”

The Best of Both Worlds

The concept sounds so appealing: The Best of Both Worlds. You can enjoy the advantages of two different situations or opportunities at the same time. You can have your cake and eat it too. It’s the American Dream – a Party in the USA! But is it really possible to have the best of bothContinue reading “The Best of Both Worlds”