Charlie DePascale

DIY DEI

As I observe our field’s nascent do-it-yourself (DIY) attempts to embrace, understand, and enact the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) what I have seen can best be described as akin to the enthusiasm and curiosity of a baby discovering its feet for the first time. And like the baby, I am sure thatContinue reading “DIY DEI”

Inventing State Assessment

Spoiler Alert: This post may reveal information about Inventing Anna that you don’t want to know yet. Content Warning: This post may reveal information about the Race to the Top Assessment Program that you have tried to forget. As I watched Inventing Anna, the Shonda Rhimes version of the Anna Delvey story, unfold before meContinue reading “Inventing State Assessment”

Based on a True Story

The truth of the matter (and that’s the only context in which I’ll use the word truth when discussing the reporting of test scores) is that those five words in the title would provide much better guidance on the interpretation and use of test scores than any of our attempts at technically based explanations ofContinue reading “Based on a True Story”

Our House

It was February 1992 when my wife and I moved into this house that has now been our home for 30 years. It’s the house where we became a family when our daughter arrived in 1993. While I can’t say that our house is a very, very, very fine house we have made this placeContinue reading “Our House”

Throwing the Switch on High School Reform

The rhetoric surrounding high school reform has gone off the rails and it’s time to get it back on track. Michael Petrilli caused quite the little kerfuffle earlier this month when he dared to use the dreaded “t-word” in a favorable way with regard to high schools in the United States. Apparently, he first utteredContinue reading “Throwing the Switch on High School Reform”

Looking Back on the Memory Of

With my daughter successfully defending her dissertation (Way to go, Dr. Mary, PhD!), my thoughts this week were filled with memories of my own graduate school experiences: my defense, dissertation, and most of all, my advisor, John Stecklein. Also stirring those memories this week are the accomplishments of another young woman, his granddaughter, Lee Stecklein,Continue reading “Looking Back on the Memory Of”

Second Thoughts

Eugenics. It’s the original sin of measurement and testing. Our Curse of Cain. Our Cross to Bear. Of all of the controversies included in Historical and Conceptual Foundations, eugenics may be the one most directly related to testing and the use of tests. It is also the controversy that receives the most direct attention inContinue reading “Second Thoughts”

The Man in the Mirror

You may fool the whole world Down the pathway of years And get pat on your back as you pass But your final reward Will be heartaches and tears If you’ve cheated that guy in the glass. I will say upfront that among my favorite memories from my years in large-scale testing are the conversationsContinue reading “The Man in the Mirror”

Reliability: Measurement’s Middle Child

Validity. Reliability. Fairness. Reliability is one of the big three foundations of educational measurement and testing. It’s right up there with a chapter of its own in the Part 1 of the joint Standards along with Validity and Fairness. We’re supposed to love and respect them all the same. But we all know that ReliabilityContinue reading “Reliability: Measurement’s Middle Child”

Train Problems

Are train problems still a staple of the elementary and early secondary school curriculum? I hope so. Sure, problems based on train travel were already an anachronism by the time I was solving them in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Trains? Who was thinking about trains when people were flying to the moon andContinue reading “Train Problems”