Charlie DePascale

Maybe It’s Time for a Diorama

Back in my youth, when it was fashionable, if insensitive, to celebrate Christmas unabashedly in public elementary schools, a good part of the curriculum and instruction after Thanksgiving was devoted to holiday activities. There was practicing for the Christmas “pageant” (music), making a Christmas ornament or a gift for Mom (art), and Christmas-themed writing, spelling,Continue reading “Maybe It’s Time for a Diorama”

Know Thyself

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom – Socrates Identity. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about the state of educational measurement and assessment in 2021. On so many levels, our field, and the individuals within it, are in search of an identity. Derek Briggs, our nominal and effectiveContinue reading “Know Thyself”

Best In Show

If you are like me – and it occurs to me that this may be the first time I have ever typed that phrase – your total exposure to dog shows consists of watching the National Dog Show that immediately follows the annual appearance of Santa at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on NBC (and perhapsContinue reading “Best In Show”

And Then There Were None

I open LinkedIn and read yet another post from a rising star in K-12 testing moving to a new position in certification or some other area of testing. It has become a regular occurrence. It’s a tough time for K-12 testing – to state the obvious. Over the past two years, friend and foe alikeContinue reading “And Then There Were None”

Give Thanks for Little Knowledge

Back in college, we had a visiting professor for one of the final courses I took as a music major. He didn’t think much of us, and we viewed him as the epitome of the adage those who can’t but want others to think they can, sit comfortably within the university pointing out what everyoneContinue reading “Give Thanks for Little Knowledge”

Build Back Better: School Accountability

When it comes to talk of innovation and improvement, school accountability often takes a back seat to assessment. But as we begin to build back better after the pandemic, here are 13 thoughts on making school accountability great again.

Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Me Into

Things change. It’s inevitable. Sometimes the changes are big, sudden, and can’t be missed. Sometimes they are much more subtle, occurring gradually over a long period of time. Some changes are deliberately planned, years and “steps” in advance: first we’ll change A, then B, then C. Some changes are the unintended consequence of another change:Continue reading “Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Me Into”

The Coleman Continuum

Any serious conversation about school accountability must begin with clearly stating your beliefs about schools and schooling, particularly those related to public schools in the United States and what it is that you think that those schools can accomplish. I place beliefs about schools, schooling, and the role of public schools along what I haveContinue reading “The Coleman Continuum”

How You Doin’?

It’s such a simple question. We ask it all the time. If I had to guess, I would say that these are now the three little words that wife and I share most often. There is no denying, however, that this innocuous little question becomes quite confounding, perhaps even contentious, when directed toward schools andContinue reading “How You Doin’?”

Vive La Variance!

To educate is to change. Instruction and learning are about change. Educational measurement is defined by variance. Literally. The fundamental concepts in the field are expressed in terms of variance. One of the first techniques that we learn as eager young graduate students is analysis of variance. Without variance, our lives as psychometricians, much likeContinue reading “Vive La Variance!”