Charlie DePascale

Why I Belong to the WBCA

A Father’s Day Reflection on Basketball and My Family Charlie DePascale Since 2006, I have been a member of the WBCA – the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. That may seem odd given that I have never coached a women’s basketball team or any basketball team for that matter. The WBCA does now have aContinue reading “Why I Belong to the WBCA”

Hamilton & The Future of Assessment

Your Obedient Servant, C. DePascale roughly to the beat of Alexander Hamilton – (with sincere apologies to Lin-Manuel Miranda and the entire rap community) How could three simple, questions, multiple-choice And some False-True, dropped in the middle of the Hamilton app On my iPhone, by all accounts just trivia Invalid, reveal to me the futureContinue reading “Hamilton & The Future of Assessment”

Something is Not Quite Write

Nagging Issues That Can Affect the Utility of Assessments Charlie DePascale Starting with the direct assessment of writing, the inclusion of items requiring students to produce written responses may be the most significant development in large-scale assessment in the past three decades. We now stand on the cusp of a new wave of advancesContinue reading “Something is Not Quite Write”

State Assessment and High School

A Square Peg for a Round Hole Charlie DePascale We have reached a stalemate. It has been nearly five years since ESSA and the assessment flexibility it offered to states, particularly at the high school level, became law. Next week, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release and almost immediate and universal adoption ofContinue reading “State Assessment and High School”

The All-Decade Team – State Assessment Version

As we begin the 2020s, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the state assessment moments that defined the 2010s Last week, the New England Patriots announced their all-decade team for the 2010s. The Patriots release was quickly followed by local media offering their own selections of all-decade teams for the Celtics,Continue reading “The All-Decade Team – State Assessment Version”

A rejoinder

Charlie DePascale “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” In the spirit of the Easter season, that was my initial reaction when I read what Steve Sireci had to say in his final newsletter column as president of NCME. I support Steve as a born-again public policy advocate. I agree wholeheartedlyContinue reading “A rejoinder”

Why is this time different?

The K-12 testing industry survived, even flourished, during past economic downturns. There are signs, however, that this time might be different. There have been two major economic downturns in the past twenty years: the bursting of the Dot-Com bubble in the early 2000s and the Great Recession of 2008. Much like the proverbial cockroach inContinue reading “Why is this time different?”

If a Tree Falls, is Johnny Proficient?

The loss of state assessment results in the wake of COVID-19 does not have to mean a loss of information about student proficiency Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting nearly all aspects of our lives, it is not a surprise that it has brought a critical nationwide, federally mandated data collection effort to aContinue reading “If a Tree Falls, is Johnny Proficient?”

A Useless Test Bias Argument

Charlie DePascale “Criticizing test results for reflecting these inequities is like blaming a thermometer for global warming.” That was the viral moment from the recent NCME statement on admissions testing. The line clearly was intended to go viral and it did go viral; well, as viral as any technical defense of standardized testing can goContinue reading “A Useless Test Bias Argument”

I’m With The Band

Harvard University Band Charlie DePascale ’81 This weekend the Harvard University Band celebrates its 100th anniversary. Along with meeting my wife, my time in the band remains one of the two happiest memories of my four years at Harvard. Actually, my memories of the band begin with the end of my juniorContinue reading “I’m With The Band”