Charlie DePascale

Run, Forrest, Run!

As the final states release results from the spring 2015 Smarter Balanced and PARCC assessments, this post is a look back at a June 2010 presentation to CCSSO Technical Isssues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) members on lessons learned from my involvement with the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). The presentation was titled, Lessons LearnedContinue reading “Run, Forrest, Run!”

If a tree falls in the forest…

“…once upon a time, researchers simply published their research in professional journals – and there it stayed. However, my colleagues and I learned things we thought people needed to know.” The quote above from an EdWeek commentary is Carol Dweck’s explanation for why she published her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Likewise, asContinue reading “If a tree falls in the forest…”

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

As the baseball playoffs roll on without my beloved Red Sox or adopted Twins, this is a brief look back at the story of the new Comiskey Park. In April 1991, the new home of the White Sox opened in Chicago. One article in the Chicago Tribune marked the occasion with the headline New Comiskey: Enjoy,Continue reading “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”

Faith and Validity

Pondering validity on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States From Kane back to Ebel , there are religious overtones, sometimes thinly veiled, to discussions of validity as the alpha and the omega of educational measurement. Without validity, there is no measurement. Validity was in the beginning, is now, and ever shallContinue reading “Faith and Validity”

He was my teacher, and he was effective

Labor Day is one of those times each year when memories of my father come flooding back. Dad was a high school teacher for forty years from the late 1950s until the late 1990s. Labor Day, signaling the end of summer and the beginning of each new school year, was a major event for ourContinue reading “He was my teacher, and he was effective”

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

If there are times when you feel you may not be smarter than a 5th grader take heart; that may not be as bad as it sounds. As states are beginning to release results from the spring 2015 administration of the Smarter Balanced tests we are learning that the score needed to reach Level 3Continue reading “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

One in a Million, A Million to One

Interpreting Individual Student Performance on a Large-scale Assessment This is the third, and final, installment in a series of three posts based on a workshop presented in April 2015 at the annual conference of the New England Educational Research Organization. Across the land, there is a call for state assessments to provide more, better, andContinue reading “One in a Million, A Million to One”

What’s In A Name?

Aligning achievement levels and assessments This is the second of three posts based on a workshop presented in April 2015 at the annual conference of the New England Educational Research Organization. Proficient. The passing of NCLB made it a national goal that 100% of students would be Proficient by 2014; and the law made itContinue reading “What’s In A Name?”

The Best That We Can Do – Communicating Assessment and Measurement Information

Little ditty about Jack and Diane Two American kids growin’ up in the heartland Diane’s college-ready, Jackie – not so sure They took the new ISTEP, and got the same score Charlie DePascale – This is the first in a series of three posts adapted from a workshop conducted at the 2015 annual conferenceContinue reading “The Best That We Can Do – Communicating Assessment and Measurement Information”

Shall we dance? The final steps in implementing a new assessment program

Charlie DePascale As Smarter Balanced, PARCC, and the other new college- and career-ready assessments proceed through their first operational administration, one might assume that all of the difficult design and development decisions are well behind them. In reality, we are entering the final, and often most harrowing phase of the test design process. Despite allContinue reading “Shall we dance? The final steps in implementing a new assessment program”