Assessment – Page 18 – Embrace the Absurd

A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa, I am the next generation of large-scale assessment and I am 4 1/2 years old. I have been very good this year. At least I have tried very hard to be good. I have been reliable and fair. I think that I have been valid, but Uncle Steve says that’s not for meContinue reading “A Letter to Santa”

If I Did It

Confessions of a Psychometrician By OJ Simpsons Paradox with Charlie DePascale Charlie – As we waited six long months for the release of the 2017 NAEP results, some wondered whether we would ever know the whole story; what really happened that February when NAEP reading and math went digital. Now that those results have beenContinue reading “If I Did It”

Implausible Values

Equating in the early part of the 21st century Charlie DePascale Our field is facing a crisis brought on by implausible values. The values which threaten us, however, are not the assessment results questioned above. Those are only the byproduct of the values which our field and society have adopted with regard to K-12 large-scaleContinue reading “Implausible Values”

A cautionary tale

Charlie DePascale Earlier this month I traveled to Lawrence, Kansas to attend the NCME special conference on the confluence of classroom assessment and large-scale psychometrics. In a panel discussion titled, “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” Kristen Huff, Karen Barton, Paul Nichols, and I shared the perspective that when bringing together classroom assessmentContinue reading “A cautionary tale”

Do Your Job ™

Thinking again about the role of state assessment programs Charlie DePascale This week, most of the nation is focused on tournament brackets and one type of madness in March. Some of us, however, are also celebrating our own special version March Insanity. Over the next twelve weeks, millions of students across the country will participateContinue reading “Do Your Job ™”

Citius, Altius, Fortius

Charlie DePascale We have barely recovered from the withdrawal symptoms that accompany the end of each Olympics games, and suddenly summer is over and another school year is upon us. As our attentions shifts back to designing new and improved school accountability systems under ESSA, this is a perfect time to reflect on lessonsContinue reading “Citius, Altius, Fortius”

We hold these truths to be self-evident…

Charlie DePascale (assisted by the words of Thomas Jefferson) We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When in the course of human events, significant resources are allocated to educationalContinue reading “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

Is that all there is?

One of the benefits of giving up a late Sunday afternoon to travel to the site of my Monday morning meeting is the opportunity to leisurely read the newest edition of the Late Late Bell from the Fordham Institute. Last Sunday, as the Amtrak Northeast Regional rumbled toward Providence, I read the following in theContinue reading “Is that all there is?”

This Is My Fight Song

Arizona, Connecticut, and a fuchsia wristband Charlie DePascale Last weekend I attended a concert in Boston with my daughter; an opportunity that has become more rare and more appreciated since she left for college four years ago. We arrived early and waited in line to hear Rachel Platten perform her breakout hit Fight SongContinue reading “This Is My Fight Song”

It’s Déjà vu All Over Again

Charlie DePascale The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. (source unkown) Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (Santayana) Newman! (Seinfeld) This is one of those times when there are so many quotes that describe the situation so wellContinue reading “It’s Déjà vu All Over Again”