Assessment – Page 18 – Embrace the Absurd

Even Validity Has Unintended Consequences

While the educational measurement community has devoted an uncomfortable amount of energy to debating the proper role of consequences in validity, I would argue that we have paid far too little attention to the unintended negative consequences of the Validity Standards on the validation of K-12 large-scale state assessments and state assessment programs. We seemContinue reading “Even Validity Has Unintended Consequences”

I Can See The Writing on the Wall

Organizations, institutions, and individuals who have been called to educational measurement and/or educational assessment as their pathway through life have joined others this summer in an exercise in introspection and self-reflection. The goal of this exercise is to emerge with a better understanding of how we, through our life’s work, have contributed to, endorsed, promulgated, perpetuated,Continue reading “I Can See The Writing on the Wall”

Too Much of a Good Thing

If asked to identify the biggest successes of the Education Reform movement over the past two decades I would have to put selling the importance of disaggregating data at or near the top of my list. Acceptance and adoption of the practice of disaggregating data is well beyond what one might expect from mere complianceContinue reading “Too Much of a Good Thing”

Equating 2020 – Opportunity Lost

For a brief moment last spring the disruptions caused by COVID-19 appeared to offer a once-in-a-lifetime teachable moment in the form of an opportunity for real-time discussions with stakeholders about the concepts and assumptions that are at the heart of equating state assessments. Alas, much like people’s understanding of equating, that opportunity proved to beContinue reading “Equating 2020 – Opportunity Lost”

Don’t Go There, Charlie

In 2017, I shared an idea for a post with my small circle of confidants. The response was immediate and unanimous, “Don’t go there, Charlie.” Last year, I shared the same idea with a wider circle of family and colleagues and again, “Don’t go there, Charlie.” But with the world already turned upside down inContinue reading “Don’t Go There, Charlie”

Admissions & Assessment

Everything We Know About College Admissions and Assessment From A to A Charlie DePascale Several of my recent posts since have been related either directly, indirectly, peripherally, or exasperatingly to college admissions testing. That got me thinking about what we actually know about assessment and its role in the college admissions process. Having experienced theContinue reading “Admissions & Assessment”

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”