Assessment – Page 2 – Embrace the Absurd

Track 13 – What’s The Plan?

As usual, in Mastermind, track 13, Taylor Swift said it better than I ever could. If you fail to plan, you plan to failStrategy sets the scene for the tale So, as Jessica Baghian asked on Twitter, “What’s the plan?” – “the specific plan chiefs and governors articulate to address kids’ needs.” Of course, beforeContinue reading “Track 13 – What’s The Plan?”

Midnights (NAEP edition)

It’s not very often that one weekend is framed by two such highly anticipated and consequential events. On Friday, Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album, Midnights. On Monday, we have the release of the 2022 State NAEP results, described by many as the most important/significant/consequential release in the history of NAEP. It’s almost tooContinue reading “Midnights (NAEP edition)”

I Blog, Therefore I Am

We live in a world where the gap in time between having a thought and sharing it with the world has been all but eliminated. Case in point, this is the 200th post I have published since launching my blog in 2015, with 141 of those (70%) coming in the three years since my retirementContinue reading “I Blog, Therefore I Am”

Spare Change, State Tests and other Anachronisms

I emptied our spare change jar the other day. The actual “jar” itself has at times been an empty ricotta container or peanut butter jar. But for years it has sat in the same spot collecting the loose change from our pockets at the end of the day. It’s right there at the entrance toContinue reading “Spare Change, State Tests and other Anachronisms”

The Most Important Question

In states across the country, lots of questions are being generated as state policymakers and local educators pore over results from the Spring 2022 state tests in English language arts, mathematics, and science. More often than not, however, the single most important question of all is not asked directly. At the district and school level:Continue reading “The Most Important Question”

NAEP – A Halftime Report

We are at halftime of the 2022 NAEP Reporting Bowl and, my friends, let’s just say we have some catching up to do. The NAEP Long Term Trend results are in the books, and they are not good. Others have chosen more colorful terms like “harrowing” and “shocking” to describe the results but, at leastContinue reading “NAEP – A Halftime Report”

The Clock is Running

The Clock is Running – what a terrible title and miserable metaphor for a post about the first day of school. But the fact is that as soon as the bell rings, the first roll call is taken, the pledge of allegiance recited, and a brief period of silent meditation completed, the clock is running.Continue reading “The Clock is Running”

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Once again, those of us on the technical side of large-scale assessment and educational measurement find ourselves behind the curve. In the 1990s, the public clamored for achievement levels and criterion-based results while we were comfortable reporting percentile ranks and grade equivalent scores. Just as we were “getting a handle” on standard setting and percentContinue reading “Slow Down, You Move Too Fast”

We Swallowed a Fly

State Testing Edition I know of a state that started to test I don’t why they started to test Soon followed by the rest. First, the state tested at 4, 8, and 10 Kids filled in the bubbles and picked up a pen Their essays proved direct writing was best But I don’t why theContinue reading “We Swallowed a Fly”

Predicting, The Future of State Testing

My focus this week is on the future of state testing. Like many state tests, my thoughts contain a mix of wishful thinking, faulty forecasting, harsh reality, and not enough deep thinking. For those of you who prefer a quick read, a succinct summary of my prediction for the future of state testing is providedContinue reading “Predicting, The Future of State Testing”