As state officials in Massachusetts struggle to deal with the fallout surround the end of the MCAS graduation requirement and the rest of us try to envision the future of state testing, it’s critical that we have a clear understanding of where we are, how we got here, and where we want to go.
Category Archives: Assessment
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
It’s a paradox that educators are drowning in test data, but at the same time they (and we) are actually dying of thirst. There’s been one NAEP data point since 2019. As we patiently await a second data point, there’s a lot that we can learn from Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour about the future of collecting data.
The Revolution Will Not Be Parameterized
Look around, Look around. Revolution’s happening the next two weeks in Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, and perhaps even a little in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. When the dust finally settles, there may still be large-scale tests, but educational assessment will be changed forever. Work, work!
You’re Doin’ Fine, Oklahoma!?!
Not since Sen. Warren sent her sample off to 23andme, has a set of test results from Oklahoma caused as much of a ruckus as the “release” of this year’s Oklahoma state assessment results. Seriously, Oklahoma? OK.
Learning Loss or Learning Correction?
As we begin a new school year, student achievement still falls short of pre-pandemic levels. How worried should we be about that lost learning? How much of the “shortfall” is the result of intentional decisions? How much reflects a change in direction? Test scores alone cannot answer those questions.
Reclaiming State Testing’s Formative Roots
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” We have been willing accomplices as others have defined state testing as summative assessment. Before we can move forward with state testing, we have to embrace it as a component of formative evaluation.
Taking Stock
Educational assessment is at a crossroads. Fundamentally, the same crossroads that we stood before in 2010. That time we took the more well-worn path and that has made all the difference. Now we have a second chance to take the road less travelled by and see where that takes us.
Tell Me Why
At a recent TAC meeting, the state reported pressure to make the test shorter – again. I questioned whether there was a right answer. Will the test ever be short enough? When people are asking for changes to test length, content, or uses, what do they really want?
When Will They Ever Learn?
I spent a morning this week taking standardized Reading, Writing, and Mathematics tests. First takeaway, standardized tests are not meant for 65-year-olds (as long as I can still draw the clock face). Why did I put myself through that exercise? It’s all for the blog.
Striving for Imperfection
“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise. Alden Nowlan”
We appear to be adolescents – still learning how to deal with imperfection.
Embrace the Absurd 