In a preemptive shot ahead of the 2024 NAEP results we were told that Americans have been getting dumber. Perhaps, but I’m not sure that’s a conclusion we can reach based on an average scaled score – even on NAEP. And I’m fairly certain it’s not the best question to be asking tomorrow when those scores are released.
Category Archives: Assessment
NAEP, Why Must You Vex Me So?
We are one week away from NAEP Day and the release of the 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics results! It’s a day portrayed as our Super Bowl, Christmas morning, and release of the Orange Crop report all rolled into one. So why, once again, am I not excited?
Ultraprocessed Test Scores – Just How Bad Are They?
The New York Times Well newsletter kicked off 2025 with a series on ultraprocessed foods; addressing not only the dangers they pose, but also increasing awareness of their ubiquitousness, explaining their appeal, and offering tips for living healthier with them. It may be helpful to do the same for test scores.
Through the Looking Glass on Educational Assessment and What I Found There
While writing about large-scale assessment over the past month, the lyrics to Grace Slick’s White Rabbit grew louder and louder in the back of my head. I’m not certain, but it’s probably not a good sign when pondering the past, present, and future of your field evokes a 1960s psychedelic rock anthem.
The Fallout & The Future of State Testing
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.
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.
Embrace the Absurd 