Education Reform – Page 12 – Embrace the Absurd

IASA – Refreshing our Memory

Charlie DePascale This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 1994 reauthorization of ESEA, known as the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA). Throughout the year, I will explore how various aspects of that law shaped my career, educational assessment and accountability, and K-12 education, in general. All of this will be done, of course, withContinue reading “IASA – Refreshing our Memory”

Three Little Words

Charlie DePascale Life is full of three-word phrases. Some tend to have profound and lasting consequences that extend far beyond what may have been intended when they were uttered. Phrases such as I Love You, That Looks Safe, and for those among us wavering on new year’s resolutions, Just One Bite might fall into thisContinue reading “Three Little Words”

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”

How Arne Works

Charlie DePascale During my August trip to Minnesota I was able to check two books off of my summer reading list: Relativity – The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein and How Schools Work by Arne Duncan. As the old joke goes, one was a book that asked me to rethink basic conceptsContinue reading “How Arne Works”

Give Me A Lever

Charlie DePascale I realized very early in my career that the law of the lever, as explained by Archimedes in some variation of the quote above, was critical to my success. In short, there was little that I could do on my own as an assessment specialist, or psychometrician, to improve education; but working inContinue reading “Give Me A Lever”

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”

Remember the Alamo

Charlie DePascale This spring I returned to San Antonio to attend the 2017 NCME conference. The trip brought back memories of my many visits to the Harcourt office there as a member of the MCAS management team for the Massachusetts Department of Education. My last MCAS trip was in August 2002. Some things inContinue reading “Remember the Alamo”

Bridging the Gaps

Charlie DePascale Apparently, it’s all about gaps. I have attended two research conferences so far this month; and at both conferences there was lots of discussion about lots of gaps. At the NEERO conference, the discussion focused on achievement and opportunity gaps. At the CEC convention, the gap between educational research and practice as wellContinue reading “Bridging the Gaps”

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 ™”

Growing Pains

Charlie DePascale “To ensure greater flexibility in tracking individual students’ annual progress, growth models provide states with more options for a nuanced accountability system, while adhering to the core principles of No Child Left Behind.” — Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings It all seemed so simple in 2005 when states wanted to include growth inContinue reading “Growing Pains”