Communication – Page 2 – Embrace the Absurd

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”

Rebranding Educational Measurement

Charlie DePascale When I think about educational measurement the first thing that comes to mind is a high-fructose corn syrup commercial from about 10 years ago. On one side there is the man who holds, but cannot articulate, the widespread, but ill-defined, perception (misperception?) that high-fructose corn syrup is inherently bad. On theContinue reading “Rebranding Educational Measurement”

It’s about time

Charlie DePascale We have all asked the question, “Where did the time go?” As troubling as that question can be, more recently, I find myself pondering an even more vexing question, Where did time go? Every day, it seems as though time has been removed as a dimension or component of some part of our livesContinue reading “It’s about time”

Implausible Values

Equating in the early part of the 21st century Charlie DePascale Our field is facing a crisis brought on by implausible values. The values which threaten us, however, are not the assessment results questioned above. Those are only the byproduct of the values which our field and society have adopted with regard to K-12 large-scaleContinue reading “Implausible Values”

Goals: Assets or Distractions

A noticeable difference between NCLB and ESSA is that ESSA is devoid of explicit goals. Yes, one could argue that “Every Student Succeeds” is a goal. I am still hedging my bet, however, on whether people will treat that tagline as a goal or as a policy statement, as in every student succeeds becomes theContinue reading “Goals: Assets or Distractions”

If a tree falls in the forest…

“…once upon a time, researchers simply published their research in professional journals – and there it stayed. However, my colleagues and I learned things we thought people needed to know.” The quote above from an EdWeek commentary is Carol Dweck’s explanation for why she published her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Likewise, asContinue reading “If a tree falls in the forest…”

One in a Million, A Million to One

Interpreting Individual Student Performance on a Large-scale Assessment This is the third, and final, installment in a series of three posts based on a workshop presented in April 2015 at the annual conference of the New England Educational Research Organization. Across the land, there is a call for state assessments to provide more, better, andContinue reading “One in a Million, A Million to One”

What’s In A Name?

Aligning achievement levels and assessments This is the second of three posts based on a workshop presented in April 2015 at the annual conference of the New England Educational Research Organization. Proficient. The passing of NCLB made it a national goal that 100% of students would be Proficient by 2014; and the law made itContinue reading “What’s In A Name?”

The Best That We Can Do – Communicating Assessment and Measurement Information

Little ditty about Jack and Diane Two American kids growin’ up in the heartland Diane’s college-ready, Jackie – not so sure They took the new ISTEP, and got the same score Charlie DePascale – This is the first in a series of three posts adapted from a workshop conducted at the 2015 annual conferenceContinue reading “The Best That We Can Do – Communicating Assessment and Measurement Information”