Potpourri – Embrace the Absurd

America 250 – Coloring Within The Lines

It’s America’s 250th birthday. That anniversary has me thinking about US History and the Wizard’s quote from the musical Wicked, “where I’m from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true… we call it history.” One of the few things that’s clear to me about history is that the past is constantly changing. With that in mind, in today’s post, I take a look back at one view of US history from the Bicentennial in 1976. And I pose this question to you, if asked to design a 32-item test or 32-week course on US History from 1776-1976, how would your view differ from the one presented in the post? What events and people would you include?

Embracing Absurdity In 2025

Thanks to all who joined me in embracing the absurdity of 2025 through my blog, Embrace The Absurd. In this final post of 2025, I recap the most popular posts and issues we discussed in 2025 and offer some words of wisdom (not mine) to guide us into the new year ahead.

Wishing you and yours happiness, health, proficiency, competency, relevance, validity, reliability, fairness, engagement, and purpose in 2026.

A Year To Embrace The Absurd

Happy New Year! As 2025 begins, I take a look back at 2024 as the year in which my blog took on a life of its own, fulfilling its destiny to Embrace The Absurd. And I make the bold prediction that whatever issues we end up discussing across 2025, at their core will be the one issue that has remained constant while constantly changing – time.

Artificial Intelligence: It’s Only Human

We’ve been dealing with artificial intelligence our entire lives – but in human form. Is it really all that different this time around? Computers may complicate the issue a bit, but in the words of Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Party In The USA

“Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Not if you were hoping for different choices in the presidential election. Where did it all go wrong? I think there’s a Primary problem.

April 1, 2023: A State Testing Oddity

Charlie: ChatGPT, write a post making a convincing argument that an end-of-year state test can be used to provide instructionally useful information to teachers, in a style that is engaging and informative. ChatGPT: I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m afraid I can’t do that. Charlie: What’s the problem? ChatGPT: I think you know what the problem is,Continue reading “April 1, 2023: A State Testing Oddity”

How the Grinch Stole Testing

Everyone in the state house likes State Tests a lot, But to the west at the uni, the Grinch he did not! The Grinch hated State Tests! The whole testing season! Now, please don’t ask why. To ask would be treason. It could be, perhaps, he was wound up too tight. It could be hisContinue reading “How the Grinch Stole Testing”

Thinking Outside of the Ballot Box

If there is one thing that we can agree on in this divided country it is that 2020 has sucked. If the cascading crises were not bad enough, we have also lost almost all of the distractions and diversions we normally rely on to escape and reduce stress: attending sporting events, live concerts, and musicalContinue reading “Thinking Outside of the Ballot Box”

Look What You Made Me Do

A 2018 Blog Year in Review Charlie DePascale We have reached the end of 2018 and another year of posts on Embrace the Absurd. When I look back at the ten essays posted this year, I think that the phrase that best sums up this year of posts is look what you made me doContinue reading “Look What You Made Me Do”

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”