In this session, participants will learn about what makes some assessments better than others, why student progress measures are almost entirely useless, why most tests will never produce useful diagnostic information on students, and why
most school assessment systems do not do the things they are intended to do.
Not exact matches
That's why we need an education agenda that strategically recruits, retains, and rewards the
most effective teachers and principals; that builds incredibly high standards; that develops rigorous and useful
assessments to measure progress against those standards; that builds data
systems that allow teachers, principals, students, and parents to quickly and conveniently access those data for everyday use; and that focuses on dramatic intervention within our country's lowest - performing
schools.
For the 14 per cent of primary
schools indicating more spending on ICT than planned, the focus is
most likely to be on
assessment systems.
But the report, based on a survey of states, indicates that states have been slower to embrace
assessments, high
school graduation requirements, and,
most especially, «comprehensive» accountability
systems to match the standards.
The Committee is currently inviting written submissions addressing the following topics: - The purpose of primary
assessment and how well the current
system meets this - The advantages and disadvantages of assessing pupils at primary
school - How the
most recent reforms have affected teaching and learning - Logistics and delivery of the SATs - Training and support needed for teachers and senior leaders to design and implement effective
assessment systems - Next steps following the
most recent reforms to primary
assessment
The highest - performing charters are those that that have
most fully embraced a «no excuses» approach to teaching and learning; have created strong
school cultures based on explicit expectations for both academic achievement and behavior; have an intensive focus on literacy and numeracy as the first foundation for academic achievement; feature a relatively heavy reliance on direct instruction and differentiated grouping, especially in the early grades; and are increasingly focused on comprehensive student
assessment systems.
High
schools are seeking to build
systems that ensure success for every student; this is being further emphasized by the Obama administration, which has identified the following four Race to the Top priority areas in the Race to the Top Executive Summary (2009): «adopting standards and
assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy; building data
systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; cultivating effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed
most; and turning around struggling
schools» (p. 1).
In light of these key characteristics of helpful feedback, how can
schools most effectively use feedback as part of a
system of formative
assessment?
Our researchers also partner with
school systems to support applied research to ensure that
schools are getting the
most out of their
assessment data.
All educators, but high
school teachers
most urgently, need accessible, intuitive technology
systems that support implementation of formative
assessment to improve learning, confirm mastery, and ensure students are college - and career - ready.
In using ARRA funds, states and
school divisions must advance core reforms identified in the legislation, including: implementation of college - and career - ready standards and
assessments for all students; establishment of preschool to postsecondary and career longitudinal data
systems; improvement in teacher quality — especially for students
most at risk of academic failure; and improvement of low - performing
schools through effective interventions.
With technologies that offer a multi-media approach and universal design for learning that builds in accommodations for students with special learning needs or ESL backgrounds, the U.S. is at the brink of creating the world's
most progressive
assessment system, one that will allow U.S. students to graduate from high
school better prepared to enter advanced college programs.
The middle
schools and high
schools use traditional letter grades, A — F. Although the state's
assessment system is uniform in
most aspects, the jump between elementary and middle level can be overwhelming for students trying to navigate the waters of early adolescence as well as
school structures.
The
most commonly used
assessment system is the
School & Student Services (SSS).
The
most clear - eyed
assessment of this that I've seen in recent years is Diane Ravitch's «The Death and Life of the Great American
School System.»
Most schools in the Seattle area will use a third party financial needs
assessment system.
An earlier PPIC report found that
most schools experienced staffing difficulties during the 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test, which was administered to help
schools transition to the new online
assessment system (Gao 2015).
Based on these characteristics, states can then determine the
most appropriate way to use them in the
system — for example, in classification of
schools, public reporting, or needs
assessment and improvement planning — as well as the appropriate level — state, district, or
school — at which to use them.
One of the
most innovative elementary
schools in the country produced some of the strongest results in California's state
assessment system, and the takeaway for public
schools across the nation may prove game - changing.
New
assessment systems would be a key component of personalization taking off, but developing such
systems is complicated and
most school systems and states have yet to figure out those details.
Whereas
most U.S. districts are mired in antiquated teacher
assessment models, there are indeed some progressive
schools and districts that have endeavored to create evaluation
systems that truly value the professional learning of teachers.