Performance Assessments: How State Policy Can Advance Assessments for 21st Century Learning

As employers and postsecondary institutions increasingly demand students and workers equipped with high-level skills, many states are exploring K-12 performance assessments, which require students to construct answers, produce products, or perform activities and allow educators to assess student performance meaningfully and to foster deeper learning. Stanford University Professor and SCOPE Faculty Director Linda Darling-Hammond and NASBE Deeper Learning Project Director Ace Parsi argue that focusing on assessments is essential for facilitating meaningful learning that leads to state educational success and helps policymakers address some of the thorniest issues around them: purpose, sustainability, reliability, accountability, policy alignment, equity, professional practice, and implementation.