The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.
Four Test Questions for State Boards
These questions can help frame conversations on assessment approval and intersections with state accountability.
read moreA Shifting Landscape for State Testing
It is important to understand the history of state summative assessment in the United States.
read morePerformance Assessments: Promises and Pitfalls
By learning from the past, state boards can add depth and relevance to their assessment systems.
read moreBreakthrough or Breakdown? School Accountability in Flux
Time to steer systems toward better balance and coherence.
read moreTest-Based Accountability in Distressed Times
State leaders should stick with their assessments because they improve student learning and school performance.
read moreUsing Innovative Assessments to Promote Education Equity and Testing Efficiency
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provided new opportunities for creating innovative assessments that fulfill accountability requirements while contributing to learning and teaching. In this webinar, Abby Javurek, senior director of large-scale solutions at not-for-profit NWEA, discusses how the organization has worked with states such as Georgia and Louisiana to develop assessment solutions that increase […]
read moreUnderstanding Balanced Assessment Systems
In a balanced assessment system, different types of assessment are used to gather information about students’ learning for different purposes. For example, formative assessments gather information to inform teachers and students’ decisions about ongoing classroom learning. In contrast, summative assessments provide snapshots on students’ performance at the end of a unit or school year to […]
read moreStates Set Sights on Growth of Low-Performing Students
With the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states can include a student growth indicator as a measure of school quality in their accountability systems. Most of them do. Nine states also saw this as an opportunity and added a separate growth measure for the bottom quartile and quintile of students.
read moreFlexibility for Streamlining Tests
States can take advantage of existing funding and new ESSA guidance to ensure the quality of their assessment frameworks. This policy update highlights two states—Illinois and Tennessee—that have taken the initiative to evaluate their systems.
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