Statewide Assessments Don’t Just Help Students
Each fall, as we approach the end of the season for statewide score reporting, I find it helpful to reflect on trends in how students performed across the country and lessons learned from another year of testing.
Specialization is the Answer to Complex Assessment Systems
Last spring, New Meridian hosted a dozen chief state school officers at our annual convening on assessment literacy, which focused on assessment as a lever for equity and change. Interestingly, the topic that prompted the most interest this year was risk and how to manage the many complex components of a state testing program.
Assessment at the Instructional Core
More than 330 tasks were scored over five days by 78 teachers from five states and education systems, all of whom were gathered in Austin, Texas, to review New Meridian test content to be used in their state summative test designs.
Investing in Innovation: Where’s the Federal Support?
Educators and policy leaders might be forgiven for not often turning to the Federal Register for inspiration. But buried there in the ESSA regulations is a truly inspired effort to resolve one of the most vexing tensions shaping our national discussion on the role of assessment: The Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA) pilot. The IADA […]
The Real Value of State Assessments
New Meridian recently hosted a dozen chief state school officers at our annual convening on assessment literacy, which focused on assessment as a lever for equity and change. It was clear throughout the day that states are rethinking assessment. As they transition beyond NCLB-era compliance toward ESSA-era flexibility, chiefs are seizing the moment to evaluate […]
Career Readiness Steps into the Spotlight
I recently had the privilege of visiting the Woodville Tomkins Technical and Career High School in Savannah, Georgia, where students in the Culinary Arts program prepared a delicious surf and turf with lobster pilaf served in the shell. Under the guidance of award-winning Chef Dyson-Bosier, high school students planned, prepped, cooked, and served 20 guests […]
The Assessment Landscape in 2019
Those of us who pay close attention to the education landscape have witnessed quite a bit of change in recent months, much of it fueled by political transitions. The 2018 elections produced a significant shift in the governing makeup of the states, and the changes are likely to have important consequences in state education policies […]
What Real Assessment Flexibility Looks Like
Anyone following statewide summative assessment news has observed the trend of states leaving the consortia and returning to developing custom tests on their own. State policy makers want to ensure that state educators are involved in designing tests that align to their revised standards and reflect what is being taught in local classrooms. That’s important, […]
Charting a New Pathway Forward, Together
I am thrilled to introduce the inaugural edition of New Meridian’s monthly newsletter, The Prime. We’ve designed this publication to be a platform for exploring how states, districts and educators are using high quality assessments and data-informed instruction to improve student outcomes. We chose this name because, just as the Prime Meridian itself is broadly […]