The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.
Using 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.
read moreTake It Off the Consent Agenda: Nine Questions State Boards of Education Should Ask about State Assessment Systems
State boards of education have the primary authority over choosing summative assessments in 31 states. This policy update urges comprehensive state board involvement in the development of state assessment systems and lays out nine big questions board members should address before they adopt a new state assessment system
read moreMeasuring Up: Recalibrating Systems of Assessment
Given the policy reset reflected in the newly minted Every Student Succeeds Act, state boards of education now face greater responsibility for assessments and determining their role in state accountability systems.
read moreOpt Out Policies by State
States vary in how they respond to parents’ requests to opt children out of standardized testing. This Policy Update compiles information on each state’s response and links to guidance documents.
read moreResponding to Opt Out Requests: The Opportunity for State Boards
As parents increasingly ask to opt their children out of standardized tests, state boards of education are sometimes unsure whether and how to respond. This Policy Update highlights successful policy strategies for addressing opt out requests and how state boards can use this opportunity to communicate the benefits of testing and improve the public’s understanding of test-based accountability.
read morePerformance Assessments: How State Policy Can Advance Assessments for 21st Century Learning
Performance assessments help policymakers address thorny issues such as policy alignment, accountability, and equity while promoting students' meaningfully learning of high-level skills.
read more