Students with disabilities and English learners rank high among those facing the greatest academic challenges in public education. Like canaries in the coal mine, these students are often the first to reveal how conditions in schools are not adequately supporting students’ academic growth. Their mandated participation in alternate statewide assessments offers insights into why that might be.


We Should Listen to the Canaries





Also In this Issue

States Experiment with Assessment through Innovative Pilots

By Joseph Hedger

Five states received federal waivers for regular assessments so they could pilot assessment systems in select districts or schools over five years.





Performance Assessments: Promises and Pitfalls

By Marianne Perie

By learning from the past, state boards can add depth and relevance to their assessment systems.





We Should Listen to the Canaries

By Ellen Forte

How alternate assessments for students with disabilities and English learners can point us toward better systems for all.





How a Crisis Can Transform Learning, Teaching, and Assessment

By Abby Javurek and Jason Mendenhall

State policymakers should take the opportunity to reimagine their education systems.






Breakthrough or Breakdown? School Accountability in Flux

By Chris Domaleski

Time to steer systems toward better balance and coherence.





Test-Based Accountability in Distressed Times

By Chester E. Finn Jr. and Eric A. Hanushek

State leaders should stick with their assessments because they improve student learning and school performance.





Four Test Questions for State Boards

By Abigail Potts

These questions can help frame conversations on assessment approval and intersections with state accountability.





A Shifting Landscape for State Testing

By Lynn Olson

It is important to understand the history of state summative assessment in the United States.








Featured Items

Credit: iStock i

Supporting Principals in the Science of Reading

State boards of education can deepen the impact of their literacy initiatives by ensuring that principals are equipped to implement schoolwide instructional changes.
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Improving Bilingual Education for All Learners

State policymakers can unlock the full benefits of bilingual education by supporting dual language learners from an early age and expanding access for English-only speakers.
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Expanding Access to K-12 High School Work-Based Learning

Several state boards are leveraging graduation requirements, diploma seals, specialized high schools, accountability systems, and aligning with business needs to expand work-based learning opportunities for more students.

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