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ASSESSMENTS 101: a Policymaker's Guide to K-12 Assessments

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ASSESSMENTS 101: a Policymaker's Guide to K-12 Assessments ASSESSMENTS 101: A policymaker's guide to K-12 assessments JULIE WOODS Assessments serve a variety of purposes for stakeholders at all levels of the state education system. Because assessments play such an integral role in learning, teaching and accountability, policymakers can benefit from having a working knowledge of the assessment landscape and common terms used for discussing assessments. This brief supports state leaders’ understanding of assessments by first classifying and categorizing assessments and then providing an overview of common terms used when choosing and utilizing assessments. The Many Purposes of LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TESTING? Assessments J Thinking About Tests and Testing: A Short Assessments come in many forms in part because they Primer in “Assessment Literacy.” serve many purposes, and those purposes often vary J Using Balanced Assessment Systems To by the stakeholders they support. Students, parents, Improve Student Learning and School teachers, and school, district and state leaders may all Capacity: An Introduction. be end users of the information provided by various J Designing a Comprehensive Assessment assessments. For example, assessments can support the System. needs of: TESTING AND FEDERAL LAW Students and Parents: J By informing students and parents about the The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires student’s progress in learning content based on the state education agencies to implement statewide state academic standards. assessments in: J By informing students and parents — as well as teachers and schools — about the student’s readiness: for grade J Mathematics and English-language arts (ELA) in advancement, graduation, college and careers. third-eighth grade and once in ninth-12th grade. J Science once in each of the following grade spans: third-fifth grade, sixth-ninth grade and Teachers and School Leaders: 10-12th grade. J By allowing teachers to better plan and tailor instruction to student and classroom needs. Many states exceed the minimum federal testing J By supporting teachers and school leaders in requirements by mandating, for example, a social identifying where students need intervention, studies or college and career readiness assessment remediation or acceleration. statewide. Education Commission of the States’ J By holding teachers and schools accountable, and summative assessments database provides identifying opportunities for their growth through information on the required statewide assessments teacher evaluations and school report cards. in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia (D.C.). SPECIAL REPORT www.ecs.org | @EdCommission 2 Districts and States: When does assessment J By informing districts and the state about school occur? performance, allowing them to determine the J Before learning — diagnostic tests (identify gaps). appropriate interventions for low-performing schools J During learning — formative tests (inform instruction). and to recognize high-performing schools. J At key points in learning — interim tests (identify J By allowing for comparisons of student subgroups, specific gaps). schools, districts and, when possible, states. J After learning — summative tests (determine mastery). J By informing district leaders’ and state policymakers’ education policy decisions. Which transition does the State and local leaders often want state tests to assessment support? accomplish as many of these purposes as possible while J Preschool to kindergarten — kindergarten simultaneously: entrance exams. J Grade to grade — summative assessments. J Limiting financial, time and operational burdens. J Course to course — end of course assessments. J Providing information-rich and timely results. J High school to college or career — exit exams and J Measuring deep content knowledge and relevant skills. college entrance exams. Yet research cautions that tests should only be used for the purposes for which they were designed, which means What is assessed? that multiple tests may be necessary to accomplish all the J Mastery of core academic content standards. purposes needed for a state’s education system. Given J Proficiency in areas of a well-rounded education: this tension, state leaders must balance efficiency and • Arts — example: short answer responses to limited testing with the need for information that can works of art. best support student success. • Civics — example: U.S. Citizenship test. • Health — example: physical fitness assessment Research cautions that tests should measuring strength, endurance and flexibility. J Social-emotional knowledge and skills — example: only be used for the purposes for student surveys. J Readiness for college and careers - example: the which they were designed, which SAT or ACT WorkKeys. means that multiple tests may be necessary to accomplish all How is the information the purposes needed for a state’s assessed? J Multiple choice questions. education system. J Constructed responses, essays. J Performance tasks. J Portfolio of student work. Classifying Assessments Assessments come in many shapes and sizes depending on the purpose(s) they serve. The following questions can serve as a guide when mapping the landscape of different assessments. SPECIAL REPORT www.ecs.org | @EdCommission 3 ASSESSING SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: Choosing Assessments WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Assessment Audit While still a developing field, student and teacher In an assessment audit, states inventory which and how surveys can assess social-emotional learning (SEL). many assessments are administered at the state and/ or local levels. These audits can help states alleviate the J Currently, leading researchers recommend against testing burden on students and teachers by eliminating using social-emotional surveys for high-stakes unnecessary or redundant testing. ESSA provides funds decisions. states can use to conduct an audit. J Few states have articulated learning goals for SEL beyond preschool. All states incorporate SEL into Competency-Based Assessments their preschool standards. In a competency-based education system, students progress through a unit of study at their own pace based Want to learn more? on their demonstrated mastery of knowledge and skills. Because competency-based education is relatively J Outcomes Beyond Test Scores — What Is Social- uncharted, assessments aligned to such systems are Emotional Learning? challenging to define and can vary significantly. Existing J Transforming Education Resources for competency-based assessments are typically locally- Policymakers. developed and incorporate performance tasks. New J Collaborative for Academic, Social and Hampshire’s Performance Assessment of Competency Emotional Learning (CASEL). Education (PACE) is the most well-known and developed example of this type of learning and assessment. Want to learn more? Glossary of Terms for J Assessment to Support Competency-Based Pathways. Choosing and Using J Two Sides of the Same Coin: Competency-Based Education and Student Learning Objectives. Assessments J New Hampshire Performance Assessment of Given the wide variety of assessment purposes and Competency Education (PACE). uses, many of the terms commonly used to describe assessments can have different meanings when used in Computer-Adaptive Assessments different contexts. While not exhaustive, a brief glossary A computer-adaptive assessment (CAT) adjusts the of assessment terms that frequently lead to policymaker difficulty of questions during an exam — based on a questions, and accompanying ESSA implications student’s response — and is distinct from computer- where applicable, follows. For ease of reference, terms based assessments that replicate traditional tests on a are divided into two categories: terms likely to arise computer. ESSA explicitly permits states to develop and when choosing appropriate assessments for a specific administer CATs for math, ELA and science, and does purpose, and terms likely to arise when implementing not prohibit states or districts from using CATs for other chosen assessments. Terms are presented alphabetically tested subjects. Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), in each category. states could only use CATs following approval granted through the U.S. Department of Education’s peer review process and federal waivers. SPECIAL REPORT www.ecs.org | @EdCommission 4 Innovative Assessment Pilot Want to learn more? ESSA provides an opportunity for a limited number of states to pilot an innovative assessment system in some J Interim Assessment Resources. or all of their districts. The law provides an open-ended list J Distinguishing Formative Assessment from Other of possible innovative assessment options: performance- Educational Assessment Labels. based, instructionally-embedded, competency-based, J “Interim” Assessments and ESSA: A Great portfolios or several interim tests — rather than a single Opportunity. summative test — among other options that the law leaves open. For states, the long-term goal is to implement a Nationally Recognized Assessment high-quality innovative assessment system statewide for New provisions in ESSA authorize districts to administer accountability purposes. a locally selected, nationally recognized assessment in high school in place of the state-determined, statewide Want to learn more? assessments required for math, ELA and science. While the law does not define “nationally recognized,” J 15 Assessment Designs for the Innovative proposed, but rejected, regulations described it as “an Assessment Pilot. assessment of high
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