Read the article Series Introduction to Beyond the Scantron.

Sep 14, 2020

Series Introduction to Beyond the Scantron

By: Anne Wicks

In this series, the expert voices of parents, educators, researchers, and policy makers discuss how assessments are built, how they are used, how they can be improved, and the critical role they play for students during the pandemic and beyond.

Read the article Glossary of Terms for Testing in Education.

Sep 15, 2020

Glossary of Terms for Testing in Education

By: Alex Dowdy

A guide to the terms used when discussing testing and assessments in the classroom.

Read the article A Testing Primer: A Researcher Translates for the Rest of Us.

Sep 23, 2020

A Testing Primer: A Researcher Translates for the Rest of Us

By: Mark Dynarski

Mark Dynarski, an education advisor to the George W. Bush Institute and founder and president of Pemberton Research, walks through key topics and consideration points in testing.

Read the article The STAAR is Born, Thanks to Teachers.

Sep 30, 2020

The STAAR is Born, Thanks to Teachers

By: William McKenzie

An overview of the process used to build the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam.

Read the article Preparing for 2030 Requires Knowing Whether Students are Ready.

Sep 30, 2020

Preparing for 2030 Requires Knowing Whether Students are Ready

Mike Miles, founder and CEO of Third Future Schools, a charter school network in Colorado and Texas, explains the role of testing in preparing students for the year 2030.

Read the article Validity, Reliability, and Feasibility are Key to Developing Quality Tests.

Sep 30, 2020

Validity, Reliability, and Feasibility are Key to Developing Quality Tests

Jeffrey Nellhaus, former deputy commissioner of education in Massachusetts, discusses how validity, reliability, and feasibility are central to good testing programs.

Read the article How Teachers Help Texas Create Its State Exams.

Sep 30, 2020

How Teachers Help Texas Create Its State Exams

Cindy Riney, teacher in the Montgomery Independent School District north of Houston, has served on panels that review test questions for the STAAR exams. She discusses how test questions are reviewed, refined, or rejected in Texas — and teachers' role in the process.

Read the article Disruptions Present Opportunities to Do Something New in School Testing.

Sep 30, 2020

Disruptions Present Opportunities to Do Something New in School Testing

Larry Berger, CEO of Amplify, spoke about the purposes of different assessments, the way textbooks are selected, and how we could use the COVID-19 crisis to think anew about testing students.

Read the article Demystifying Tests for Parents.

Sep 23, 2020

Demystifying Tests for Parents

Bibb Hubbard and Cindi Williams of Learning Heroes discuss the role that quality assessments play in helping parents understand their children’s academic progress.

Read the article High-Quality, Fair Tests Can Help Students with Disabilities.

Sep 23, 2020

High-Quality, Fair Tests Can Help Students with Disabilities

Sheryl Lazarus, director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesota, discusses how students with disabilities and English learners need appropriate accommodations for standardized testing.

Read the article Assessments and the Building of Knowledge.

Sep 23, 2020

Assessments and the Building of Knowledge

John White, former state superintendent of schools in Louisiana, offers advice to educators, policymakers, and parents — and shares his thoughts on innovations in testing.

Read the article Education Reformers: You Need to Do More Than Take a Book Report to a Knife Fight.

Sep 23, 2020

Education Reformers: You Need to Do More Than Take a Book Report to a Knife Fight

Keri Rodrigues, cofounder of the National Parents Union, passionately discusses public education and testing from the perspective of a parent.

Read the article The Evolving Lessons of Testing.

Sep 15, 2020

The Evolving Lessons of Testing

Scott Marion, executive director of the Center for Assessment, details how new, richer, testing may evolve.

Read the article We Don’t Need a “Data Vacation” During the Pandemic.

Sep 15, 2020

We Don’t Need a “Data Vacation” During the Pandemic

Chris Stewart, CEO of brightbeam and a dedicated parent activist, discusses why quality assessments can help parents and teachers grasp the academic needs of their students — particularly students of color.

Read the article Looking Forward: Tests and Equity in Today's Schools.

Sep 15, 2020

Looking Forward: Tests and Equity in Today's Schools

By: Anne Wicks

Recommendations for policy makers, district leaders, and educators will help maximize the power of tests to support all children through and beyond this school year.

Read the article The Three W's of Testing.

Sep 14, 2020

The Three W's of Testing

Andrew Ho, the Charles William Eliot Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, explains the importance of knowing "who" is making "what" diagnosis to inform "which" decision.

Read the article Marry Tests to the Goal You Want Them to Achieve: An Insider's Look at the SAT and PSAT.

Jan 1, 1970

Marry Tests to the Goal You Want Them to Achieve: An Insider's Look at the SAT and PSAT

Auditi Chakravarty, senior vice president of learning, evaluation, and research at the College Board, details details how tests like the PSAT and SAT are created and how tests should be used to serve a purpose.