Colleagues and friends,
A few weeks ago, I completed a Wilderness First Responder course. To earn my certification, I had unlimited time and attempts to pass online checks for understanding and unit assessments. After five days of in-person learning, I also completed an end-of-course exam. This was all accompanied by demonstrations of mastery via practicum where we engaged in hands-on scenarios to practice skills in different contexts and received feedback from peers and instructors.
This experience reminded me of the critical role that assessment plays in learning. As I reflected on current K-12 approaches, I was also reminded of a critical question that has emerged across much of our work on The Learning Accelerator’s (TLA) Research, Measurement, & Policy team: What if our current assessment systems are holding students back rather than propelling them forward?
Understanding the efficacy and potential of innovative learning models requires equally innovative assessment approaches. Interestingly, today’s virtual students offer us a case study through which to understand where and how current assessments fall short of an “anytime, anywhere” education future. Their experiences highlight that today’s state assessment systems are rigid, often disconnected from authentic learning, and focused on student performance against narrow academic standards. The inability for states to assess virtual students’ learning where and when it actually happens also presents barriers to equity. For example, several of our partners shared stories of virtual students forced to complete in-person state assessments, despite unnecessary stress and burden, highlighting a critical need for change.
For this reason, we decided that our first major policy project should address measuring student learning — particularly as it happens anywhere and anytime. We collaborated with our partners at the Digital Learning Collaborative to produce a whitepaper and companion policy recommendations for state and school leaders. The resources linked below provide actionable guidance to meet the immediate needs of virtual students. Even more importantly, they point to ways we can begin to build a future where assessments drive meaningful learning for all.
We developed these resources with feedback from trusted partners from across the sector and continue to welcome input as we work to ensure our research, measurement, and policy products support your work as you advance high-quality learning that helps every student reach their full potential.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Beth Holland, Managing Director, Research, Measurement, & Policy
P.S. Keep scrolling for additional information, but don’t miss our January 30th webinar on “Developing a Strategic, Outcomes-Based Approach to AI Tool Selection and Deployment.” Register at the link here.
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