Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability

Grade Level: Middle School (6-8)

A Primer on NAEP: How the National Test Fits Into the Assessment Landscape

In this short Education Week article, the author describes very basic information about the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including the different types of NAEP tests, the purposes of the tests, how often they are administered, who takes NAEP tests, and several sample questions. 

Common Core From a Tribal Perspective

In this Education Week commentary, education director Kevin Shendo (Pueblo of Jemez, N.M.) writes that the Common Core has opened the “door to opportunities that exist in challenging our teachers to make the diverse communities . . . an extension of their classrooms.” He suggests that the Common Core will only make a difference for American Indian students if it has “relevance […]

Teaching English-Language Learners: What Does the Research Tell Us?

What instruction works best for English language learners (ELLs) is far from settled. This article addresses this issue by reviewing the research on ELL instruction, including effectiveness of different instructional methods and practices for different populations of ELL students. The article also provides background on: federal law regarding ELL instruction, common types of ELL programs, […]

Understanding Formative Assessment: A Special Report

From the website summary: “Formative assessment is one of the most widely used – but poorly understood – instructional techniques. This special report highlights common misconceptions about the approach and shows how formative assessment differs from other kinds of assessments, such as summative or benchmark tests. It also illuminates some ways that educators can use […]

Closing in on Close Reading

This article provides both a rationale for close reading and concrete steps for implementing it in the classroom. It also puts close reading into the context of other recent instruction approaches, such as making self-to-text connections.