Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability

Keyword: Standards

Ethnic Studies Legislation: State Scan

Reviewing state efforts to develop and implement curricula that reflects and affirms students’ racial and ethnic identities, Sylvia Kwon from the Region 15 Comprehensive Center developed this summary of recent and ongoing states’ ethnic studies legislation. For the purposes of this scan, “ethnic studies” encompasses coursework that purposefully reflects and supports students’ identities. Kwon examines state legislative initiatives (enacted between February 2019 and January 2021) that require ethnic studies to be incorporated into K–12 standards or curricula.

Kwon’s scan details legislative efforts in 19 states, along with summarizing the legislation’s implementation timeline.

WestEd’s Standards‐to‐Standards Alignment and Evaluation Studies

WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct standards-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings to meet rigorous evidence requirements, such as federal peer review guidelines; and key feedback that contributes to quality content standards. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.

WestEd’s Curriculum‐to‐Standards Alignment Studies

WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct curriculum-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings on the alignment between local curricula and state content standards, and key feedback that contributes to quality standards-based curricula. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.

Quality Expectations and Development Considerations of Item Clusters Assessing Multidimensional Science Standards

A number of effective approaches and strategies related to the measurement of multidimensional science standards have emerged through early development efforts of large-scale assessments. This paper discusses several key considerations for designing and developing effective next generation science assessments, including an exploration of the quality expectations and development considerations that help support development.

2015 CSAI Annual Conference: The Scores Are In, Now What?

CSAI held its annual conference on December 10–11, 2015 at WestEd’s San Francisco office. During this one-and-a-half day conference, CSAI staff and attendees discussed states’ needs regarding instruction, assessment, accountability, and communication following the 2014–15 assessments. Sessions focused on providing support for regional and content centers, and the states and regions they support, in the midst of policy and system changes.

Links to presentation materials and handouts can be found on this page.

 

Joan Herman

Coherent Assessment Systems Supporting College and Career Ready Success

Joan HermanThis session shared a framework for standards-based systems of assessment, which states and local districts can use to reduce overtesting and promote college- and career-ready success attainment.

 

Deborah Sigman

Making Sense of the New Summative Assessments

Deb Sigman

This session discussed the impact of assessment results on state systems for communications, reporting, and accountability.

 

Sujie Shin, Jessica Arnold, and Deb Sigman

Bridging the Gap Between Assessment and Improving Teaching and Learning

Deb Sigman, Sujie Shin, and Jessica Arnold

This session shared tools and resources for building teacher capacity and knowledge around developing and scoring assessment performance tasks: Building Educator Assessment Literacy, Understanding Proficiency, and Assessment Design Toolkit.

 

Nicolle Romero and Meghan Bell

Transforming Science Instruction and Assessment

Nicolle Romero and Meghan Bell

This discussion delved into the Next Generation Science Standards and provided an overview of the standards and their implications for states as they develop and evaluate science assessment options. For more information on the Science Assessment Item Collaborative, please visit the spotlight.

 

Barbara Jones and Sandy Chang

Achieving College- and Career-Ready Success with Formative Assessment

Barbara Jones and Sandy Chang

This session introduced new curriculum and instruction resources for creating and refining lessons to support CCRS success.

 

Sandy Chang

Considerations for English Language Learners

Sandy Chang

This session shared key practices and resources that teachers can use to help English learner students achieve college- and career-ready success in their classrooms.

 

Sujie Shin and Mai Chou Vang

Understanding and Responding to the Department’s Testing Action Plan and Peer Review

Sujie Shin and Mai Chou Vang

This session provided a brief overview of Peer Review Guidance and the ways content centers may be called on to support states as they prepare for submission beginning in January. The session also discussed the implications of the Testing Action Plan and shared resources and tools that can be shared with states.

 

Carole Gallagher and Deborah Sigman

The State Perspective on Revising Testing Systems

Deb Sigman and Carole Gallagher

The presenters shared their experiences working directly with states on revising testing systems and discussed lessons learned from those experiences.