Resource Hub
Explore guides, research papers, policy briefs, and tools to aid decisions on standards and assessments.
The Case for Growth: Why Measure Student Learning?
This guide, published by the Northwest Evaluation Association, provides practical insights for educators, parents, and policy makers on the necessity of measuring student growth. The guide examines the ways in which assessment measures student growth fairly and accurately and discusses how growth data can support every student’s learning needs.
This resource starts off by providing a clear statement as to its purpose and goal: “to help educators, parents, and policy makers drive learning for all students, this booklet shares practical insights and pragmatic learning around measuring student growth”. This 15-page resource uses a variety of graphics, tables, and formats to provide an engaging and well-presented overview of the value of growth measures to support student learning. The booklet provides a well-articulated overview of the importance and value for measuring student growth through assessment practices, not as a means to evaluate schools or teachers, but rather as a tool to inform practices, improve programs, and individualize instruction with the ultimate goal of supporting lifelong learners. It articulates why and how growth data is important for all stakeholders through its focus on the positive reasons that “assessment for growth” should play a central role within our education systems.