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Case Reviews: Implementing the Spirit of Formative Assessment
The following resource provides vignettes about teachers who are attempting to implement formative assessment in their schools. The two vignettes are from a study by...
Kindergarten Entry Assessments: An Examination of Best Practices, National Trends, and Recommendations
States and districts use Kindergarten entry assessments (KEA) as evaluative tools for understanding students' learning along developmental domains. Data from KEAs are informative for guiding...
Key Elements of a Coherent and Equitable Local Assessment System
State assessments play an important role in monitoring how well schools and districts serve the needs of all learners. However, they are designed to provide...
Components of a Coherent and Equitable Assessment System
Assessment data have different purposes and uses depending on the interest holders who use the information they generate and whether they are geared toward the...
A First Look at Early Literacy Performance in Massachusetts
Massachusetts commissioned WestEd to conduct a study of the state's K-3 student reading skills. WestEd's report, authored by Mariann Lemke, Dan Murphy, Aaron Soo Ping...
English Learner (EL) Pre-Referral Flow Chart Questions
This decision-making flow chart includes target questions that Child Study teams or MTSS teams should address when working through the pre-referral decision-making process. Each school...
Educational Alignment: Past, Present, and Potential Future (Part 1)
To ensure that accurate inferences of student learning are made, the alignment of learning standards, instruction, and assessments is critical. Educational systems benefit from alignment...
Demystifying Statewide Standardized Assessments: Developing High-Quality Assessments and Items
Test developers have a thorough process for designing tests and items (commonly referred to as the test’s questions). The process includes rigorous educator reviews through...
Demystifying Statewide Standardized Assessments: Making Assessments Accessible for Students With Disabilities and English Learners
Students with disabilities and English learners may receive changes to the test administration so they can show what they know and can do. Tests also...
Demystifying Statewide Standardized Assessments: What Statewide Assessments Are Designed to Measure
State standardized assessments measure students’ skills and knowledge relative to what students should have been taught during the school year. The scores are used to...