The Source

A digital magazine focused on education thought leadership.
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Topic: Measuring Success

Diagnosing for Success

Diagnosing for Success

The first step to drive intensive school improvement and school turnaround is to conduct an in-depth Diagnostic Review. Whether for schools needing targeted or comprehensive support or to address pockets of underperformance within the education ecosystem, the Diagnostic Review process identifies pathways for improvement through an in-depth review and analysis... Read the full article >
The Future of Educational Assessment

The Future of Educational Assessment

For teachers, understanding what students know and can do requires teachers to navigate a broad array of assessment approaches, all of which are combined in so-called “balanced assessment systems” that provide opportunities for educators to: Verify learning of a specific unit of instruction Determine whether and how students are struggling... Read the full article >
The Meaning of Standards

The Meaning of Standards

Around the turn of the twenty-first century, the focus and process of accreditation shifted from a ten-year evaluation of the accomplishments of an institution’s past decade to a forward-looking process examining what an institution is striving to accomplish in the following five years. Modern accreditation examines the current and future... Read the full article >
Cognia’s New Teacher Observation Tool Helps Teachers, Schools, and Districts Measure Learner-Centric Classrooms

Cognia’s New Teacher Observation Tool Helps Teachers, Schools, and Districts Measure Learner-Centric Classrooms

But classroom observations can be challenging to implement at the school, district, and state levels. Some research on the effectiveness of classroom observation raises concern about potential bias in ratings and questions the tools’ alignment with what they purport to measure or what matters to improve learning. Equally significant, many... Read the full article >
Developing Meaningful Alternate Assessments

Developing Meaningful Alternate Assessments

Developing an alternate assessment goes beyond compliance with regulations. Such an assessment must be built on the determination and passion to provide students with significant cognitive disabilities authentic ways to demonstrate what they know and can do related to the academic standards for their state. As a former teacher of... Read the full article >
Redefining Measurement of Early Learning

Redefining Measurement of Early Learning

What is “quality” in early childhood programs? Research has generally identified these elements of quality in early childhood programs (Burchinal, 2018; Doucet, Allen, & Kelly, 2015; Helburn, 1995; Meloy, Gardner, & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Wechsler et al., 2018). Instructional support strategies Teachers’ education level and ongoing professional learning Engaging and developmentally... Read the full article >
Creating More Equitable Assessments

Creating More Equitable Assessments

Increasingly, district leaders are turning to Cognia™ to determine whether assessments and test items are equitable, and whether they provide valid information about how well students are making progress toward standards. Often, district officials want to be sure that the data they collect from their assessments accurately reflects what is... Read the full article >
How Schools Should Grade During the COVID-19 Crisis

How Schools Should Grade During the COVID-19 Crisis

In working with scores of schools and districts since 2013, I base my recommendations for grading for the 2019-20 spring term on three key principles: Stress related to COVID-19 will negatively impact student academic performance. Everyone is affected by the stress of the pandemic, and this stress is expected to... Read the full article >
A Balanced Assessment System

A Balanced Assessment System

Lack of statewide data—which are often used to evaluate changes in programs, policies, and practices at the school level—can be problematic, but school leaders can look at other evidence, including teacher feedback, to determine whether they should continue with these changes into the 2020–2021 school year. Schools that make regular... Read the full article >
Suggested Reading

Suggested Reading

1. The Role of School Librarians in OER Curation: A Framework to Guide Practice. This first-of-its-kind guide provides the missing roadmap to the Open Education Resources curation and implementation process, as well as resources to help librarians and other upgrade their skills as curators and as leaders of collaborative networks... Read the full article >