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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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

Development of even better technology-enhanced items—items that enable highlighting text as evidence to support an answer or graphing of mathematical functions—happens every year. Soon, science assessments will contain interactive, manipulable environments as well as the animated demonstrations of science phenomena like the effects of friction and starting heights on the... Read the full article >

I have seen this myself over the course of the last three years, having observed nearly 200 classrooms and interviewed teachers across 10 different U.S. states, as well as in Mexico and Egypt. In that time, I have seen and discussed approximately 100 PBAs covering any number of topics. While... Read the full article >

James Popham (2007) identified a key premise in using test results to inform instructional practice. “The premise underlying the use of these accountability tests is that students’ test scores will indicate the quality of instruction those students have received.” However, in most cases, there is little evidence that test scores should... Read the full article >

I’m talking about both state accountability testing and local testing—i.e., district, school, and classroom. The reason I’m addressing both is because I’ve seen the significant impact the former can have on the latter. In their own testing, local educators often mimic the kinds of tests that produce results for which... Read the full article >

A brief history of equity in education Equity in educational opportunity has been a major focus of federal legislation and programs for over a half a century. It started with the passing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 and continued in all its subsequent reauthorizations, including No... Read the full article >