CROSS CUTTING ISSUES

Assessment

Assessment refers to a system for testing and evaluating students, groups of students, schools, or districts (EdSource Online Glossary). This is a critical element in systems involving accountability and standards.

• Assessment Overview: EdSource Online material on assessment, with a focus on California; see yellow links at top for Laws and Policies, Research and Readings, Related Resources and Assessment News
• Assessment Overview with links to e.g. new ESEA requirements (Education Commission of the States)
• Assessment Overview (Education Week On the Web)
• A Primer on STAR Test Scores: California's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results are used in making many decisions (EdSource Online)
• State testing programs and planning (Overview; California Department of Education.)
• A Policymaker's Guide To Standards-Led Assessment (EdSource overview; link to Education Commission of the States paper)
• Rethinking and Redesigning Assessment: Basic assumptions underlying assessment and how data is used to enhance learning may need rethinking (Education Commission of the States Clearinghouse)
• Staying on Course in Education Reform: With "standardized testing," will tests be the only criterion? How will standards be set for disparate achievement levels, and how will testing for level or improvement be done? How will tests be used to facilitate teaching? (28 page PDF file; Educational Testing Service)
• Assessment and Evaluation ERIC clearinghouse

Related Issues:

• Accountability
• Alignment
• Data
• ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
• Standards

See also the Working Group reports, such as:

• Student Learning Working Group
  • Recommendation 7: An integrated, coherent assessment system to monitor programs as well as student learning
  • Appendix G: Candidate Indicators for an Adequate Accountability System

If your organization has material that would be useful for the online dialogue but is not included in the preceding list, please e-mail a URL to <camp-info@network-democracy.org>.