By Theodore Willson Executive Director, National Institute for Student-Centered EducationAt long last, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is taking a much needed step back to examine whether the state’s appetite for standardized testing is proving detrimental to teachers and students.Matthew Malone, the state’s education commissioner, thinks it’s time to review how testing is being handled in school districts around the state. He was quoted as saying in a recent Boston Globe article, … [Read more...]
Standards, Not Standardization
The following post was contributed by Diana Laufenberg, and originally posted on Living the Dream, in December 2013. Diana is one of the Keynote speakers at INSPIRE 2014: Engaging Today's Students. I said this phrase, standards not standardization, in a conversation with the ever thoughtful, Jose Vilson… and he has brought it up with me a few times … which makes me think that I need to write through my thoughts on this and will then be leading a conversation on this same topic … [Read more...]
Beyond the SAT: Leveraging Noncognitive Measures of Success
This article originally appeared in OnlineSchools.org. __________________________________________________________ By the time students reach the end of high school, they will be well acquainted with cognitive skill assessments. Math, critical reading, and fact recall are prioritized in our traditional school systems, subjects that rely heavily on cumulative knowledge and memorization. Standardized scoring systems like the SAT, ACT, and GPA ratings might not provide a full picture of students’ … [Read more...]