Assessment Report Roundup

Research Report: Testing

By Catherine Gewertz — February 16, 2016 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments do a better job gauging the depth and complexity of important academic skills and knowledge than do the ACT Aspire or Massachusetts’ MCAS exam, according to a study released last week.

The study, performed by teams of assessment and content experts for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, evaluates two aspects of the tests at the 5th and 8th grade levels: how well they emphasize the content that’s most important at each grade for students on the path to college readiness, and how well they require students to demonstrate a wide range of thinking skills, especially the higher-order skills, which have historically been shortchanged in states’ tests.

A report by the Human Resources Research Organization, or HumRRO, also released last week, examines the same tests at the high school level.

The two research teams fashioned their studies to reflect the priorities in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ “Criteria for Procuring and Evaluating High-Quality Assessments,” released in October 2013. The Fordham study was funded by seven foundations that support the Common Core State Standards, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which also supports Education Week‘s coverage of standards and curriculum.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 17, 2016 edition of Education Week as Testing

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
Student Success Strategies: Flexibility, Recovery & More
Join us for Student Success Strategies to explore flexibility, credit recovery & more. Learn how districts keep students on track.
Content provided by Pearson
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Shaping the Future of AI in Education: A Panel for K-12 Leaders
Join K-12 leaders to explore AI’s impact on education today, future opportunities, and how to responsibly implement it in your school.
Content provided by Otus
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum Learning Interventions That Work
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices in academic interventions and how to know whether they are making a difference.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment From Our Research Center Do State Tests Accurately Measure What Students Need to Know?
Some educators argue that state tests don't do much more than evaluate students' ability to perform under pressure.
2 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a bubble sheet test with  a pencil.
E+
Assessment Why the Pioneers of High School Exit Exams Are Rolling Them Back
Massachusetts is doing away with a decades-old graduation requirement. What will take its place?
7 min read
Close up of student holding a pencil and filling in answer sheet on a bubble test.
iStock/Getty
Assessment Massachusetts Voters Poised to Ditch High School Exit Exam
The support for nixing the testing requirement could foreshadow public opinion on state standardized testing in general.
3 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a bubble sheet test with  a pencil.
E+
Assessment This School Didn't Like Traditional Grades. So It Created Its Own System
Principals at this middle school said the transition to the new system took patience and time.
6 min read
Close-up of a teacher's hands grading papers in the classroom.
E+/Getty