Standards & Testing
Standards & Testing
There are few questions more crucial to the field of education than what students should learn and how that learning should be measured. This Topics section examines several currently hot topics – including common standards, international comparisons, and cheating – in the often-contentious realm of standards and testing.
While standards and tests have been part of American public education since before the 20th century, the modern push for standards-based reform is often traced to the 1983 publication of “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform.” Warning of a “rising tide of mediocrity,” the report prompted a surge of political interest in school reform that resulted in several unsuccessful attempts to develop national standards and tests. But while those efforts fell short, states took the initiative to develop standards on their own; between 1990 and 2002, most states developed specific standards for their core academic subjects, as well as tests that purported to measure how well students were learning them.
Yet many experts say the marriage of standards and assessments was not complete until after the federal No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002. NCLB tied federal funding to a requirement that states administer standards-based tests to students in grades 3-8 and once in high school – far more testing than most states had previously conducted. The federal law also imposed an array of new consequences for schools that failed to show “adequate yearly progress” on state exams. But the law also left it up the states to determine where to set the bar on standards and tests. The result, many analysts argue, has been enormous disparities across states in what students are expected to achieve.
Despite those disparities, the nation has long had a common yardstick for measuring student achievement: the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card.” NAEP exams are taken periodically by representative samples of students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades in various subjects. Though prominent and influential within the education policymaking world, NAEP exams do not provide student-level achievement scores, are not tied to accountability requirements, and are not linked to a specific set of standards being implemented in the schools.
Read the results from the most recent NAEP results in fourth and eighth math and reading, which were released in November of 2013. Something to note: The results can be interpreted in many ways. For some, nearly 40 percent of the tested population scoring at the level of proficient in math is a positive sign, given that in 1990 that was true for less than a fifth of students. To others, it means less than half of fourth graders are proficient in math,
Push for Common Standards
With the Common Core State Standards, a new attempt is underway to wed standards and assessments. As of June 2012, 46 states plus the District of Columbia had agreed to adopt the Common Core State Standards, which aim to spell out what students should know and be able to do throughout their K-12 education careers. Not all the participating states adopted both the Mathematics and English Language Arts portions of the Common Core; Minnesota elected to use their own Mathematics standards.
Development of the Common Core State Standards was spearheaded by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the nonprofit group Achieve, using private grant funding. Under the initiative, groups have organized to develop standards in mathematics and English Language Arts, as well as standards for literacy in the sciences and social studies. Meanwhile, two interstate consortia are creating related assessments, which are slated to be fully implemented in 2014-15 with mathematics and English Language Arts components for grades three through high school. Those consortia are the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), managed by Achieve, and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), managed by WestEd. The process of building the assessments was funded through $360 million from the U.S. Department of Education with funds from the federal economic-stimulus act of 2009.
Among the factors seen as lending momentum to the common standards movement is the lackluster performance by U.S. students on international assessments, rising concerns about preparing students to compete in a global workforce, and the wide variations in expectations and performance among states. The Common Core initiative aims to erect instructional signposts that guide students toward an end goal of graduating from high school ready for college and careers. Among the concerns some critics of the standards have raised is the question of whether the standards-writers have strayed from content into pedagogy. Some critics have taken aim at the “publisher’s criteria,” which guide the development of curricular and instructional materials based on the standards, saying that the criteria include specific instructions on how teachers should lead lessons.
And in contrast to NCLB testing, Common Core involves states’ agreeing to set a single minimum “cut score” that students must attain on the tests to be designated proficient. The idea is to enable participating states to measure their student achievement against a shared yardstick. While each consortium will have its own cut score, supporters of the new assessments say that two cut scores among the participating states and the District of Columbia represent an improvement over the status quo of separate cut scores in each state.
The common assessments also are being designed to be administered
electronically, a feature that advocates say will speed delivery
of results. The two consortia also plan to offer several
“formative assessments” over the course of a school year before
the more high-stakes “summative” tests. Assessment planners
maintain the additional periodic testing will allow teachers to
better target student weaknesses ahead of end-of-year exams.
Education experts already have started to debate whether the
Common Core Standards are more rigorous than standards currently
in place. A 2011 survey
of more than 300 school districts in the participating states by
the Center on Education Policy found that roughly 60 percent of
respondents believed the Common Core Standards are more rigorous
than the ones they have been using. Yet some experts have
questioned that conclusion. Likewise, some scholars have raised
questions about whether the standards are likely to have much
impact on raising student achievement. Even strong supporters of
the initiative acknowledge that how states and districts
implement the common standards and assessments will make all the
difference in how they affect students and schools.
International tests
Part of the impetus for designing the Common Core State Standards was to catch up with other countries that place highly on international exams, including the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 2009, students from dozens of countries, including 34 from the OECD, were tested in math, reading, and science. The U.S. ranked 25th, 12th, and 17th in those subjects respectively, among participating nations. The results, published in December 2010, were greeted with renewed calls for education reform and closing the international achievement gap. The 2012 results, which came out in December 2013, showed little change among U.S. students while a bevy of poorer countries saw considerable gains, and some like Poland and Vietnam surpassed the U.S. Fifteen-year olds in the U.S. were below average in mathematics, while in English and Science their scores were on par with the OECD average. More than a quarter of U.S. students finished in the lowest tier of math, while less than a tenth demonstrated skills that placed them in the top tier of the subject. Leading PISA countries had far more of their students place in the top tier than in the bottom rung.
Some analysts have noted differences in how U.S. students from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds perform on international comparisons. For example, on the 2009 PISA tests, the gap in performance between rich and poor students in the United States was among the highest of all participating nations, while the countries with the top scores overall had smaller performance gaps between their students of different income levels. On average, various U.S. racial and ethnic subgroups perform differently on the exams, as well. For instance, according to the Education Trust, U.S. students classified as white or Asian-American scored similarly to students from such high-scoring countries as Japan and Finland. However, students from historically underserved African-American and Latino subgroups performed at levels comparable to students in lower-scoring nations, such as Turkey and Bulgaria. Despite the gap, the OECD notes that for the 2012 results, the U.S.’s share of poor students approaches the OECD average. OECD also writes America’s large percentage of immigrant students can explain only 4 percent of the country’s scores. Canada, a similarly high-immigrant country, performs better than the U.S. across all subjects.
The OECD chalks up some of America’s middling performance to the low share of poor students who can be characterized as ‘resilient’ — meaning their scores are comparable to wealthier students despite their modest socio-economic backgrounds. In leading PISA countries, far more low-income students display such resilience.
Another international exam worth looking at is Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), in which roughly 60 countries participate. Fourth and eighth graders are evaluated according to a rubric developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), of which the U.S. Department of Education is a member. The tests have been administered every four years since 1995. Results for 2011 were released in December of 2012. Here’s EWA’s summary of the findings. Previous results were posted in 2008 from the 2007 tests. In the most recent scores, U.S. fourth graders were bested by five other countries or sub–country groups like Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia, but scored higher than 40 other education systems (a term used by the group behind the tests to account for participants that technically are not countries). In general, U.S. fourth graders’ scores were more competitive relative to their peers when compared to how well U.S. eighth graders placed against their peers. The test publishers also tally results for select U.S. states, showing that Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina and Indiana fourth and eighth graders scored nearly as high as international leaders in math.
A cross-country study released in late 2013 shows American eighth graders in most states test above average in math and science when compared to students abroad. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Vermont lead all U.S. states in science performance, besting 42 of the 47 countries that were evaluated in the study. Students in 36 states were above average in math, while those in 47 states reached that threshold in science. The report compared NAEP results to international TIMSS scores.
Cheating
PISA and TIMSS, like NAEP, are not high-stakes exams, and teachers and schools are not held directly accountable for students’ results on those tests. But when test scores carry immediate consequences – such as whether schools meet targets for “adequate yearly progress” under NCLB, or whether students earn admission to selective universities – cheating has emerged as a serious issue.
One prominent NCLB-era cheating scandal was the revelation in 2011 that 44 schools and 178 principals and teachers in Atlanta routinely erased incorrect student answers on standardized test sheets and replaced them with the correct ones. A state report on the scandal described efforts to exert pressure on those educators to improve scores.
One technique for uncovering suspicious test-score patterns is “erasure analysis,” which considers how many test answers are changed from wrong to right and how many students make the same corrections. The method involves calculating the likelihood of those wrong-to-right changes happening by chance, with very small probabilities signaling possible cheating. In 2011, USA Today used erasure analysis for a national series that raised questions about apparent test-score anomalies in six states and the District of Columbia.
Among college-bound students, cheating of a different kind has been chronicled –students taking the SATs or ACTs for peers who pay for the service. In 2011, The New York Times revealed one such cheating operation on Long Island. Those reports led the College Board to alter its SAT registration process, adding the requirement that students upload a photograph of themselves so that proctors can ensure that the student sitting for the test is the one who registered.
Even though more universities are telling students that SAT and ACT scores are not mandatory, many postsecondary institutions rely on those standardized tests as a hedge against high school transcripts with inflated grades. For example, one 2009 study found that high school grade point averages rose among Virginia applicants without any corresponding uptick in SAT scores. — Mikhail Zinshteyn, December 2013
How to Cover the Varied World of Tutoring
Will tutoring help students weather the pandemic?
School districts across the United States are investing millions of dollars to build and invigorate tutoring programs with the hope that the extra attention will help students rebound academically after disruptions caused by the pandemic.
75th EWA National Seminar
Orlando • July 24-26, 2022
Celebrating 75 Years!
As those in education and journalism work to recover from an extended pandemic, bringing together the community has never been more critical. The Education Writers Association’s 75th annual National Seminar will provide a long-awaited opportunity to gather in person for three days of training, networking, and inspiration.
How Will Educators Use Data on COVID-19 Learning Disruption?
Experts say recent findings can inform instructional strategies.
New data continues to show impeded academic learning during the coronavirus pandemic. A critical question is: What, exactly, should be done to address the problem? Efforts are growing to better connect education data with instructional strategies during the education recovery.
A Reporter’s Guide to Rethinking Grades Post-Pandemic
Experts explain how COVID-19 disrupted grading practices in schools and what's ahead
As with so many aspects of schooling, the pandemic exposed flaws in traditional grading policies and practices. As the number of Ds and Fs rose, educators altered, froze or suspended grades in an effort to hold students harmless for lack of Internet access and other circumstances beyond their control.
What Reporters Need to Know About State Testing in 2021
With the Biden administration largely holding fast on the resumption of state assessments this year, critical questions remain on the scope of testing, as well as what can and should be done with the results.
Experts discussed what testing will look like, strengths and limitations of the exams, and other key issues during a May 3 session at the Education Writers Association’s 2021 National Seminar.
The participants were:
74th EWA National Seminar
Virtual, May 2-5, 2021
The Education Writers Association’s 74th National Seminar will focus on the theme of “Now What? Reporting on Education Amid Uncertainty.” Four afternoons of conversations, training and presentations will give attendees deeper understanding of these crises, as well as tools, skills and context to help them better serve their communities — and advance their careers.
To be held May 2-5, 2021, the seminar will feature education newsmakers, including leaders, policy makers, researchers, practitioners and journalists. And it will offer practical data and other skills training.
The Education Secretaries Miguel Cardona Would Follow
President-elect Joe Biden’s pick is Connecticut’s education commissioner
Connecticut education chief Miguel Cardona has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his education secretary, a cabinet position that requires Senate confirmation.
Get Embargoed Access to Learning Loss Report
How much are students really learning during the pandemic?
Get insight from one of the first national efforts to answer that question in this Education Writers Association’s webinar. Journalist attendees get embargoed access to the reading and math test results from the nearly 4.4 million U.S. students in grades 3-8 who took NWEA’s MAP® Growth™ assessments earlier this fall.
Word on the Beat: NAEP
What reporters need to know about the 'nation's report card'
New achievement data for the nation’s 12th graders shows a slide in reading proficiency and no change in math skills,according to results released Oct 28. Overall, 37% of students scored at or above the proficient level for reading. In math, just a quarter met or exceeded the proficiency benchmark. (The assessment was administered in 2019, well before the pandemic upended U.S. education. Many educators and analysts are predicting significant learning loss as a result.)
COVID-19 Disruptions Raise Questions on Future of Testing, Accountability
One of former boxer Mike Tyson’s most famous maxims is that everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.
In the 2020-21 academic year, standardized testing — and just about every other aspect of school — is “getting punched in the face by COVID,” said Scott Marion, the executive director of the Center for Assessment, invoking the heavyweight champion at a panel on testing and accountability during the Education Writers Association’s 2020 National Seminar.
Jeb Bush Says ‘Classic Conservatives’ Want More Educational Funding, Local Control and Parent Choice
Former Florida governor supports taxpayer vouchers, including for private schools with rules against hiring LGBTQ staff
Cable TV shouting heads can make it seem as if party politics — more than research — guides stances on how education leaders should respond to COVID-19. But in a conversation with education journalists, one prominent Republican outlined potential divisions among those who identify as conservatives.
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate, called for additional federal funding to help schools during the public health crisis and to address historical inequities affecting low-income students.
73rd EWA National Seminar
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat.
This multi-day conference is designed to give participants the skills, understanding, and inspiration to improve their coverage of education at all levels. It also will deliver a lengthy list of story ideas. We will offer numerous sessions on important education issues, as well as on journalism skills.
Testing COVID-19’s Academic Impact on Students
Early assessments seen as key to gauging learning gaps, social-emotional needs
When schools reopen, expect to see a lot of testing.
Sure, COVID-19 testing may be prevalent for students and their teachers. But in addition, a first step for many schools will be diagnostic tests to gauge learning gaps after months away. Some experts also are calling for assessments of students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs as they start the new academic year.
EWA Tip Sheet: Using Data to Improve Your Stories About Adolescents
Stories about adolescents present the opportunity for a variety of compelling characters, from parents and teachers to the teens themselves who feel passionately about the issues. But data can also be a powerful tool in crafting such narratives, as it provides vital context for the audience.
Will Coronavirus Be a Tipping Point That Ends Annual Testing in Schools?
Every state received a waiver of federal testing rules for 2019-20. What about next year and beyond?
The cancellation of statewide testing for millions of students this spring was no surprise, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s raising a larger question — whether the era of annual assessments in reading and mathematics, as required under federal law, will soon end.
Word on the Beat: Remote Learning
As communities nationwide grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, educators are struggling to provide young people with meaningful opportunities to continue learning even with most public schools now closed. In this installment of Word on the Beat, we look at how digital tools are being put into quick action for K-12 education — and how that’s creating both opportunities and challenges for teachers, students, and families.
Stories You’re Missing From ‘The Nation’s Report Card’
“The Nation’s Report Card,” a.k.a. the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is a vast gold mine of data that can generate compelling education stories and enrich overall news coverage with deeper context and examples.
Great Expectations: The Impact of Rigorous Grading Practices on Student Achievement
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
We know from previous survey research that teachers who hold high expectations for all of their students significantly increase the odds that those young people will go on to complete high school and college. One indicator of teachers’ expectations is their approach to grading—specifically, whether they subject students to more or less rigorous grading practices. Unfortunately, “grade inflation” is pervasive in U.S. high schools, as evidenced by rising GPAs even as SAT scores and other measures of academic performance have held stable or fallen.
Beyond NAEP and PISA: Many U.S. Adults Lack Practical Skills, New Tests Show
Students also struggle with digital, information literacy
The results from high-profile assessments issued this fall — both national (NAEP) and international (PISA) — show troubling academic outcomes for U.S. students. Drawing far less attention, however, are important findings from other exams, including a lack of practical literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills among many Americans ages 16 to 65.
No Easy Answers on PISA: U.S. Scores Flat in Reading, Math and Science
Experts urge caution in interpreting results as advocates call for major overhaul of public education
With the results of a global exam showing flat scores for American 15-year-olds in reading, math and science, education journalists were busy this week parsing the data, providing context, and explaining why comparisons among countries’ results can be a tricky business.
The U.S. saw its international rankings climb in all three subjects tested because scores slipped in some other countries on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam, the results of which were published Tuesday.
Teachers Have Plenty to Say About School Discipline and Climate. Who’s Listening?
New polls gauge public support, awareness of education issues
For education journalists, talking with teachers isn’t optional. It’s an essential element of the job, and a key component of many stories we report.
But the voices we find for stories often rely on the luck of the draw — the teachers who show up at school board meetings to protest a policy change, the ones we encounter pulling lunch duty on the day we’re touring the cafeteria, the most prodigious tweeters — and those who seek out journalists to share important information.
The Strange Tale of the Fake AP Test
Principal, school under investigation for having unknowing students take ‘placebo exam’ instead of accredited test
(EWA Radio: Episode 211)
In South Florida, a high school principal is under fire for tricking hundreds of students into thinking they were taking a legitimate Advanced Placement exam that might lead to college course credit. As first reported by Cassidy Alexander of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the principal determined that giving all eligible students the AP test would have been too expensive. Instead, the school paid for 78 students to take the real test.
Is New York City’s Elite High School Exam Unfair?
Officials, equity advocates, and families battle over entrance test for specialized high schools
(EWA Radio: Episode 198)
New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio wants to scrap the entrance exam that determines whether students gain admission to eight specialized public high schools in the city. The move, intended to make the schools more diverse, has some equity advocates cheering. But a large number of students and families – including a coalition of Asian-Americans parents who have mounted a lawsuit — are pushing back about the proposed changes for the elite schools, saying it will squeeze out the most talented kids. Christina Veiga of Chalkbeat New York discusses the equity challenges facing the nation’s largest district, why Asian-American families are mounting a lawsuit to block DeBlasio’s plans, and how early childhood education and gifted and talented programs fit into schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s plans to improve diversity and inclusion throughout the city’s vast network of public schools. Also, Veiga offers advice for journalists on covering diverse campus communities, and story ideas to consider when reporting on issues related to race and inequities in educational opportunities.
The Battle Over New York City’s Specialized High Schools
A court challenge to entrance exam in nation’s largest school district puts educational equity in spotlight
(EWA Radio: Episode 198)
New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio wants to scrap the entrance exam that determines whether students gain admission to eight specialized public high schools in the city. The move, intended to make the schools more diverse, has some equity advocates cheering. But a large number of students and families – including a coalition of Asian-Americans parents who have mounted a lawsuit — are pushing back about the proposed changes for the elite schools, saying it will squeeze out the most talented kids. Christina Veiga of Chalkbeat New York discusses the equity challenges facing the nation’s largest district, why Asian-American families are mounting a lawsuit to block DeBlasio’s plans, and how early childhood education and gifted and talented programs fit into schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s plans to improve diversity and inclusion throughout the city’s vast network of public schools. Also, Veiga offers advice for journalists on covering diverse campus communities, and story ideas to consider when reporting on issues related to race and inequities in educational opportunities.
In New England, Efforts to Rethink Educational Practices Grow
But pushback on 'competency-based' approach serves as cautionary note
Across New England, policymakers and school leaders are experimenting with new models of learning, including those that are student-centered, personalized, and competency-based. One of the goals is to close stubborn achievement gaps between rich and poor students and white students and students of color.
But these educational shifts have not been universally embraced by the states’ students, parents and teachers. Maine, for example, one of the first states to pass a law requiring competency-based education, recently reversed course.
What’s in a Grade?
New data cast doubt on the connection between report card grades and academic achievement
Grades and student report cards provide parents with a picture of how their children are performing in school. New data, however, raises questions about just how accurate that picture is.
A pair of recent reports shed light on the connection, or lack thereof, between a student’s report card grades and their actual academic achievement.
72nd EWA National Seminar
Baltimore • May 6-8, 2019
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat. This year’s event in Baltimore, hosted by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education, will explore an array of timely topics of interest to journalists from across the country, with a thematic focus on student success, safety, and well-being.
Strength in Numbers: Schools Team Up to Focus on Student Improvement
Solving complex problems requires buy-in by campus leaders, experts say
For decades, most efforts to improve opportunities for high-needs students have resembled snowflakes; they come down from above, are completely different from each other, complicate routines, and rarely stick.
However, experts gathered at EWA’s annual conference in Los Angeles this year said at least one kind of reform has a good chance of making long-lasting gains: “school improvement networks.”
Writing the Rules for Tackling Chronic Absenteeism
FutureEd
Future Ed
Nearly three quarters of states now include chronic absenteeism in their rubrics for assessing schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This reflects the metric’s value for identifying students headed off track academically and targeting resources to students and schools who need the most support. But the increased scrutiny brings increased pressure to ensure data are accurate and used effectively.
Are Schools Ready for A.I. and the Future of Work?
At Rocky Hill School, a private day school in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, it’s not unusual for education technology entrepreneurs to pop into the classroom or Skype in for a chat.
As it turns out, a captive audience of eight- and nine-year-olds can be useful in designing new products. Third-graders at the school had a hand in developing an award-winning plush duck that gives comfort to children undergoing chemotherapy, head of school James Tracy said.
What to Do When Your State Test Melts Down
It’s hard to avoid writing about tests and test scores as an education reporter. Too often, though, the story gets done in a rush — with scores about to be released or already out in the world.
Marianne Perie, the director of the Center for Assessment and Accountability at the University of Kansas, urged reporters to take a step back at the Education Writers Association conference in May.
How High Do States Set the Academic Bar for Students?
When measuring what students know and can do on statewide tests, how high (or low) are the expectations for determining academic “proficiency”? A forthcoming report from the National Center for Education Statistics offers insights on this question, including state-by-state analysis.
What Really Happened at Ballou High School
Investigative Reporting: Broadcast
About the Entry
The District of Columbia school system lauded Ballou High School as a shining example of success, but a joint investigation by WAMU and NPR found many students were allowed to graduate despite chronic truancy and failing grades.
Rachel Cohen’s Beat Reporting at The American Prospect
Beat Reporting: General News Outlets, Print and Online (Small Staff)
About the Entry
Rachel Cohen covers national education issues, including student discipline, teacher workforce, and school choice by researching and reporting on revealing developments in cities such as Hartford, and Washington, DC.
Bill Zeeble of KERA News in Dallas
Beat Reporting: Broadcast
About the Entry
Reporting for the NPR affiliate in Dallas, Bill Zeeble looks at school accountability, a growing number of high-need college students, and a push to boost K-12 family engagement.
Covering Teens: Lessons from the “Raising Kings” Journalists
Getting heartfelt, personally revealing comments from teenage boys is difficult enough for parents. So reporters Kavitha Cardoza and Cory Turner had to take a few creative risks to get good audio for their National Public Radio series on an all-boys public high school in Washington D.C. last year.
How Does Your State Fare on the Education Week Report Card?
Nation overall gets 'C' grade; State leadership a factor in slow improvement, experts say (EWA Radio: Episode 155)
Education Week’s annual “Quality Counts” report offers a wealth of state-level data on students and schools, from academic indicators to equity in funding formulas. But how can reporters make the most of these numbers — and the state rankings — to tell compelling stories about their own local schools? Assistant director Sterling Lloyd and reporter Daarel Burnette join EWA Radio to discuss the national and state-by-state results. Which states made gains, which slipped behind, and why?
Pedal to the Metal: Speeding Up Stalled Records Requests
You file a freedom of information request with your local school district concerning financial data or a personnel investigation, but months later, there’s still no answer. What are the next steps, especially if your newsroom’s budget can’t stretch to cover the costs of suing for access? A veteran journalist and an expert on records requests offer strategies for success in making inquiries at the federal, state and local levels.
Learning or Teaching? Experimental High Schools Put Students First
The secret to student success may well be hidden in the buzzwords frequently used today to describe efforts to transform high school.
Personalized learning. Student-centered learning. Competency-based learning, and so on.
“There’s a common denominator in all these labels, and that common denominator is learning,” said Caroline Hendrie, the executive director of Education Writers Association at a recent seminar for journalists in San Diego.
71st EWA National Seminar
Los Angeles • May 16-18, 2018
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat. This multiday conference provides participants with top-notch training delivered through dozens of interactive sessions on covering education from early childhood through graduate school. Featuring prominent speakers, engaging campus visits, and plentiful networking opportunities, this must-attend conference provides participants with deeper understanding of the latest developments in education, a lengthy list of story ideas, and a toolbox of sharpened journalistic skills.
What is XQ and Why Is It Spending $100 Million to Reinvent High School?
Russlynn Ali discusses the foundation-backed 'Super School' project with journalists
At a gathering of education writers last week, the Emerson Collective’s Russlynn Ali walked not one but several fine lines, promising an “open source” ethos when sharing lessons gleaned from the group’s XQ Super School Project, but declining to commit the private philanthropy to transparency in its political spending and investments in education technology companies.
What Do the 2017 Election Results Mean for Education?
While news stories about President Trump’s trickle-down influence on voters claimed the national spotlight during this election cycle, education issues still managed to eke out a respectable showing on Tuesday.
Student ‘Expeditions’ Help Drive, Inspire Learning at D.C. Charter School
The second-graders at a charter school in the nation’s capital recently discovered a problem: a lack of “green spaces” in certain parts of the city.
The students at Two Rivers Public Charter School conducted research. But they didn’t stop there. They also wrote letters to the city council to share their concerns about inequitable access to green spaces across Washington, D.C.
The letters described the situation, explained why having such spaces in urban environments is important, and offered solutions, including the idea of helping to plant gardens near campus.
Slight Gains for Hispanics on ACT, but Achievement Gap Persists
More Hispanic students are taking the ACT college-entrance exam, and in some states their scores inched up, new data show. But the achievement gap persists for the class of 2017, with many Hispanic students failing to meet benchmarks for university-level work.
New Poll: Public Values Career Classes, Support Services at Schools
When it comes to judging a school’s quality, what matters most? A new poll suggests the American public puts a premium on offerings outside of traditional academics, including career-focused education, developing students’ interpersonal skills, and providing after-school programs and mental health care.
At the same time, even as local schools were generally viewed favorably in the national survey, parents said they would consider taking advantage of vouchers for private or religious schools if the price was right.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Covering Education Research
When it comes to education research, the biggest mistake journalists make is avoiding it.
In her talk at EWA’s recent annual conference in Washington, D.C., Holly Yettick admitted that’s what she did when she was a reporter: Dismiss research as too difficult to cover or something for national publications.
Today, as the director of the Education Week Research Center, Yettick doesn’t want reporters to make the same error, and miss out on studies that can help them break news, add context to their stories, and hold public officials accountable.
Parent Activists Flex Their Muscles in Education Policy Debates
From room mom to PTA president, parents have long played an important and active part in their children’s schools. But increasingly, parents are taking on a new, potentially powerful, role — activist.
In many states, parent groups have become a political force to be reckoned with — swarming city halls and state capitols and flooding the phone lines of elected officials to voice their opinions on issues such as the Common Core State Standards, standardized testing, and school choice.
What Keeps Public School Parents Awake at Night?
When it comes to their children’s education, what are parents’ biggest concerns? Paying for college is No. 1. After that, they worry about their children’s happiness and safety at school.
But academics? Not so much. Parents do care, but as long as their children are perceived to be happy and succeeding — especially if that’s what teachers are telling them – they figure everything is fine in that area.
Goodbye, High School Transcripts?
EWA Radio: Episode 122
Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed discusses a proposal by a coalition of elite private schools to abolish the traditional letter-grade high school transcript. Instead, the coalition touts a new approach that it argues would give colleges a more in-depth look at what applicants know and are able to do.
Advocates Fear Impact of Trump Budget on Arts Education
President Donald Trump’s plans to eliminate some big-tickets items in the federal education budget — such as aid for after-school and teacher quality programs – have sparked sharp criticism. At the same time, supporters of the arts are rallying against the president’s proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts — which provides some grants for arts education.
What Does Charter School Innovation Look Like?
At Summit Public Schools campuses, you won’t see PowerPoint lectures on “Antigone” in English class or witness lofty explanations of the Pythagorean theorem in geometry. Instead, you’ll hear a discussion about the morals and ethics in the ancient Greek tragedy tied to students’ own teenage identity formation and observe discussions on how real-life problem-solving skills can be applied to math.
“The View From Room 205”: Can Schools Conquer Poverty?
EWA Radio: Episode 109
Peabody Award-winning radio journalist Linda Lutton of WBEZ in Chicago discusses her new documentary following a class of fourth graders in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Is a “no excuses” school model a realistic approach for kids whose families are struggling to provide basics like shelter and food? How does Chicago Public Schools’ emphasis on high-stakes testing play out at William Penn Elementary? How can education reporters make the most of their access to classrooms, teachers, students, and families? And what lessons from “Room 205” could apply to the ongoing debate over how to best lift students out of poverty?
NYC Schools Expand Access to AP Courses As Latino Performance and Participation Rates Rise
The New York City Department of Education is investing $1.6 million to expand access to Advanced Placement courses for the city’s black and Latino students, the New York Daily News reported last week.
Examining the Utility of Achievement Levels for the ‘Nation’s Report Card’
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds that while the NAEP achievement levels for reading and math can be a useful reporting tool, they are susceptible to misinterpretation and misuse. The committee that conducted the study and wrote the report said that users of NAEP data need more guidance on the interpretations and use of achievement levels.
Examining the Utility of Achievement Levels for the ‘Nation’s Report Card’
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds that while the NAEP achievement levels for reading and math can be a useful reporting tool, they are susceptible to misinterpretation and misuse. The committee that conducted the study and wrote the report said that users of NAEP data need more guidance on the interpretations and use of achievement levels.
‘Quality Counts’ – Rating the Nation’s Public Schools
EWA Radio: Episode 105
Education Week’s Mark Bomster (assistant managing editor) and Sterling Lloyd (senior research associate) discuss the 2017 “Quality Counts” report, which examines and rates state-level efforts to improve public education. This year’s edition features a special focus on implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind as the backbone of the nation’s federal K-12 policy. How ready are states, districts, and schools for the policy shifts — and new flexibility — on school accountability, testing, and teacher evaluations under ESSA, among other issues? What are some story ideas for local reporters covering the implementation? Also, which states scored the highest on Education Week’s ratings when it comes to student achievement, equitable education spending, and the “Chance for Success” index? How can education writers use this data to inform their own reporting?
2017: Big Education Stories to Watch
EWA Radio: Episode 104
Kate Zernike, The New York Times’ national education reporter, discusses what’s ahead on the beat in 2017. How will President-elect Donald Trump translate his slim set of campaign promises on education into a larger and more detailed agenda? What do we know about the direction Trump’s nominee for U.S. secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, will seek to take federal policy if she’s confirmed? Zernike also offers story ideas and suggestions for local and regional education reporters to consider in the new year.
Students Can’t Recognize Fake News. That’s a Problem.
EWA Radio: Episode 103
Benjamin Herold of Education Week discusses why media literacy is in the spotlight in the wake of the presidential election, and the troubling findings of a new Stanford University study that showed the vast majority of students from middle school through college can’t identify “fake news.” Why are so many digital natives flunking when it comes to evaluating the reliability of material they encounter online? How are policymakers, researchers, and educators proposing that schools address this deficit in critical-thinking skills?
On PISA, U.S. Students Struggle to Shine
U.S. students are stagnating in reading and science proficiency while their math scores declined slightly, based on new results from an international assessment, cueing the usual spate of alarmed headlines, as well as no shortage of opportunities to misapply the data.
U.S. Students Competitive Internationally in Math and Science
The U.S. isn’t No. 1 but it’s in the top 10: According to a respected international measure of American student performance in math and science, the nation’s 4th and 8th graders, on average, scored higher than students in dozens of countries.
‘Unprepared’ in Memphis: The Realities of College Readiness
EWA Radio: Episode 99
In a new series, Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Jennifer Pignolet tells the story of Shelby County students working hard to make it to college — and to succeed once they arrive. And their challenges aren’t just financial: for some, like Darrius Isom of South Memphis, having reliable transportation to get to class on time is a game changer. And what are some of the in-school and extracurricular programs that students say are making a difference? Pignolet also looks at the the Tennessee Promise program, which provides free community college classes to qualified students, and assigns a mentor to help guide them.
THANKSGIVING BONUS: EWA journalist members share some of the things they’re grateful for this year.
ACT Will Soon Offer English-Language Learners More Time and Other Support
Students who are learning English will have access to more supports when taking the ACT exam next year, the nonprofit organization that administers the test announced this week.
More Students Are Graduating, But That’s Not the Whole Story
As federal education officials tout a fourth consecutive year of improvement in the nation’s high school graduation rate, the reactions that follow are likely to fall into one of three categories: policymakers claiming credit for the gains; critics arguing that achievement gaps are still far too wide to merit celebrating; and policy wonks warning against misuses of the data.
Back-to-School: You Need Stories, We’ve Got Ideas
The boys (and girls) are back in town. For class, that is.
See how forced that lede was? Back-to-school reporting can take on a similar tinge of predictability, with journalists wondering how an occasion as locked in as the changing of the seasons can be written about with the freshness of spring.
Recently some of the beat’s heavy hitters dished with EWA’s Emily Richmond about ways newsrooms can take advantage of the first week of school to tell important stories and cover overlooked issues.
Latinos, Standardized Tests and the Opt-Out Movement
While the number of parents who opt out of having their kids take their states’ standardized tests has grown nationally, much of this movement appears to be made up of white, wealthier families. Latinos and other minorities seem to be less inclined to avoid standardized testing.
That should not be the case, said Ruth Rodriguez, an administrator with United Opt Out National.
How Will U.S. Fare in Next Round of International Testing?
At a time when the volume of student achievement data can seem overwhelming, brace yourself: A wave of international test results for dozens of countries, including the U.S., is coming soon.
The Learning Landscape
Bellwether Education Partners
This report examines the status of education in the United States by aggregating high quality research and data from numerous credible sources. Each chapter describes the context and the current state of play in each focus area – including student achievement, standards and testing; school finance, and charter schools, among others. It highlights key policy issues and trends affecting public education now and in the future.
Back-to-School: You Need Stories, We’ve Got Ideas
For education reporters, coming up with fresh ideas for back-to-school stories is an annual ritual. And if you’re balancing the K-12 and higher education beats, it can be an even bigger challenge.
The ABCs of ESSA: Smart Questions, Better Stories
Chicago • October 6–7, 2016
What will be the impact of the new Every Student Succeeds Act on states and schools, both in policy and practice? EWA will examine an array of issues with the federal law, including testing and accountability, Title I funding, teachers, stakeholder engagement, and curriculum.
The U.S. Elections & Education: Part 1
Washington, D.C. • August 30, 2016
Now that the White House race has narrowed to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, how is education playing out as an issue in the campaign? Will it prove an important fault line between the Democratic and Republican candidates? Will Trump offer any details to contrast with Clinton’s extensive set of proposals from early childhood to higher education? What are the potential implications for schools and colleges depending on who wins the White House? Also, what other races this fall should be on the radar of journalists, whether elections for Congress, state legislatures, or governor?
Teachers’ Union Applauds Clinton Address, Except on Charters
Hillary Clinton vowed to be a partner with educators if she wins the White House, during a speech today to the nation’s largest teachers’ union. Clinton drew enthusiastic applause from National Education Association members for most of the address, including her calls to make preschool universally available, boost teacher pay, and ease the burden of paying for higher education.
But the presumptive Democratic nominee got a far more muted response, and even some jeers, when she made a positive plug – albeit very briefly — for charter schools.
Building Better Student Assessments
Some student assessments don’t look much like standardized tests at all, even when they’re being used for school accountability.
Bi-Partisan Agreement for Better, Fairer, and Fewer Tests
Collaborative for Student Success
Support for assessments that measure how students are progressing is a bi-partisan no-brainer.
Is the AP Program Helping Disadvantaged Students?
Participation in the Advanced Placement program has more than doubled over the past decade, with nearly 2.5 million students taking one or more AP exams in 2015. But with that growth has come questions about the push to ramp up the AP presence, especially initiatives that target low-income and minority students.
How well do AP courses prepare students for the rigors of college? And are students who may lack adequate preparation benefiting from the coursework?
Testing and Test Prep: How Much Is Too Much?
It’s not hard to find a teacher willing to bend your ear about the volume of standardized testing in schools today, and the pressure for “test prep.” But how widespread are such concerns among educators? And what’s the on-the-ground reality they experience?
New survey data suggest these impressions about over-testing and test prep are more than just anecdotal: They are the norm for the majority of public school teachers.
Why Do Massachusetts Public Schools Lead the Nation?
When it comes to the story of Massachusetts’ public schools, the takeaway, according to the state’s former education secretary, Paul Reville, is that “doing well isn’t good enough.”
Opt Out 2.0: Snapshot of Spring Testing Season
With state testing season wrapping up, the decision by some families to skip the K-12 exams in protest this spring has once again sparked widespread discussion – and news coverage around the country.
The Trouble With ‘Girls Outscore Boys’ Headlines
In an effort to measure students’ understanding of basic engineering and technology principles, a new national assessment aims to move beyond multiple-choice questions and instead focus on troubleshooting in real-world scenarios. For example, students are tasked with designing a healthier habitat for a pet iguana, or building safer bike lanes in a city.
Taking Stock of Student Testing
As states and districts debate which standardized tests are best for students, they are evaluating many factors, including curriculum alignment, the amount of time the assessments take, and how soon the results come in.
During an Education Writers Association conference in Boston this month, analysts and education leaders explored how students, teachers, and school systems are adjusting to changes in testing, and probed the challenges in making sense of this complex topic.
Listen to Us: Teacher Views and Voices
In the winter of 2015, the Center on Education Policy surveyed a nationally representative sample of public school teachers to learn their views on the teaching profession, state standards and assessments, testing, and teacher evaluations.
The report, Listen to Us: Teacher Views and Voices, summarizes these survey findings, including responses indicating that public school teachers are concerned and frustrated with shifting policies, over emphasis on student testing, and their lack of voice in decision-making.
#OptOutSoWhite? More Latino, Black Families Joining Movement
It’s spring, which means it’s also testing season for schools across the country and time for the annual arguments for and against opting kids out of the end-of-year assessments.
Reading Skills Differ by State, Country of Origin, Report Shows
In the past decade, the reading scores of Hispanic and Latino students have improved by half a grade level, yet less than a quarter have tested proficient. And according to a new report by the Child Trends Hispanic Institute, those statistics vary significantly by students’ countries of origin and the states they live in.
Testing Pushback: Where Does It Stand? Where Is It Headed?
Teaching and Testing in the Common Core Era
Statewide standardized testing is facing strong criticism and public backlash; witness the opt-out movement that led many families in New York and elsewhere to skip Common Core exams last year. Will the opt-out campaign gain more adherents this spring? How are states responding to concerns about tests and their use? Will newfound federal flexibility spark further change?
Common Science Standards Quietly Gain Momentum
Although the Common Core State Standards have garnered significant attention nationwide, a set of common standards for science is gaining traction but far less public notice so far.
New Ways to Find Out Who Is Ready for College
Do tests or high school grades better determine whether a student is ready for college-level math and reading? For public universities and community colleges, increasingly the answer is both – or no tests at all, reporters learned during a seminar hosted by the Education Writers Association in Los Angeles last month.
SAT Makes Bid to Better Serve Poor Kids
The SAT has been called out of touch, instructionally irrelevant, and a contributor to the diversity gaps on college campuses because the test arguably benefits wealthier students who can afford heaps of test preparation.
But now the SAT is fighting back. The College Board, the test’s owner, is hoping that a major makeover of the assessment that’s set to debut this weekend will persuade critics that students, teachers and colleges still need an exam that has been a centerpiece of the admissions landscape for 90 years.
A Global Lens on Teacher Quality
High-achieving countries share some common practices when it comes to the recruitment, training and development of public-school teachers, according to experts at a recent Education Writers Association event.
A few years ago in Singapore, teachers in a high school English department posed a question: Would having students conduct live debates on an issue before they wrote persuasive essays about it result in more highly developed final papers?
National Benchmarks for State Achievement Standards
American Institutes for Research
State achievement standards represent how much the state expects their students to learn in order to reach various levels of academic proficiency. In the past, these achievement standards were used by each state to report adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind federal legislation, and are now being used for federal reporting under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
National Benchmarks for State Achievement Standards
American Institutes for Research
State achievement standards represent how much the state expects their students to learn in order to reach various levels of academic proficiency. In the past, these achievement standards were used by each state to report adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind federal legislation, and are now being used for federal reporting under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Putting Global Student Tests, U.S. Rankings in Context
Near the end of 2016, results will come out for two major international assessments — kicking off a new round of analysis and debate over the standing of U.S. students on the global stage.
“We are really covering the whole range when it comes to these international studies,” said Dana Kelly, an official with the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the administration of both exams to U.S. students.
Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments examines previously unreleased items from three multi-state tests (ACT Aspire, PARCC, and Smarter Balanced) and one best-in-class state assessment, Massachusetts’ state exam (MCAS), to answer policymakers’ most pressing questions: Do these tests reflect strong content? Are they rigorous? What are their strengths and areas for improvement? No one has ever gotten under the hood of these tests and published an objective third-party review of their content, quality, and rigor. Until now.
Making Sense of Global Comparisons in Education
Nearly 50 years ago, the U.S. first got a snapshot of how its students compare with their peers in other countries based on a standardized test. The news was sobering.
“Look towards the bottom of this list, and see the U.S. coming in 11th out of 12 [industrialized] countries” in math, said Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institution, pointing to a chart he presented last month at an Education Writers Association seminar in Washington, D.C. “Only Sweden scored below the U.S.”
Standardized Testing
The Council of the Great City Schools hosted a forum on the results of a new report on the effectiveness of standardized testing. Michael Casserly made opening remarks on the report, and then panelists that included Education Secretary Arne Duncan analyzed the data in the report.
Exam Gives Glimpse of How Schools Stack Up Globally
The many complaints about the large quantity of standardized assessments American students take may make giving another test a hard sell. But some U.S. high schools have recently added a voluntary exam that puts their student achievement in reading, math and science into an international context.
As ESSA Era Begins, Assessing NCLB’s Legacy
America brought home a middling report card with 74.4 out of 100 points – a “C” grade — in Education Week’s 20th annual “Quality Counts” report this week, which ranks the nation and individual states on a variety of student factors, from test scores to graduation rates to “chance of success” later in life. (That’s about the same grade earned last year, as well.)
Quality Counts 2016: Report and Rankings
Education Week
The 2016 edition of Education Week’s Quality Counts report—Called to Account: New Directions in School Accountability—examines how new state and federal strategies are transforming the assessment of school performance and reshaping the consequences for poor results. The new Every Student Succeeds Act is widely believed to herald a shift in authority away from the federal government and back to the states and school districts. Pressure is also mounting for accountability systems to go beyond test scores and incorporate other academic and non-academic factors in meaningful ways.
Best of the Beat: Reporters’ Favorite Stories of 2015
As the Washington Post rightly pointed out, working during the holiday weeks can feel like being stranded in a dead zone. I did manage to conduct a (highly unscientific!) survey of EWA’s journalist members and ask them to name a few of their favorite stories by their peers in the past year.
Exclusive Access: Education Week’s ‘Quality Counts’ 2016
EWA journalist members received an early opportunity to review Education Week’s newest Quality Counts report, which includes a special focus on school accountability.
As part of its annual Quality Counts report, Education Week grades states on a wide range of indicators, including the Chance-for-Success Index, K-12 Achievement Index, and school finance.
A View From Abroad: Exchange Students Highlight Differences in Schooling
Chung-Te Wang had never seen a calculator in school before traveling to the U.S. this year as an exchange student.
“We always calculate with our brain. No offense,” said the 16-year-old from Taiwan, spurring laughter in a room full of reporters at the Education Writers Association’s recent seminar on covering U.S. education in a global context.
#EWAGlobal: Trying Out TIMSS & PISA
#EWAGlobal: A Global Lens on Teacher Quality
#EWAGlobal: OECD Test for Schools and What’s Ahead
#EWAGlobal: A City-Level View of Educational Equity
#EWAGlobal: International Tests, Global Comparisons
Can Kicking Down Conventions Close the Achievement Gap?
At High Tech High School in San Diego, there are no bells that signal the start of class periods. There are no seven-period days, no mock standardized assessments and no lectures.
Deeper Learning, Smarter Testing
Since 2003, more information is produced every two days than the total sum of information produced between that year and the dawn of time, the CEO of Google said in 2010. Easily web-accessible facts, names and articles have grown exponentially, so much so that some say students can’t be taught like they were in the past, when rote memorization was the gold standard for learning and information wasn’t at almost everyone’s fingertips.
Brazil Explores U.S.-Style Education Policies
Tying teacher pay to student test scores. Creating public schools of choice with private operators. Setting common standards for all students. Those issues probably are familiar to any American reporter who covers education. They are also becoming more and more common in Brazil, where many policymakers are deeply inspired by the American experience.
Growing Minds, Changing Math Classes
As the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” plays out over the music video, the lyrics are a bit different:
“We will make mistakes…our method’s gonna break…not a piece of cake…we’re gonna shake it off, shake it off…”
It was in this video Stanford University Professor and author Jo Boaler says she was compelled to do something she didn’t want to do. “They made me rap,” she said. When her undergraduate students challenged whether she had a growth mindset about her rhyme skills, Boaler said to herself, “Oh my gosh. I’m gonna have to rap.”
John Merrow’s 40 Years on the Education Beat
EWA Radio: Episode 50
John Merrow began his journalism career in 1974 with National Public Radio, and retired this summer as special correspondent with PBS Newshour. Along the way he racked up a slew of awards, broke big stories, and created a documentary production company.
No Digital Revolution for Rural Schools
EWA Radio: Episode 49
Thousands of the nation’s smaller school districts struggle to get even the most basic Internet services, making it difficult to take advantage of the wealth of classroom technology that’s giving students more options for how, what, and when they learn.
Teaching & Testing in the Common Core Era
Despite persistent political debates, the Common Core State Standards are now a classroom reality in public schools across the country. Yet much is in flux as educators wrestle with how best to teach the Common Core — or their own state’s version of it — and some states rethink the tests tied to the new K-12 standards.
711 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Ranking High Schools — in Finland?
In Finland you’re not supposed to wonder — let alone ask out loud — if one school is better than another. That’s because all Finnish schools are designed to be equal.
We Finns are very proud of our equal education system. In fact, education is the one positive thing Finland is known for all around the world. Our results in global assessments of 15-year-olds have won us international attention a small nation rarely receives.
#EWAElection Tweets: Journalist Roundtable
#EWAElection Tweets: Pre-K-12 Education in the 2016 Race
Knowing the Score: The Who, What, and Why of Testing
Center on Education Policy
Recently, the amount and variety of testing occurring in public schools has received considerable national attention. To help parents, educators, policymakers, and others sort out all the differing information and opinions on testing, the Center on Education Policy at the George Washington University has developed Knowing the Score: The Who, What, and Why of Testing.
State, Local Election Results Signal Shifts for Ed. Policy
Kentucky was the first state to adopt the Common Core, but with a new Republican governor elected Tuesday who opposes the standards for English language arts and math, that pioneering legacy could be upended.
What New NAEP Scores Can – And Can’t – Tell Us
For the first time since 1990, math scores dropped for fourth and eighth graders in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the country’s most respected tool for measuring how well students understand key academic concepts. Reading scores also inched downward at the eighth-grade level, staying flat for the fourth grade compared with 2013.
Student Testing in America’s Great City Schools
Council of Great City Schools
Testing in the nation’s schools is among the most debated issues in public education today. Much of this discussion has centered on how much we are testing students and how we use test results to evaluate teachers, inform instructional practice, and hold schools and educators accountable. A recent national poll by Phi Delta Kappa underscores the fact that the public at large is concerned about the extent of testing in schools, and these concerns are influencing how people think about the nationwide move to adopt and implement the new Common Core State Standards.
Too Much Testing? White House, New Report Call for Changes
A new report offers an unprecedented look at the testing load in large urban districts across the nation, finding considerable redundancy and a lack of coordination among the exams.
Education Post Poll: Parents Want Testing to Help Students
Public school parents generally support standardized testing but think there’s too much of it, according to a new from Education Post, a nonprofit communications firm led by former Obama administration education official Peter Cunningham.
When asked how the test results should be used, 65 percent of the responding parents said helping students should be the top priority. Only 21 percent wanted test results to be a tool for identifying ineffective teachers.
California Latino, Black Student Scores Slide with New Tests
California supporters of the Common Core had hoped the new standards emphasizing college readiness would help narrow the achievement gap for black and Latino students in the state, but the latest test results show that gap might be even bigger than it was previously thought to be.
PARCC Test Results Coming Soon, But State Comparisons Limited
New details on Common Core-aligned assessments came to light yesterday, as officials with one of the state testing consortia shared information on cut scores for the roughly five million students who took the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests this spring. In addition, the officials revealed the timeline for when those results will be made public.
Latino, Black Advanced Placement Scores Highest in California
Latino and black students who took and passed Advanced Placement exams in California outscored their peers in other parts of the country.
The Common Core Test Results Are Coming—Are You Ready?
Reporter-Only Webinar on Assessment Results
Many states are rolling out the first round of test scores this fall from brand new assessments pegged to the Common Core standards. Join EWA for a Sept. 10 webinar designed to help reporters better understand what’s coming and how they can report on the data in meaningful ways.
Checking In: Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today’s Higher Standards?
Nearly every state has adopted new, more rigorous standards for college and career readiness over the past five years. But after many hours of professional development and revised observational protocols, is the rigor of the new standards reaching students? In a new report, The Education Trust responds with “not so much.”
Report: Skipping School Hurting Younger Learners
While too many students at all grade levels are regularly skipping school, many preschoolers and kindergarteners are missing nearly as much seat time as teenagers, according to a new report.
The lost learning time, particularly in the younger grades, translates into weaker math and reading skills that become long-term deficits for students even years down the road, according to the new report from Attendance Works, a national advocacy organization, and the nonprofit Healthy Schools Campaign.
69th EWA National Seminar
The Education Writers Association, the national professional organization for journalists who cover education, is thrilled to announce that its annual conference will take place from Sunday, May 1, through Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in the historic city of Boston.
Co-hosted by Boston University’s College of Communication and School of Education, EWA’s 69th National Seminar will examine a wide array of timely topics in education — from early childhood through career — while expanding and sharpening participants’ skills in reporting and storytelling.
Back-to-School: Story Ideas That Shine
While it may seem that every back-to-school story has been written, the well is far from dry. Are you following the blogs teachers in your district write? Have you amassed the data sets you’ll need to write that deep dive explaining why so many local high school graduates land in remedial classes when they first enter college?
No? It’s OK. You’re not alone.
Prominent Latino Civil Rights Groups Oppose Test Opt-Out Movement
Earlier this year, 12 civil and human rights groups signed a petition opposing the test opt-out movement gaining traction across the United States. Two of the 12 were prominent Latino advocacy organizations: National Council of La Raza and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Is It Bon Voyage For No Child Left Behind?
Webinar on Federal Policy
Education Week reporter Lauren Camera, David DeSchryver, senior vice president of Whiteboard Advisors, and Bethany Little, principal at Education Counsel, break down the future of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for journalists.
Now that both the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed bills renewing the act, journalists can examine the potential impact of the new provisions. Learn how you can cover these in your state and district and find out questions you should be asking.
Speakers
Tougher Tests May Be New Norm in Common Core Era
In an early glimpse of how much tougher state tests could be in the Common Core era, a new federal report released in July shows that early adopters of the controversial standards are assessing their students with a far higher degree of difficulty.
Ohio Drops PARCC Tests – Now What?
Ohio is the latest state to back away from common assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards. In the face of strong political opposition to the tests (and apparently a lot of criticism from educators and parents), Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a budget bill last week that effectively prevents Ohio from using the PARCC exams in the future.
AP Participation, Performance Improving Among Illinois Latinos
Illinois Latinos’ participation and performance in Advanced Placement courses is improving, state education data show.
Madhu Krishnamurthy of the Daily Herald, a newspaper which identifies itself as “suburban Chicago’s information source,” recently wrote a story analyzing the numbers.
Common Core Testing, Up Close and Personal
Usually, the best way to learn about a test is to just take it yourself.
Or at least that was the thinking at the recent Education Writers Association National Seminar session, “Testing, Testing: Trying Out New Assessments.” Journalists were greeted by a thick packet of test questions created for the two national assessment consortia that put together exams aligned to the Common Core State Standards — the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
Who Opts Out of State Tests?
Matt Chingos
Brookings Institution
The 648 districts with complete data available had an average opt-out rate of 28 percent (the rates are averaged across the math and ELA tests). But weighting each district by its enrollment shows that an estimated 21 percent of all students at these districts opted out. The difference between these numbers implies that larger districts tend to have lower opt-out rates.
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Too Many Tests?
An opt-out movement gained momentum this spring, with tens of thousands of students sitting out of new standardized tests in states including New York, Maine and New Mexico.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, a panel of testing experts gathered at the Education Writers Association’s recent National Seminar in Chicago to discuss the very predicament.
Common Core Testing in Action: How Did It Go?
This academic year marks a critical juncture for the Common Core, as most states started testing students on the standards for the first time. The beginning has had some rough moments, with thousands of students opting out of the tests, especially in New York and New Jersey, and technology glitches in some states disrupting the assessments.
Wednesday Webinar: A Reporters’ Guide to Common Core Testing
Almost from the outset, we’ve been warned that the implementation of new assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards would be a bumpy road. But now that the first major wave of the testing is wrapping up, it’s a good time to take a step back and assess the situation.
Did districts conquer the expected challenges of the necessary technology upgrades? How many parents really did pull their kids out of testing? Where did things go better than anyone had predicted? And what’s up next on the testing beat? (Test scores, of course.)
Common Core Tests: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
The phrase “Common Core test” turns out to encompass far more than most people realize.
At the Education Writers Association’s spring seminar in Denver on covering assessments in the era of the new standards, it became clear to reporters that there is no such thing as “The Test.” Rather, there are many tests, developed by different organizations all purporting to be aligned with the new Common Core State Standards.
Students, Teachers Don’t Study The Way Science Says They Should
Most students don’t study using methods backed by scientific research, panelists at the Education Writers Association’s deep dive on the science of learning told reporters in Chicago at the association’s 68th National Seminar.
“Why do people find learning so hard?” asked Henry Roediger, a psychology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who participated in the April event.
U.S. 8th Graders’ Scores Stagnate on National Civics, History, Geography Tests
American eighth graders continue to demonstrate lackluster knowledge and skills when asked basic questions about U.S. history, geography, and civics, with between 18 and 27 percent of students scoring proficient or higher, new data show.
NAEP 2014 U.S. History, Geography, and Civics Assessments
Nationally, eighth graders’ average scores on the NAEP U.S. history, geography, and civics assessments showed no significant change in 2014, compared to 2010—the last assessment year. However, several student groups have made gains. In 2014, eighteen percent of eighth-graders performed at or above the Proficient level in U.S. history, 27 percent performed at or above the Proficient level in geography, and 23 percent performed at or above the Proficient level in civics.
Educators: Common Core Standards ‘Are the Floor’
For teacher Merlinda Maldonado’s sixth graders at Hill Middle School in Denver, it’s not necessarily about getting the answer right. It’s not about memorizing procedures, either. If Maldonado’s classroom is clicking, frustration can be a good thing.
Too Many Tests?
2015 EWA National Seminar
An ongoing “opt-out” campaign has stirred debate over whether students are over-tested., and what kind of tests are to blame. How much time – and money – do schools spend on testing? A panel of experts explored the issue during “Too Many Tests?”
Here are the highlights of the discussion moderated by Emily Hanford of American RadioWorks. The panel included Matt Chingos of the Brookings Institution, Scott Marion of the National Center on Assessment, and Bob Schaeffer of FairTest.
National Seminar: EWA in Chicago
EWA’s 68th National Seminar kicks off today in Chicago, and it’s going to be a fantastic three days of discussions, workshops, and site visits. The theme this year is Costs and Benefits: The Economics of Education. Be sure to keep tabs on all the action via the #EWA15 hashtag on Twitter.
Poll: Calif. Latino Voters Value Standardized Tests
According to the majority of Latino voters in California, mandatory standardized tests in schools are valuable to improving public education across the state.
Follow-Up Friday: Educators Convicted in Atlanta Cheating Scandal
Eleven Atlanta Public Schools employees on trial for cheating on standardized tests were convicted this week.
Cyber-Attack Derails Common Core Testing in N.J. School District
A New Jersey school district was all set this week to begin testing students using a brand-new online assessment aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
But unknown hackers who shut down the district’s entire computer network had something else in mind: holding out for a ransom payment in exchange for restoring operations.
Few Latinos Gain Entry to NYC’s Elite Public High Schools
New figures released this week show that for the second year in a row, Latino students accounted for only 7 percent of those who were accepted to New York City’s elite public high schools.
Webinar for Reporters: PISA Gender Disparities
If you’re writing about gender equity issues related to student opportunity and achievement, you won’t want to miss Wednesday’s journalists-only webinar. Attendees will receive exclusive embargoed access to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based on the most recent PISA assessment.
Denver Dispatches: Top Tweets From #EWACore
Common Core in Action
Covering Standards and Testing (Denver Seminar)
Educators talk about their on-the-ground experiences with the Common Core standards and the impact on students of applying them in the classroom.
How They Did It: Journalists Share Their Stories
Covering Standards and Testing (Denver Seminar)
Learn more about their strategies for bringing the rollout of the standards to life, from covering debates over textbooks to the special challenges for rural school districts and how to creatively cover the math Common Core.
Taking Political Stock of the Common Core
Covering Standards and Testing (Denver Seminar)
It’s no secret that the standards and forthcoming tests have drawn increasingly strong criticism over the past year. Why has the Common Core become so controversial? What do the midterm election results mean for implementation and state support? And what happens in states that have called for a review or even rescinded the standards?
Making Sense of the Evolving Assessment Landscape
Covering Standards and Testing (Denver Seminar)
This school year marks the first time that most states will test students on the Common Core. At the same time, many states have backed away from their plans to use shared assessments and are choosing their own tests. Where do the states stand? How different will their new exams be from prior tests? And what are key questions reporters should keep in mind as they cover the first round of test results?
Europe, Asia Clobber the U.S. on Test of How Much Young Workers Know
Younger American workers are more educated than ever before, but the nation’s largest generation is losing its edge against the least and most educated of other countries, according to a provocative new report.
Dallas Latino, Black Students No. 1 for Passing AP Exams
Latino and black students in the Dallas Independent School District lead the nation in the number of students who pass Advanced Placement exams. A recent story by KERA News explores the reasons for this, uncovering a unique approach that’s worth sharing.
‘Tutoring on Steroids’ Helps Chicago Minority Males
Sixteen-year-old boys with third grade reading and math skills are exactly the pupils a Chicago tutoring experiment is targeting — and helping.
In an op-ed for The New York Times Saturday, UC Berkeley Professor David Kirp sets the scene:
Assessing the New Standards: Are Schools and States Ready?
This spring, schools in most states are preparing for a critical juncture with the Common Core State Standards: Their students will take state tests pegged to the standards for the first time.
New ‘Factbook’ Gives Snapshot of Latinos in Education
In early education, elementary, high school and undergraduate college programs, Latinos represent the second largest group of students, according to a new report by Excelencia in Education.
The report, released last week, is comprised of more than 20 fact sheets profiling the state of Latinos in education across the pipeline.
State of the Union: Where’s the K-12?
EWA Radio, Episode 18, Part 2
President Obama’s address to Congress laid out ambitious plans for higher education reform. But there was scant mention of initiatives for elementary and secondary students.
The Education Words President Obama Didn’t Say
For the policy wonks and advocates hoping for more than a passing mention of K-12 education in President Obama’s State of the Union, it was a long 59 minutes.
Top Tweets: EWA Seminar Tackles Testing & Common Core
EWA was in Chapel Hill, N.C. earlier this week for our seminar on covering assessments in the era of the Common Core State Standards. We heard from policymakers, elected officials, and educators about how new expectations are reshaping the business of schooling, particularly in southern states.
For Chinese Students, One Test Is Everything
I was riveted this weekend by the New York Times Magazine’s glimpse Inside a Chinese Test-Prep Factory. Journalist Brook Larmer paints a vivid picture of what can happen when a single assessment determines a young person’s entire future.
Report: Mexican-American Studies Breed Better Academic Performance
Student participation in Mexican-American studies can be linked to better outcomes on state standardized tests and increased chances of earning a high school diploma, according to a recent report by the University of Arizona.
The university researchers’ findings, published in the December 2014 edition of the American Educational Research Journal, reveal students’ chances of completing high school increased nearly 10 percent.
From the Beat: Memorable Education Stories of 2014
When you write a blog, the end of the year seems to require looking back and looking ahead. Today I’m going to tackle the former with a sampling of some of the year’s top stories from the K-12 and higher education beats. I’ll save the latter for early next week when the final sluggish clouds of 2014 have been swept away, and a bright new sky awaits us in 2015. (Yes, I’m an optimist.)
More Than Fun: Games That Gauge Student Learning
Games might provide a better way for teachers to figure out what students know.
Some say this playful format can provide teachers with serious information if the games are intentionally designed to assess learning. This can be used to develop a more nuanced portrait of a student’s skills. And sometimes students don’t know they are being tested.
How They Did It: Journalists Share Their Stories
Covering Standards and Testing (DC Seminar)
The Hechinger Report and NPR Education are diving deeply into the Common Core. Learn more about their strategies for bringing the rollout of the standards to life, from covering debates over textbooks to the challenge of better preparing teachers and figuring out what makes a good Common Core math problem.
Making Sense of the Evolving Assessment Landscape
Covering Standards and Testing (DC Seminar)
This school year marks the first time that most states will test students on the Common Core. At the same time, many states have backed away from their plans to use shared assessments and are choosing their own tests. Where do the states stand? How different will their new exams be from prior tests? And what are key questions reporters should keep in mind as they cover the first round of test results?
Common Core in Action
Covering Standards and Testing (DC Seminar)
Educators talk about their experiences on the ground with the Common Core standards and a researcher shares insights from a study of how new math standards are changing teaching and learning in the classroom.
Surveys: What Educators and the Public Are Saying About Common Core
Covering Standards and Testing (DC Seminar)
Lots of recent surveys have sought to gauge support by educators and the public for the standards and testing. Learn what the sometimes conflicting results reveal. And find out where district-level implementation of the Common Core stands, based on extensive national polling of school district officials.
Taking Political Stock of the Common Core
Covering Standards and Testing (DC Seminar)
It’s no secret that the standards and forthcoming tests have drawn increasingly strong criticism over the past year. Why has the Common Core become so controversial? What will the midterm election results mean for implementation and state support? And what happens in states that call for a review or even rescind the standards? Will much really change?
Common Core Tests: Ready Or Not?
From California to New York, educators have by and large maintained their support for the Common Core State Standards after putting the new grade-level expectations into action. But the new tests are another story, according to a panel of experts speaking at a recent EWA seminar at Stanford University.
Showing – Not Just Telling – Stories About Testing
By now, many education reporters have written many times over about a new generation of standardized tests coming this spring. Most of the time, reporters have little space and use shorthand to explain that the exams are supposed to be more rigorous and measure critical thinking. Often, there is too much telling and not enough showing.
Covering Education Like a Science Writer
New York Times science writer Benedict Carey studied what cognitive psychologists have figured out for his book “How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where and Why it Happens.”
The Limits of Testing: Getting Beyond the Standard(ized) Story
Wealthy students have long outpaced their disadvantaged peers in American schools. That disparity bears more weight than ever as standardized tests become one of the main measures for holding schools and teachers accountable.
Impact Academy: Rethinking Student Assessment
On a recent Wednesday morning, 11th-grader Sophia Wellington took to the undersized stage at the front of her high school gym and with seamless poise demonstrated what smarter student assessment could look like.
Covering Standards and Testing in the Common Core Era
Seminar for Journalist Members Only
This academic year marks a critical juncture for the Common Core, as most states gear up to assess students on the shared standards for the first time. Are states, districts, and schools ready? What about states that are reviewing or have rescinded the standards? How can reporters make sense of it all? There’s no shortage of compelling angles to pursue in this complex and fast-evolving story—rendered all the more so by the political tussles erupting over the new standards and tests.
Talking To Teachers: Story Ideas For Reporters
For education reporters looking for story ideas, talking to teachers is a smart place to start. That was the key takeaway from the “Performance and Perceptions: Taking the Pulse of the Profession” session at EWA’s recent seminar on the teaching profession, held last month in Detroit.
To Fight Test Fatigue, Scholars Call for Fewer, Harder Exams
Here’s a counter-intuitive argument: The United States should spend more money on standardized tests.
With opposition to the new Common Core State Standards and the assessments linked to them reaching a fever pitch, advocating for better tests seems like an unpopular proposition. But what if U.S. students took fewer tests that measured their ability to understand academic concepts far more deeply than current tests permit?
Stand and Deliver: A School Where Students Defend Their Work
Education journalists took a field trip to Impact Academy of Arts and Technology this week to see project-based learning in action, including observing classrooms and watching a student defend her project on World War II and the Holocaust. Check out some Tweets from the visiting reporters, as well as more highlights from the first day at the EWA seminar at Stanford University. (Also, check out this earlier blog post about our testing seminar.)
Tweeting on Testing: EWA Seminar at Stanford
How can assessments get beyond rote memorization and capture the skills most valued to prepare young people for college and the workforce? Can tests effectively measure critical thinking and creativity? Will standardized tests tied to the Common Core provide a richer picture of student learning?
Assessing the Assessments: What Reporters Need to Know
EWA is in Northern California this week for our journalists-only seminar on assessments. We’ll be digging into the significant changes underway in how schools measure student growth and achievement. I’m also looking forward to visiting Impact Academy in Hayward, which is using student-centered learning and the portfolio model of assessment.
Is Common Core a Recipe for National Curriculum? Survey Says ‘No’
Every time a new Common Core poll is released, a lot of people rush to find out what’s the state of public opinion on the standards. Or maybe to find out if teachers like the standards more or less than last year.
One recent survey, however, didn’t even pose the “popularity” question. Instead, it focused on wonky-sounding topics: “Curriculum and professional development.” But stay with me for a moment. This stuff matters — a lot.
Math Scores Rise for Latino Students
Latino students’ math scores have dramatically improved over the past decade, according to a report released Monday that used data from the Nation’s Report Card tests to compare fourth- and eighth-grade math scores across the nation.
Seminar for Reporters: This Is Not a Test
Amid the recent pushback against perceived over-testing of students, questions are being asked about how many tests schools should require and whether new measures being implemented will live up to the promise of providing more sophisticated achievement data. At the same time, there are new demands for accountability at the local, state, and national level — all of which require some form of quantifiable achievement data.
How Much Time Do Students Spend Taking Tests?
Amid the strong and growing drumbeat of complaints about overtesting at the K-12 level, many education reporters and others may be left wondering how much time students really spend taking standardized tests. And who is demanding most of this testing, anyway? The federal government? States? Local districts?
Testing Overload in America’s Schools
Center for American Progress
In August, when the Lee County School Board in Southwest Florida voted 3-2 to opt out of the state’s mandated tests tied to the Common Core State Standards due to concerns about the overtesting of students, a packed room of opt-out supporters and parents erupted in cheers.
Testing Overload in America’s Schools
Center for American Progress
Despite the perception that federally mandated state testing is the root of the issue, districts require more tests than states. Students across all grade spans take more district tests than state assessments. Students in K-2 are tested three times as much on district exams as state exams, and high school students are tested twice as much on district exams. Click here for study.
How Many Tests Do Schools Really Need?
As the pushback against standardized testing – and the perceived over-usage of it – builds nationally, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s Andy Smarick offers a lucid distillation of the debate.
A New Era for Educational Assessment
Among education researchers, there is a growing consensus that college and career readiness depends on not just academic knowledge and skills but on a wide range of social and developmental competencies, as well—such as the ability to monitor one’s own learning, persist at challenging tasks, solve complex problems, set realistic goals, and communicate effectively in many kinds of settings. Yet, most U.S. schools continue to use standardized achievement tests, focusing exclusively on reading and math, as their primary means of gauging student progress.
Atlanta Cheating Scandal: Are School Testing Stakes Too High?
In Atlanta this week, opening arguments are underway in a racketeering trial where prosecutors will argue that public school educators engaged in a massive conspiracy to cheat on high-stakes tests.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s coverage of Monday’s opening arguments: