What do Spotify, Fitbit and Venmo share in common? They were created via a human-centered design¹. Soon to join that list: student assessments; that is, student assessments crafted via an equitable human-centered design. In our previous blog, “Designing for Equity:...
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Imagine you are about to end your senior year, but instead of sharpening your number two pencil and pulling out a scantron for a bubble test, you are putting the final touches on your portfolio of work showcasing your project,...
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As state K-12 education agencies simultaneously scramble to complete their required state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and wonder what the Trump Administration will mean for enforcement of the new law, an important opportunity might be slipping...
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I taught sixth grade in Austin Independent School District before working in education policy. It’s hard to be a sixth grader as it is, but some kids have even more trouble fitting in and making connections with others. I remember...
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Similar to many other states, California’s efforts to boost college completion rates, while commendable, require new innovations to strengthen results. We developed this brief alongside the College Futures Foundation to elevate proven practices and strategies that are resulting in more...
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In this publication, we highlight social-emotional learning (SEL) successes in three leading school districts—Anchorage School District (AK), Bridgeport Public Schools (CT) and Sacramento City Unified School District (CA). The publication is divided into two main parts. In the first part,...
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Back when we started teaching almost 15 years ago, “assessments,” in our minds, were things like spelling tests and exit tickets. We mostly created them ourselves and learned through trial and error how to write questions that would help us...
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A lot has changed since 2010, when states began adopting Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments. Each year has seen some states attempt to change or repeal entirely the new standards and assessments, making for a constantly shifting landscape....
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“Formative assessment is the way we ensure that the kids are learning. I can stand up there and spout stuff all day long. If I don’t do anything to figure out who’s getting it and who isn’t before it’s too...
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Sailors for centuries have used the North Star to gauge their relative location to their ultimate destination. Its remarkable light and reliability as a celestial marker, even as the earth spins, means that no matter where ships sail, they can...
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