Best Practices for State Assessment Systems, Part I Summary of a Workshop (2010) / Chapter Skim
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6 Research Needs
6 Research Needs
Pages 59-64
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From page 59... ...
This perspective was the basis for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994, which required states to establish standards and assessments. The other approach, which Shepard called the coherent capacity building theory, posited that an additional step, beyond establishing clear expectations and the motivation to meet them, was needed.
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From page 60... ...
Shepard believes that policy makers do not completely understand that effective teaching relies on a model for how learning proceeds, in which cognitive skills and the knowledge of when and how to use them develop together with content knowledge and understanding of how to generalize from it. She cautioned that, without this theory of learning, policy makers are likely to accept current modes of assessment.
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From page 61... ...
In the end, after all, the purpose of the improvements is to "change the character of what we teach and then make those opportuni ties available to all students and make sure that the assessment can track any changes over time." Shepard's closed by reminding everyone that "to truly transform learning opportunities in classrooms in ways that research indicates are possible, it will be necessary to remove policy structures -- especially low-level tests that misdi rect effort; provide coherent curricula consistent with ambitious reforms; and take seriously the need for capacity-building at every level of the education system." RESEARCH PRIORITIES Shepard and other discussants were asked to reflect on their highest pri orities for research that would support progress in developing and implementing innovative assessments. Many of the ideas overlapped, and they fell into a few categories: measurement, content, teaching and learning, and experimentation.
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From page 62... ...
Without a much broader base of research on these questions, the progress in developing innovative assessments will be hampered. Policy makers are currently working
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From page 63... ...
The idea that educators and policy makers should experiment on students may have negative connotations, but many participants also spoke about the critical importance of taking innovation step by step and learning from each step. In no other field, one participant pointed out, would policy makers overlook the importance of research and development to something as important as redesigning the assessment system.
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From page 64... ...
Whether the innovations are new instructional units based on core standards, in which assessment is embedded; revised curricula that better map the learning trajectories in new standards; new formats and designs for summative assessments; or some other innovation, it should be possible to gradually construct a coherent system that meets the needs for both accountability and instructional guidance.
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