authentic assessment

The following principles are drawn from the report of the Expert Panel on Assessment of the Forum on Educational Accountability and represent a launching point from which conference discussions on what is necessary to construct high-quality assessment and accountability systems may begin.

1. Ensure all students have equitable and adequate access to the resources needed to succeed.

2. Construct comprehensive and coherent systems of state and local assessments of student learning that:

Materials from FairTest-National Education Association State Assessment Reform Conference

Transforming State Assessment Systems: Conference Materials

In May 2009, FairTest and the National Education Association held a conference on transforming state assessment systems. Materials from this conference include:

- Potential Principles for Building High-Quality State Assessment Systems (a starting point for conference discussions)

FairTest's Monty Neill presented invited testimony on
graduation tests and alternatives to the Maryland Board of Education. The letter also appears attached at the bottom as a formatted PDF:

October 21, 2008

James DeGraffenreidt, Chair
Members of the State Board of Education
200 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Copies sent by regular mail and e-mail

Dear Chairman DeGraffenreidt and Members of the Maryland Board of Education,

Article discusses CARE Authentic Accountability
plan

The excerpts below discuss the Massachusetts Coalition for
Authentic Reform in Education (CARE) Call for an Authentic Statewide
Assessment System.

Attributes of a School to Assess in a Review
by Ron Berger

Physical Facilities:

Size
Location, Accessibility
Scope: Adequacy for All Purposes
Physical Condition and Repair
Cleanliness; Care of the Building
Attractiveness
Display of Student Work and Achievement in the Building
Level of Student Respect for the Physical Facilities

Climate:

Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Excecutive Director
National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest)

Paper presented to the AERA Annual Meeting,
New York City, April 9, 1996  (Minor revisions, April 17,
1996)

By D. Monty Neill

In a "get tough" environment in which we are seeing
an increase in the use of graduation and even grade-promotion
tests, more testing seems to be on the agenda. Yet the problems
with traditional testing have not gone away, Mr. Neill warns.
He suggests a better approach.

by Monty Neill, Ed.D.,
Executive Director, FairTest

Promoting Sound Assessment - a paper prepared by
FairTest for the American Association of School Administrators,
published on our website with permission.

What Superintendents Can Do to Promote
Sound Assessment in Light of NCLB

By Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Co-Executive Director
FairTest

The following language changes to Title I, Part A, section
1111 of NCLB would encourage more productive assessments:

1. Paragraph (b)(3) ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS-
Summary of key changes: limit mandated state assessments to three
grade levels in reading/language arts and mathematics; clarify
that assessments shall be standards-based, use multiple measures
including performance assessments, and ensure assessment of higher-order
thinking and learning.