The Future of Assessments: 4 Valuable Lessons for Educators

The global education market, particularly in higher education, is experiencing a rising need for formative assessment technologies and services. In a research report by Technavio, there are three emerging trends in assessment through social media platforms, cloud-based assessment platforms, and analytical apps. For K-12 and higher ed, this means the world of testing and assessments is expanding at a fast pace. There’s been a huge movement of students, teachers, and parents against standardized testing in recent years, so ESSA was a welcome change in that aspect. ESSA forced state education decision-makers to look beyond traditional metrics such as test scores…
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First Look at How States Will Get ESSA Off the Ground

The Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) is finally ready to be implemented in schools across the country, after the past couple of years spent reaching out to educators and creating detailed plans on how to handle effective hiring of teachers, school ratings, education quality, and accountability. 17 states and the District of Columbia are expected to submit their ESSA state plans to the Department of Education between January and April – many of them have already started filing their plans. However, there’s one hitch: On his first day in office, President Trump decided to push back on ESSA. What Could…
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4 Big Problems Created By the Standardized Testing Craze

The Obama administration confirmed what many have been saying for years: U.S. public school students are taking too many standardized tests. This came after a two-year movement to revolt against standardized tests around the country, which is still growing among students, parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and others. Starting in February 2015, more than a dozen states reported stories of test refusals. There were a number of bills being introduced in 11 states that afforded parents the right to opt their children out of standardized tests. Is there still an argument to be made in favor of standardized testing? They’ve been…
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ESSA in 2017: A Challenging Road Ahead for States and School Districts

2016 was a busy year, as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) first got off the ground. Contrary to its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) from the Bush era, ESSA was an unprecedented step forward in reforming public education, handing over control over education standards to the states. The new law focuses on the need for major school improvements, but without the “test-and-punish” model of prior years – where schools with low test scores received less federal funding and consequently got stuck in this cycle of not having enough resources, but still having a lot of work…
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Teacher’s Toolkit: 10 Survival Tips for Testing Season

For many, April marks the beginning of pollen-related allergies, longer days, and less layers. For educators, it means standardized testing season is upon us. With administration piling high, and pressure steadily mounting, preparations for state tests are in full swing across the country. To help educators keep a cool head and focus on what really matters during this hectic rush to the finish line, we’ve gathered a few of our top tips: #1. See the Bigger Picture Despite the many shortcomings of standardized tests, the focus of testing season should be on the value of assessment, above all. By continuously…
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Lessons in Success: Why Self-Assessment Matters

Every success story is different. Richard Branson was a dyslexic child who struggled in school whose net worth is now at 4.8 billion dollars. Steve Jobs was a free spirit and college drop-out who went on to revolutionize the computer industry. Oprah Winfrey went from the very depths of poverty and abuse to a multi award-winning talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. What do these stories have in common? Many would say perseverance, ambition, confidence… But without regular self-assessment and reflection, our stories, extraordinary or not, never reach their full potential. While important in every aspect of life and…
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How to Move the Conversation from Grades to Learning

“We need to shift the focus from grades to learning.” This is a big statement to make, full of complex notions and far-reaching ideals. We live in a world where test scores determine the end goal for most schools and universities, making it close to impossible for us to imagine an alternative, but despite our rigid system, the conversation is moving. There’s talk of skills, mastery, innovation, technology, collaboration, connectivity, personalization… So how do we stop talking and start doing? There are simple ways for educators and parents to teach students the real value of learning, away from the pressures…
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No Child Left Behind: From Standardization to Personalization

Facilitating a move away from grades and towards better learning is no easy feat. Educators are attempting to make the ambitious move through the use of technology, forming innovative movements that focus on accelerating student learning, and exposing the flaws of standardized testing. Rooted in the efforts of such teachers are the technology providers focused on personalizing the learning experience for every student. Adaptive systems like Fishtree are combining efforts with connected educators, focusing on a similar goal that foresees a shift from standardization to personalization. 1. From Regurgitation to Mastery High-stakes testing generally promotes memorization and regurgitation as an…
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The Problem with Grades and Subjectivity in Education

Can you remember the last grade you received? How much of an influence did it have on your life today? What does a grade tell us about ourselves? Experts on the subject claim little to nothing. Yet with an age-old system rooted in state exams and test scores, this is a hard pill to swallow. Mark Barnes and his movement Teachers Throwing Out Grades are attempting to rid our system of the grade altogether as others begin to question its value, or more importantly, its credibility. As we continue to ask how we can measure student learning accurately, the objectivity…
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5 Important Reasons to Give Better Student Feedback

Good feedback is a fundamental aspect of effective learning. Without it, students are left to wander their learning paths aimlessly with no direction, eventually stumbling off task in search of a more stimulating experience. Good feedback should be regular, clear, precise, and positive, urging students to advance towards the specified learning goals with continuous effort, encouraging both personal and academic growth. Despite its necessity, the feedback process is often a very demanding, time-consuming task for educators struggling to meet state, school, and student demands. Learning platforms like Fishtree have since made efforts to alleviate the stress of offering consistent feedback,…
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