Using Assessment Results to Help K–12 Learners Academically Grow and Stretch

• In Event: Using Test Scores to Cultivate Equitable Education Systems

Abstract

As we consider the purpose of assessments in the context of K-12 education, assessments’ use in the support of the teaching and learning process should remain front and center. If not for the improvement of the teaching and learning process for students (e.g., directly through formative assessments results used by classroom teachers or indirectly through the use of summative assessment results for accountability purposes), then for what purpose do we need assessments? At the heart of this, is a key question related to the utility of assessment results and the relevance of those results for the diverse populations of students who are administered those assessments (Moss et al., 2008; Oliveri et al., 2020).

Commonly reported scores for K-12 assessments include a combination of normative- and criterion-referenced scores such as scale scores, placement levels, norm scores, Lexile Measures, Quantile Measures. However, assessment scores are not enough to support the utility and relevance of assessments. If the teaching and learning process is at the forefront, then the scores must be explicitly connected to the teaching and learning process for them to be useful to teachers and students in classrooms. In addition to the assessment scores, information that provides insight into what students know and can do, as well as next steps for instruction are needed to support differentiated instruction. Making the connection to specific tools that teachers can use to support instruction (e.g., recommended lesson plans that are based on students’ assessment scores, what they know and areas in need of additional support) can provide teachers with the resources needed to differentiate instruction, meet students where they are, as well work with them to achieve grade-level expectations and beyond (Curriculum Associates, 2020a, 2020b). If we are to meet our diverse learners where they are, a culturally responsive approach (Ladson-Billings, 1995) is needed, not just for curriculum and instruction, but also how we approach the development of assessments and the reporting of useful and relevant results. Admittedly, the field of educational assessment is lagging behind the advances that the teaching and learning process have made in terms of being more culturally responsive and relevant (Aronson & Laughter, 2016).

Various researchers (e.g., Oliveri et al., 2020; Randall, 2021) have indicated that the commonly used assessment frameworks were not designed with diverse populations in mind and have proposed more modern frameworks to address the deficiencies in current frameworks.

This presentation will discuss the need for assessment results that are directly connected to the teaching and learning process, as well as discuss the ongoing work to develop assessments that support culturally responsive teaching and learning.

Author

• Rochelle S. Michel, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium