How do we know whether an 8th-grade student is proficient in science? (Ditto for reading, math, or any other content area.) Who decides, and on what basis are such determinations made? Obviously, some form of assessment is required in order to meaningfully answer such questions. But how are assessments developed? How do we know…

Beginning in September, 2023, a handful of the nation’s private schools will be invited to participate in the 2024 administration of the National Assessment of Education Progress, also known by its acronym, NAEP, and its more popular designation, The Nation’s Report Card. If your school is among those selected to form a nationally…

Earlier this month the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), popularly known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” released results of reading and mathematics assessments administered to a nationally representative sample of 9-year-old students in Winter, 2022. The numbers were daunting. Reading scores registered their largest drop since 1990, while scores in math showed…

With declining NAEP scores in both math and English following closely on the heels of disappointing Common Core assessment results, can full frontal finger-pointing be long in the offing? Speaking of the statistically significant scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education…

There’s a story told of a physician who tells a patient: “Your test results are in, and I have both good news and bad news to share with you.  Which would you like to hear first?”  The patient asks to hear the good news first, and the doctor says: “I’m afraid the tests indicate…