The pandemic has thrust assessment into the spotlight. Everyone is talking about testing and grading. In the history of education, this is an opportune time to make things better.
School Administrator magazine has focused its May issue on “Grading Beyond the Pandemic,” and I appreciated the opportunity to contribute an article arguing for portfolio-defense: “Reliable Data from a Rite of Passage.” A number of ELP partners are featured in the piece, including Los Angeles Unified, Pasadena Unified, Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, and Kamaile Academy in Hawaii (ELP’s very first client).
In that same issue, you can also read an article by ELP’s longtime partner Susan Dugle, the chief academic officer of Shelby County Public Schools in Kentucky. Shelby has been leading the way in this work for years, and the district’s performance assessment system has proven itself effective and resilient through the pandemic
Turns out that assessment systems built for learning, not for sorting, are not only more just; they also hold up in a crisis. So keep building your system. You are preparing for uncertainty while also doing right by your students.
Your fellow learner,
