Consequential Uses of Assessment: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

There is a long history in education of using standardized assessments to support consequential decisions for individuals and schools. At the student level, for example, assessment results are used as a criterion for grade promotion, diploma eligibility, or college admission. For schools, assessment results are a prominent determinant of their ratings in state accountability systems.

At the 2024 Reidy Interactive Learning Series (RILS), we ask: What do we know about the effectiveness of such practices? How can we promote decision-making that is more likely to produce the outcomes we value and minimize unintended consequences? These questions have never been more important, given the pressing need to address inequities in educational opportunities and to promote readiness for post-secondary success in a rapidly changing environment.   

Honoring the long-standing history of RILS at the Center, we have designed the conference to be highly interactive, with plenty of time for participants to share insights, and experiences, and discuss illustrative use cases with colleagues in addition to hearing from national experts through presentations, panels, and debates. 

Professional community is important to us; we welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and open our doors to anyone who wants to engage in vibrant exchanges about this topic. 

Mark your calendars for this conference, and join us on our journey through the consequential assessment landscape. If you have any questions about the conference, please don’t hesitate to contact the Center.  

We can’t wait to see you in beautiful Portsmouth, N.H., on September 26-27, 2024!

See our agenda below for more details.

September 26, 2024

Time	Session	Description
8:30	Breakfast	Breakfast provided
9:00	Welcome, Context & Essentials	Scott Marion provides introductory remarks about the background and purpose of RILS.
9:10	Considering Consequences in Assessment: Mapping the Landscape	André A. Rupp and Chris Domaleski provide a framing presentation to introduce key frameworks and empirical findings about consequential uses of assessment.
10:00	Assessment Brain Bash: Wrestling With Consequences (Part 1: Friendly Debate)	Center staff engage in a friendly debate focused on critical arguments for and against using standardized assessment for consequential decisions that affect individuals directly or indirectly. Debate participants: Carla Evans Brian Gong Scott Marion Caroline Wylie
11:00	Break
11:15	Assessment Brain Bash: Wrestling With Consequences (Part 2: Discussion and Reflections)	Andrew Ho provides a critical discussion of key points from the debate. Participants then share reflections elicited by the debate and discuss with other participants at their roundtables. Discussant: Andrew Ho, Harvard GSE
12:15	Lunch	Lunch provided
1:15	Assessment Adventures: Exploring Consequences Through Illustrative Vignettes (Part 1: Vignette Overviews)	Center staff preview several vignettes that illustrate consequential uses of assessment or key areas of innovation that affect consequences. Vignette topics: State assessment systems 21st-century competencies Generative artificial intelligence School grading and credit earning Diploma eligibility assessment
1:45	Assessment Adventures: Exploring Consequences Through Illustrative Vignettes (Part 2: Choose Your Own Adventure)	Participants choose a vignette to explore further and participate in a structured roundtable discussion with the presenters.
2:45	Break
3:00	Engagement Expedition: Reaching Constituents to Understand and Address Consequences (Part 1: Panelist Presentations)	Panelists present use cases that illustrate how they have effectively involved constituents in different aspects of system design and implementation work to better understand and address consequences. Panelists: Kyu-Ryung Hwang, New Hampshire DOE Gretchen Morgan, CIE Pohai Schultz, University of Hawaii-Manoa Lu Young, UK Next Gen
3:50	Engagement Expedition: Reaching Constituents to Understand and Address Consequences (Part 2: Moderated Panel)	Participants discuss the core issues from their uses cases with an eye towards providing strategic guidance and practical recommendations for participants. Participants can submit questions or reflects for the panel.
4:30	Wrap-Up/Adjourn Day 1
5:30 – 7	Evening reception in hotel	Light snacks and drinks provided

September 27, 2024

Time	Session	Description
8:30	Breakfast	Breakfast provided
9:00	Welcome Day 2	Center staff welcome participants to day 2 and engage in fun warm-up activities connected to the themes of day 1.
9:15	Navigating the Policy Territory: Shaping Assessment Consequences	Panelists discuss how federal, state and local policy levers can be used to properly configure assessment systems with an eye towards properly managing consequences. Panelists: Lillian Pace, KnowledgeWorks Stephen Pruitt, SREB Peter Zamora, CCSSO
10:15	Break
10:30	Trailblazing Transformations: Putting Ideas into Concrete Actions (Part 1: Panelist Presentations)	Participants provide brief presentations of complementary frameworks for evaluating whether strategic actions for addressing consequences are working. Panelists: Susan Lyons, Lyons Assessment Consulting Ye Tong, NBME Juan D’Brot, Center for Assessment
11:00	Trailblazing Transformations: Putting Ideas into Concrete Actions (Part 2: Moderated Panel)	Chris Domaleski moderates a discussion with the panelists to dig deeper into the work with an eye towards practical, generative guidance.
11:30	Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Conference Reflections (Part 1: Participant Reflections)	André A. Rupp leads participants through reflection activities that allow them to pull together their learnings in creative ways.
12:10	Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Conference Reflections (Part 2: Organizer Reflections)	Chris Domaleski and André A. Rupp provide conference reflections, signaling common themes, critical tension points, and productive ways forward.
12:30	Conference Ends	Lunch provided