Education Policy

Education Policy

Educators and policymakers need supportive policies to improve schools. We partner with states and districts to develop those policies and advocate their adoption at the district, state and federal levels. In papers, blog posts and presentations nationally, we highlight good policy practices.


Recent Education Policy Projects

Maryland

We partnered with Maryland as it undertook a comprehensive re-envisioning of both its assessment and accountability systems. The Center helped develop and coordinate a broad-based task force to help define policy priorities, which we documented in a comprehensive report that outlined clear recommendations to improve assessment and accountability.

National Assessment Governing Board

Scott Marion is one of three measurement professionals on the 26-member board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” In this role, he helps support the technical quality of the assessment and advocates for strong policies to support it.

Policy briefs, blogs and webinars

We work to build support for federal and state policies to support high-quality assessment and accountability systems that ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to learn meaningful content and skills. Two short papers, “The Case for State Testing” and “The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems,” are recent examples of this work.


Recent Education Policy Blog Posts and Papers

North Carolina’s ABCs Accountability System

PowerPoint presentation of a North Carolina Assistance Team’s efforts to improve elementary school tests of reading and math in grades […]
July 24, 2001

Generalizability Studies for Pennsylvania Writing Assessment

This is a report on the generalizability of writing prompts for high school students in Pennsylvania. Note that some additional […]
May 31, 2001

Analyses of the Adjudication of Writing Essays for the Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment

As is true for most states, Pennsylvania has a process for adjudicating papers when scorers do not agree. This paper […]
May 15, 2001

Some Considerations of Multiple Measures in Assessment and School Accountability

Presentation at the Seminar on Using Multiple Measures and Indicators to Judge Schools’ Adequate Yearly Progress under Title I, Sponsored […]
March 22, 2001

The Reliability of California’s API

Reports an empirical analysis of the reliability (decision consistency) of California’s school accountability system API (Academic Performance Index). Reports standard […]
February 15, 2001

2000 Reidy Interactive Lecture Series

Technical Issues Affecting State Accountability Systems October Agenda Session I Reliability: To What Extent Would Accountability Labels and Judgements About […]
October 6, 2000

A Success Story from Kentucky

Presentation at the Council of Chief State School Officers’ large-scale assessment conference; discusses assessments that illuminate instructional decisions by examining […]
June 5, 2000

Performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System vs. Other Tests

Validity study that compares the relationships between performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and other tests scores with […]
February 28, 1999

Critical Design Issues for Assessment Programs: A Primer for Policymakers

This presentation at the 1998 Policy and Practices Forum sponsored by Education Commission of the States discusses stakes, student-level reporting, […]
October 11, 1998