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

Stop Trying to Use Commercial Interim Tests for Instructional Purposes

The concept of “strategic abandonment” sheds light on the appropriate uses of commercial interim assessments. Instructional utility isn’t one of them.
June 5, 2024

Moving Education From Accountability to Shared Responsibility

Shifting from an accountability mindset to reciprocal responsibility could transform the way schools, districts and states work toward improvement.
May 29, 2024

Strengthening Ties Between Accountability and School Improvement

Do school accountability systems support effective school improvement practices? If not, where is the system breaking down and how can we fix it?
May 1, 2024

Reimagining Balanced Assessment Systems

An important new book from the National Academy of Education can support state and district leaders in building balanced assessment systems.
April 10, 2024

Pandemic Impact and Recovery in Hawaii: A Descriptive Case Study

This study explores the effects of COVID-19 on academic growth and achievement in Hawaii schools, and strategies that school leaders […]
March 7, 2024

Peer Review: Can Emerging Programs Meet the Requirements?

Through-year and other novel test designs face challenges in peer review. Three changes by the U.S. Department of Education could improve the process.
March 6, 2024

A Call for Extending Open Access in K-12 Education

We must share our knowledge broadly, free of charge, without restriction, to support an important public good: improving outcomes for all students.
January 24, 2024

Do We Really Need to Test All Students Every Year?

We can reduce testing in schools without sacrificing meaningful annual reports on students’ learning.
November 1, 2023

Can We Reduce Testing in K-12 Schools?

State testing has long been criticized for many reasons. We undertook a study to examine what tradeoffs might be necessary to reduce the footprint of state testing. Here's a preview of our early findings.
October 18, 2023

Federal Innovative Assessment Pilot: Now Open to All States

In a bid to jump-start the program, USED expands the IADA. Nearly $22 million is potentially available to support work on new state assessments.
October 4, 2023
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