Testing is assessment, but assessment is not necessarily testing. School board members are responsible for knowing how the district’s schools are performing and enacting responsive policies in turn. Getting a real sense of how and why students are learning can require creative approaches. Conventional testing, while valuable, cannot possibly give the whole picture. Nor can it be done often enough to be a good indicator of how the newest policies are working.

School boards and administrators need to find other ways, suited to their districts, to listen to feedback from teachers, students, parents, and community members. Putting in place a broad-based assessment program will help the district make continuous improvement a habit.

• Why is assessment important in SMT education?
• What are we assessing?
• How should schools balance assessment and testing?
• How have other districts addressed assessment?
• How can I get my board talking about this?

Why is assessment important in SMT education?

• A chapter discussing assessments in science education from the National Science Education Standards.
• Joe Villani, Executive Director of the National School Boards Association, discusses what assessment is and why assessment is necessary for accountability. [VIDEO]

 What are we assessing?

• Jo Ellen Roseman discusses whether schools are assessing what is important. [VIDEO]
• A description of an AAAS project to evaluate the alignment of SMT assessments with state and national standards. Includes an array of useful links.
• Microsoft, Intel and Cisco are joining forces with PISA and TIMSS to develop the next generation of assessments. These assessments will focus more on 21st centure skills including the understanding and use of technology.
• The Harvard Program in Education, Afterschool, and Resiliency (PEAR) has produced a resource to address the evaluation of informal science programming.  The website is designed to help districts understand and choose among a variety of online assessment tools to measure learning and outcomes.

How should schools balance assessment and testing?

• Rita Barger discusses how much review for state tests is too much. [VIDEO]
• A concise article on taking assessment beyond standardized tests, especially in the context of project-based learning.

How have other districts addressed assessment?

Several Kansas and Missouri board members offer creative suggestions for ways to assess programs.

• Debbie Redford, Board Member, Hollister, MO [VIDEO] 
• Lisa Spragg, Board Member, Logan-Rogersville, MO [VIDEO] 
• Jennifer Mathes, Board Member, Labette Co, KS [VIDEO] 

How can I get my board or community talking about this?