Students deserve to have their learning assessed fairly, in a way that is based on real-life skills and knowledge. But our current standardized testing system is both inequitable and ineffective at gauging what students know—and it's failing educators, too, making it nearly impossible to manage the high-stakes tests and foster true learning at the same time.
The good news is that there are alternatives—ones that let students demonstrate their learning through critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and the application of knowledge.
To ensure that every student—regardless of their race, origin, or background—can have their learning assessed in an equitable and accurate way, we are coming together to support changes to our testing system.
Navigating the Pitfalls of Assessment Systems
The Racist Beginnings of Standardized Testing
NEA and FairTest's Spring 2023 Convening Report
An Unwinnable System
A Better Way to Assess Student Learning
The Real Key to High-Scoring Schools
Micro-Credential on Assessment
How Grades Fail (And What You Can Do About It)
What Should the Future of Assessment Look Like?
How Educators are Boosting Engagement and Achievement
You Can’t Judge a School By its Ranking
Performance Assessment Transforming a District: The Anaheim Approach
Our Vision for a Better System
Every student deserves access to an excellent education that empowers them to achieve their dreams. To reach that end, we must employ quality assessment practices that generate accurate, useful evidence of student learning. With quality assessments, we can
- Identify students’ strengths and areas for growth
- Encourage students to become lifelong learners
- Measure a program’s effectiveness
- Provide a basis for determining instructional strategies
- Create developmentally appropriate, high-quality learning experiences
Standardized tests won't get us there. Educators know that students deserve learning opportunities that are differentiated and responsive to their needs, interests, and learning styles. How we assess students should reflect these priorities.
Transforming assessment systems to be student-centered requires that educators have the professional autonomy, knowledge, skills, and support to use a variety of measures to assess student growth accurately.
