The special issue on social-emotional assessment is timely and important. Although educators and policymakers have always been aware of the need for educational institutions to address a broad range ...of student outcomes beyond academic achievement, recently we've witnessed a proliferation of programs and practices that are designed to foster specific social and emotional (SE) competencies, often using explicit instruction that is targeted toward those competencies (Jones et al., 2017). At the same time, there have been advancements in educators' use of data to inform instructional decision making; these advances occurred in large part as a result of growing availability of assessments and learning management systems that aim to make data accessible and useful (Mandinach, Friedman, & Gummer, 2015). Together, these trends suggest that demand for high-quality assessments of SE competencies is likely to rise. The articles in this issue illustrate the broad range of measures currently available and the diversity of contexts in which these measures have been deployed. These articles also illustrate the numerous purposes for which SE assessments are being used. Together, they paint an exciting picture of the SE assessment landscape, while at the same time suggesting several cautions that are warranted, as this type of assessment becomes more widespread. The articles in the special issue point to several key findings that bode well for SE competence assessments' use in schools and other youth-serving organizations.
This study drew on teacher survey responses from randomized experiments exploring three different pay-for-performance programs to examine the extent to which these programs motivated teachers to ...improve student achievement and the impact of such programs on teachers' instruction, number of hours worked, job stress, and collegiality. Results showed that most teachers did not report their program as motivating. Moreover, the survey responses suggest that none of the three programs changed teachers' instruction, increased their number of hours worked or job stress, or damaged their collegiality. Future research needs to further examine the logic model of pay-for-performance programs and test alternative incentive models such as rewarding teachers based on their practices and job responsibilities rather than on student outcomes.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how test-based accountability has influenced school and district practices and explore how states and districts might consider creating expanded ...systems of measures to address the shortcomings of traditional accountability. It provides research-based guidance for entities that are developing or adopting new measures of school performance.Design methodology approach - The study relies on literature review, consultation with expert advisers, review of state and district documentation, and semi-structured interviews with staff at state and local education agencies and research institutions.Findings - The research shows mixed effects of test-based accountability on student achievement and demonstrates that teachers and administrators change their practices in ways that respond to the incentives provided by the system. The review of state and district measurement systems shows widespread use of additional measures of constructs, such as school climate and college readiness.Research limitations implications - There is a clear need for additional research on the short- and long-term effects of expanded systems of measures. In particular, currently little is known about how the inclusion of input and process measures influences educators' practices or student outcomes.Practical implications - The research suggests several practical steps that can be taken to promote effective systems of measurement, including providing supports for high-quality teaching to accompany new measures, offering flexibility to respond to local needs, and conducting validity studies that address the various purposes of the measures.Originality value - The paper provides new information about how states and districts are expanding their systems of measures for various purposes, and informs accountability policy by highlighting the benefits and limitations of current outcomes-based approaches to accountability and by clarifying the trade-offs and decisions that should be considered.
Interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies, such as communication and resilience, are important predictors of success and civic engagement after high school. This report provides guidelines to ...promote thoughtful development of practical, high-quality measures of interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies that practitioners and policymakers can use to improve valued outcomes for students.
This report explores the feasibility of and challenges associated with building a repository of assessments of hard-to-measure competencies. The authors examined the procedures needed to collect, ...review, document, and catalog assessments for a computerized database. The authors also examined web-based archives to identify the best functional modules and user-interface features to incorporate into a repository of measures.
Studies suggest that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001's goal of 100 percent of U.S. students proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014 will not be met. The authors recommend more-uniform ...state academic standards and teacher requirements and broader measures of student learning, including more subjects and tests of higher-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Standards-based accountability (SBA) has been a primary driver of education policy in the United States for several decades. Although definitions of SBA vary, it typically includes standards that ...indicate what students are expected to know and be able to do, measures of student attainment of the standards, targets for performance on those measures, and a set of consequences for schools or educations based on performance. Research on SBA indicates that these policies have led to some of the consequences its advocates had hoped to achieve, such as an emphasis on equity and alignment of curriculum within and across grade levels, but that it has also produced some less desirable outcomes. This article summarizes the research on SBA in three areas: quality of standards, ways in which SBA has shaped educators' practices, and effects on student achievement. The article identifies lessons learned from the implication of SBA in the United States and provides guidance for developing SBA systems that could promote beneficial outcomes for students.
U.S. mathematics teachers have been working to adjust their instruction in response to states’ adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and similar standards. Drawing on web-based ...surveys of U.S. teachers, this report presents data on how prepared teachers feel to address new mathematics standards and what professional development opportunities they think they need to help them implement standards effectively.
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