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January 15, 2002
Accountability: Meeting The Challenge With Technology
By Judy Salpeter
During the 1990s, much national attention was focused on improving K-12 education by setting goals for a new millennium. National, state, and local standards committees were convened to discuss what students should know, at what ages, and to what levels of mastery. Although the details will undoubtedly evolve-in fact, must evolve-in response to changing times, many important decisions have been made in recent years about standards to be taught and measured.
 Every district should do everything it can to build portals for every teacher to help manage assessment. All tests, quizzes, and sample final exams, with instant feedback, should be available to all students all the time. We need to emerge from the one-size-fits-all exam where students put their books away and take a test. Students should be empowered to take sample tests continuously that scan the entire curriculum.
ưAlan November, senior partner, Renaissance Learning |
Now we have moved on to the hard part-ensuring that all students meet these rigorous new standards. Teachers continue to immerse themselves in the process of locating instructional materials and approaches that address the standards and meet the learning needs of all their students. Administrators are grappling with the challenges of tracking and managing student and teacher data in a way that monitors progress and informs decision making. Politicians, parents, and other stakeholders are demanding helpful and precise information about the progress of individuals, schools, and districts. And we are all continuing to debate the value of different assessment tools to measure not only some but all of the standards we have set out for ourselves.
The age of accountability is definitely here. And technology is playing a central role in helping with the challenges it presents.
Next: Testing Fever
Alternative Assessment
Learning from It All
Not Just the Scores
Read other articles from the January Issue
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