Friday, October 30, 2009

Using Assessment to Make Learning Decisions

In November we will be using a new assessment in the district called Measures of Academic Progress. This is a different type of assessment than we have used before. In the past, teachers received student test results after the students they were teaching had already progressed to a new grade or course of study. So, in effect, teachers were unable to use the assessment to help their students who had been tested during that school year. Our teachers wanted an assessment that would give them information quickly so that they could use the results to provide support to their students when they needed it, not after the fact. The Measures of Academic Progress allows them to do this. They will get information back within 48 hours so they can start helping students with specifc areas of need. This assessment will allow our teachers to pre and post test students so that they can actually continuously measure a student's growth and progress. The assessment is structured so that students are not measured on grade levels but on specific skill levels. It provides very exacting information on what skills students know and what areas of concern teachers should help them with. Please encourage your children to do the best that they can on this assessment. Let them know that it is OK if they don't know all the answers. To measure their skills, the test will ask easy questions and harder questions in response to their answers. Questions continue to get harder until the test determines their skill level. It is not a pass/fail test. It is simply a measurement that tells us what they are ready to learn.


We are so excited about this new assessment. Once we get results, we will be able to individualize for students because we will know what skills we need to cover with them. There is also a parent component to the test that will allow you to access information about your child's results. Please check with this post to see when that information is available.

About Me

Dr. Rita Cook, Superintendent of Middlesboro Independent School District, has over 35 years of experience in education. She has taught all grade levels and been an administrator for the last 22 years.