When the U.S. Department of Education granted Iowa a first-of-its-kind waiver from key federal education mandates this year, it didn’t only signal a shift toward greater state flexibility. It marked a watershed moment for state chiefs to seize the opportunity to update antiquated assessments and reimagine how to effectively measure student learning.
Traditional end-of-year exams were intended primarily for accountability purposes. While useful, they were never built to provide a real-time understanding of student growth or inform instruction. But despite technological advances, they’ve largely defined state assessment systems for more than two decades.
First enshrined in federal policy through The No Child Left Behind Act, these rear-facing tests offer a snapshot of performance after learning has occurred, giving educators little opportunity to adjust teaching or address gaps in real time. Preparation for these exams eats into valuable classroom learning time, and the cost of purchasing and administering them represents a major line item on state budgets. At times, their shortcomings have undermined parental support for high standards…