Choosing Effective Benchmark Assessments
Assessments play an integral role in understanding the educational needs of students, and teachers rely on assessments to identify students’ mastery of standards and skills. At the same time, no one wants to over-test kids. That means when assessments are administered, they need to effectively measure student progress and provide the insights needed to drive learning forward.
For assessments to inform instruction and positively impact student learning, districts must find effective, quality assessment solutions that meet all stakeholders’ needs— students, teachers, and administrators. But what makes an assessment high quality? Some of the essential features include alignment to standards, rigor, validity, reliability, and the ability to generate actionable, meaningful results.
With a clearer understanding of high-quality assessments, you can begin evaluating assessment programs to find the solution that best meets the needs of your school or district. In this guide, we’ll present five key considerations to help you get started with your evaluation, along with guiding questions you’ll want to answer as you begin your search.
- Does the assessment provide meaningful and actionable insights into student progress that can inform instruction?
- Does the assessment reflect the rigor and learning standards coverage of the state summative test?
- Do you have the ability to configure the assessment to your scope and sequence?
- Is the assessment predictive of end-of-year standardized assessment outcomes?
- Are new benchmarks available every year so that teachers can use the current test as a tool for reteaching?
