December 21, 2020

Should students take standardized tests like the Smarter Balanced Assessments during the pandemic?  Equally importantly, how would they take them if some students are at home learning online — and some missing in action altogether? California’s State Board of Education has already decreed that students will take shorter, modified versions of the Smarter Balanced tests.  But does that even make sense?  Or will the yet-to-be-named Secretary of Education in the Biden administration give states another waiver to pass on administering these tests for the second year in a row?

This week, Carl Cohn talks with Scott Marion, executive director of the Center for Assessment, who talks about these crucial questions.  Tantalizingly, Marion suggests that the impact of the pandemic on academic assessments could result in long-term changes in how we view and administer tests — for the better.

Carl has fifty years of service as a counselor, teacher, district superintendent, State Board of Education member, and executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. He brings a deep understanding of the challenges school districts face as they regroup and now increasingly move to reopening. 

Interested in learning more about the Center for Assessment?  Check out their website: 

This special podcast series is hosted by Carl Cohn and sponsored by EdSource and the Ball/Frost Group.