MAKING A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE - STRENGTHENING THE ASSESSMENT TRAJECTORY - ENGAGING EDUCATORS IN THE POLICY PROCESS

Oct 15, 2026

Great teachers and policy leaders use high-quality state assessments to measure essential student skills such as writing, problem-solving, and critical thinking. This case study compiles guidance from teacher leaders who reviewed the quality of PARCC and Smarter Balanced test questions, describes how those reviews shaped their instruction, and recommends ways states can engage educators in similar assessment-improvement processes. It summarizes findings from research studies at grades 5 and 11 and distills key lessons on continuous improvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Overview of teacher-led assessment review

Research studies on assessment quality

The Right Trajectory

2015 grade 5 review

2016 grade 5 review

2016 grade 11 review

Engaging Educators in the Policy Process

Spring 2017 reconvening of teachers

Five Lessons Emerged

MAKING A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE: CASE STUDIES FROM THE HIGH-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROJECT STRENGTHENING THE ASSESSMENT TRAJECTORY: ENGAGING EDUCATORSIN THE POLICY PROCESS States are now using higher quality tests to better measu re important stud ent skills such as writing , problem-solving an d critical thin king . This case study captu res advice from teacher lead ers wh o reviewed the quality of th e tests an d discusses how the experien ce affected their teaching . This brief also offers in put on h ow states can engage ed u cato r s in similar reviews . PREPARED BY Dr. Catherine McClellan, Ph. D. Dr. Rebecca Snyder, Ed.D. Dr. Maryann Woods-Murphy, Ed.D. Ms. Katherine Bassett, M. Ed. MAKING A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE: STRENGTHENING THE ASSESSMENT TRAJ ECTORY: ENGAGING EDUCATOR S IN THE POLICY PROCESS INTRODUCTION: Great teachers recognize great assessments. As policy and education leaders work to make sure state tests are measuring the problem-solving, writing and critical thinking skills students need for success, they should convene and rely on teachers to review test quality and help answer the question: Do the questions on our state test reflect excellent instruction? Nearly every state has reworked its summative assessment over the past few years to try to better measure skills and knowledge that prepare students for success after high school. Two large groups of states collaborated to create the PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments, which were designed to be more innovative and of higher quality than states could produce on their own. With so many states using PARCC and Smarter Balanced as their new state assessments, the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) has been gathering teacher leaders from around the country to put these claims to the test, comparing these two new state tests against older state tests. These teachers—publicly recognized as exceptional classroom instructors—looked carefully at how well test questions reflected skills and knowledge their students should be learning and how the tests could be improved. ON THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY NNSTOY conducted three research studies into the quality of state assessments, including the quality of the new PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments used by many states. Using methodologies and practices such as Evidence-Centered Design, Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and custom survey instruments, panels examined consortia and state assessments at grades 5 and 11. Each study panel was composed of state and national Teachers of the Year and finalists for State Teacher of the Year. THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY 2015: Teachers with experience in grade 5 reviewed the consortia assessments and compared them to previous state tests from Delaware, Illinois, New Hampshire and New Jersey. STILL ON THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY 2016: Teachers reviewed two more prior state assessments (Nevada and Oregon) and Smarter Balanced grade 5. The two grade 5 panels found that the new consortia assessments better reflect the range of reading and math knowledge and skills, as well as the full range of cognitive complexity. These assessments better align with strong instructional practices, providing information relevant to a wide range of student performers. And while the new consortia assessments are more rigorous and demanding, they are grade-level appropriate, and even more so than prior state tests. These expert teachers believe that there are challenges still to be overcome, but the new assessments represent movement in the right direction. BEGINNING A HIGHER TRAJECTORY 2016: Teachers with experience in grade 11 reviewed only the Smarter Balanced assessment at that grade level (prior state tests generally tested at grade 10) . At grade 11, the panel examined only the Smarter Balanced assessment because there were no previous state assessments to use for comparisons. These educators found many things to like about the assessment, and they made recommendati

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the case studies in this document?

To capture advice from teacher leaders who reviewed the quality of state tests and explain how their experiences affected teaching, while outlining how states can engage educators in similar reviews.

How did NNSTOY evaluate the quality of state assessments?

NNSTOY conducted three research studies using methods such as Evidence-Centered Design, Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, and custom survey instruments, examining PARCC and Smarter Balanced and comparing them with older state tests at grades 5 and 11.

What did the grade 5 panels find about the new consortia assessments?

The panels found the new assessments better reflect the range of reading and math knowledge and skills and the full range of cognitive complexity, align with strong instructional practices, and are appropriately rigorous for grade level.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan