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\nLaura S. Hamilton & W. Christopher Brandt  \nNational Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment  \nNational Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment  \nDover, New Hampshire  \nTESTING DEMOCRACY: How Large-Scale Assessment Systems Can Support Civic Learning  \nThe National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc. (the Center for Assessment) is a New Hampshire based not-for-profit (501(c)(3)) corporation. Founded in September 1998, the Center’s mission is to improve student learning by partnering with educational leaders to advance effective practicesand policies in support of high-quality assessment and accountability systems. The Center for Assessment does this by providing services directly to states, school districts, and partner organizations to support state and district assessment and accountability systems.  \nThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY) . To view a copy of this license, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) .  \nACKNOWLEDGMENTS:  \nWe acknowledge the support and feedback from Carla Evans and Chris Domaleski, colleagues at the Center for Assessment whose ideas and suggestions improved this paper. We are also grateful to Catherine Gewertz, whose feedback helped us strengthen our arguments and improve the prose. Any errors and omissions are our own.  \nSUGGESTED CITATION:  \nHamilton, L.S., & Brandt, W.C. (2026). Testing Democracy: How Large-Scale Assessment Systems Can Support Civic Learning. Center for Assessment.  \nPHOTO CREDIT:  \nCover photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages  \nPAGE 2  \nTESTING DEMOCRACY: How Large-Scale Assessment Systems Can Support Civic Learning  \nTABLE OF CONTENTS  \nSECTION 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................. 4  \nSECTION 2: WHY FOCUS ON CIVIC LEARNING IN SCHOOLS?.............................................. 5  \nSECTION 3: AN EXPANSIVE VIEW OF K-12 CIVIC LEARNING ....................................................... 7  \n• Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets ................................ 7  \n• Civic Learning: How and Where it Happens ...................... 9  \nSECTION 4: THE IMPORTANCE OF LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS ................................. 11  \nSECTION 5: THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF STATE POLICY AND ASSESSMENT OF CIVIC LEARNING ................ 13  \n• State Policy Momentum ..................................................... 13  \n• Approaches to Assessing Civic Learning and Engagement................................................. 13  \n• Assessment of Civics in Action: State and District Examples ............................................... 15  \n• Landscape Summary .......................................................... 15  \nSECTION 6: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS.......................... 16  \n• Engage Constituents in Structured Conversations About Civic Priorities for Schools ............ 16  \n• Develop a Theory of Action to Guide Assessment System Revisions ............................... 17  \n• Monitor Both Outcomes and Opportunity to Learn.......18  \n• Integrate Civic Learning into English Language Arts Assessments................................. 19  \n• Explore Opportunities to Develop a Balanced Civics Assessment System ................................ 20  \n• Establish a Structured Approach for Continuous Improvement............................................ 20  \nSECTION 7: ANTICIPATING AND  \nADDRESSING CHALLENGES.................................................. 21  \n• Lack of High-Quality, Direct Assessments of Some Civic Outcomes .................................................... 21  \n• Potential for Adverse Consequences ...............................21  \n• Perceptions That Civics Detracts From Other Important Goals ....................................................... 22  \n• Concerns ","cbCaitJpOjQCzDsb","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitJpOjQCzDsb","pdf",2143603,31,"English","# SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION\n# SECTION 2: WHY FOCUS ON CIVIC LEARNING IN SCHOOLS?\n# SECTION 3: AN EXPANSIVE VIEW OF K-12 CIVIC LEARNING\n## Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets\n## Civic Learning: How and Where it Happens\n# SECTION 4: THE IMPORTANCE OF LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS\n# SECTION 5: THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF STATE POLICY AND ASSESSMENT OF CIVIC LEARNING\n## State Policy Momentum\n## Approaches to Assessing Civic Learning and Engagement\n## Assessment of Civics in Action: State and District Examples\n## Landscape Summary\n# SECTION 6: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS\n## Engage Constituents in Structured Conversations About Civic Priorities for Schools\n## Develop a Theory of Action to Guide Assessment System Revisions\n## Monitor Both Outcomes and Opportunity to Learn\n## Integrate Civic Learning into English Language Arts Assessments\n## Explore Opportunities to Develop a Balanced Civics Assessment System\n## Establish a Structured Approach for Continuous Improvement\n# SECTION 7: ANTICIPATING AND ADDRESSING CHALLENGES\n## Lack of High-Quality, Direct Assessments of Some Civic Outcomes\n## Potential for Adverse Consequences\n## Perceptions That Civics Detracts From Other Important Goals\n## Concerns About Burden\n## Politicization of Civics\n# CONCLUSION\n# REFERENCES","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper mean by “large-scale assessment systems”?\",\"answer\":\"It refers to approaches that combine results from multiple data sources collected from large, defined populations in a consistent and structured way to capture information about performance and learning opportunities, not only federally mandated statewide tests.\"},{\"question\":\"Why should schools focus on civic learning according to the paper?\",\"answer\":\"Because K-12 schools need to cultivate informed and engaged citizens, and the current assessment systems used for accountability often measure a narrower set of learning outcomes than civic learning goals.\"},{\"question\":\"What policy recommendations does the paper propose for improving assessment of civic learning?\",\"answer\":\"The paper recommends structured engagement with constituents, developing a theory of action to guide assessment revisions, monitoring outcomes and opportunity to learn, integrating civic learning into English language arts assessments, pursuing a balanced civics assessment system, and establishing a structured continuous-improvement approach.\"}]","TESTING DEMOCRACY - How Large-Scale Assessment Systems Can Support Civic Learning | PDF",1792057277,78]