Across Michigan and across the country, students, teachers, and school administrators are facing greater accountability. That has put more attention on student assessments, or measuring student learning, than in the past. In about a year, Michigan students are expected to start taking a new standardized test, the "Smarter Balanced Assessment." Proponents, including Michigan School Superintendent Mike Flanagan, say it will do a better job of measuring student learning than the outgoing Michigan Education Assessment Program or MEAP test.
This Friday, educators from around the country will gather here at Michigan State University to talk about assessment. The Revisioning Assessment conference will review what’s being tried, how it’s working, and what remains to be done.
Dr. Rick Stiggins, a Michigan State University graduate, has been a leading figure in student assessments for a couple decades.
Current State's Mark Bashore spoke with Stiggins about educational assessments and accountability. Stiggins says there's nothing new about the accountabity movement; it's been going on for decades.