National Alternatives

This page provides alternative assessment and accountability options based on ESSA as well as alternatives developed earlier. For additional resources on performance assessment and other alternatives, see Authentic Assessment. http://fairtest.org/k-12/authentic%20assessment

•  Overhauling Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning: New Opportunities under the Every Student Succeeds Act http://www.fairtest.org/overhauling-assessment-improve-teaching-and-learni
   
• Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA) Recommendations for Successful School Turnaround Efforts
  • See the FEA statement, "A Research- and Experience-Based Turnaround Process," that focuses on flexible local use of elements common to school improvement, and that Congress should include in ESEA/NCLB reauthorization.
     
  • See Ratner and Neill, "Common Elements of Successful Turnarounds: Research and Experience," for analysis and summary of research on successfully improving schools.
     
• A Better Way to Assess Students and Evaluate Schools, By Monty Neill, Published in Education Week Online: June 18, 2010
   
• "Multiple Measures: A Definition and Examples from the U.S. and Other Nations." Includes a 2-page summary, 10 pp of text, and 2 appendices.
   
• Core recommendations for ESEA/NCLB reauthorization, from the Forum on Educational Accountability, are here.
   
• Empowering Schools and Improving Learning, by the Forum on Educational Accountability, chaired by FairTest. Signed by 85 national education, civil rights, religious, disability, parent and civic organizations.
   
• The "Joint Organizational Statement on No Child Left Behind" calls for significant changes to improve federal education policy.. See the Joint Statement and list of signers.
   
• The Expert Panel on Assessment recommends overhaul of NCLB testing and accountability provisions.
  • See the full report: Assessment and Accountability for Improving Schools and Learning: Principles and Recommendations for Federal Law and State and Local Systems, by the Expert Panel on Assessment, convened by the Forum on Educational Accountability.
  • See the Executive Summary
  • See the Press Release
     
• Refocusing Accountability: Using Local Performance Assessments to Enhance Teaching and Learning for Higher Order Skills- paper co-authored by FairTest; with language to amend NCLB law.
   
• FairTest's Accountability Page.
   
• Draft Principles for Authentic Accountability. http://www.fairtest.org/authentic-accountability
  • Related discussion document, “A Draft Alternative Approach to Accountability.” http://www.fairtest.org/draft-alternative-approach-accountability

• See this Spring 2002 Examiner story on the assessment models in Maine and Nebraska which use multiple assessments rather than testing to meet the requirements of ESEA