Tailoring Testing with Digital Tools

Educators and researchers are exploring how to embed assessments into curricula to better understand the needs of individual students

By Katie Ash Ed Week

In the spring of 2010, Larry Berger, the chief executive officer of Wireless Generation, and Lauren B. Resnick, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, joined a group of more than 250 educators and policymakers in Washington to discuss a shift in the education landscape—the future of next-generation assessments.

Since the adoption of common-core academic standards in mathematics and English/language arts by all but seven states, attention has turned to how students' mastery of those standards will be assessed across the country. The process has prompted gatherings such as the National Conference on Next Generation Assessment Systems, hosted by the Educational Testing Service's Center for K-12 Assessment and Performance Management, where Berger and Resnick presented a paper suggesting improvements to the current examination system.

Berger, whose New York City-based company uses technology to improve K-12 schools, and Resnick, a professor of psychology and cognitive science, outlined a system in which assessments would model instructional methods, testing would be embedded in instruction, exams would be aligned with curricula including common-core standards, and data collection and analysis would be leveraged to build personalized assessments for students.Educators and researchers alike are exploring how to employ technology to assess students in an authentic, meaningful way by embedding assessments into curricula and "scaffolding" them to help pinpoint where students are struggling. Technology also provides the capability for teachers to receive timely feedback from assessments to inform and adjust instruction based on students' individual strengths and weaknesses.

Yet even though the subject is often discussed by researchers and policymakers, districts have been slow to embrace and implement new evaluation methods.

The potential is there, however, says Berger, whose company was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. last fall. Berger, who remained as CEO, also serves on the board of Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit corporation that publishes Education Week.

Although many schools do not have the technology to ...