Sacramento forum on student assessment policy in California

On July 1, SCOPE and Policy Analysis for California Education hosted "Performance Assessments for 21st Century Skills: Implications for California" — a daylong forum in Sacramento that featured leading education researchers in the United States and abroad, administrators, educators, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Concern for global competitiveness and the slipping rankings of the United States on international assessments have prompted the Obama administration to call for new student assessments that reliably measure the higher-order thinking and performance skills demanded in the 21st Century global economy.

California is one of many states facing important decisions on how to assess its students. This conference is an opportunity for policymakers, educators, education researchers, administrators, funders, and community partners to discuss the potential and challenges of performance assessments to support deeper and more rigorous student learning.

Unlike multiple choice tests, performance assessments use analytical questions, challenging tasks, and projects that require students to use research, writing and complex problem-solving skills to come to their conclusions. Widely used in high-achieving nations, performance assessments not only provide more meaningful ways to assess what students know, they help students develop the critical thinking skills they need to succeed in college and careers.

This daylong panel was sponsored by the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) and examined performance assessment from a range of viewpoints: large-scale performance assessment in other U.S. states and abroad, successful approaches in California, feasibility issues, and policy implications.

Featured speakers:

• Carol Campbell, Executive Director, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education 
• Lay Choo Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Examination and Assessment Board 
• Linda Darling-Hammond, Professor of Education, Stanford University and Co-Director, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education 
• Geno Flores, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education (effective July 1, 2010) 
• Jeffrey Goodwin, Independent Consultant, Assessment, Curriculum, Research 
• Gary Hoachlander, President, California Center for College and Career (ConnectEd) 
• Bob Lenz, Chief Education Officer and Co-founder, Envision Schools 
• Monica Martinez, President, New Tech Network 
• Maggie Mejia, Former Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District 
• Lawrence Picus, Professor, USC Rossier School of Education 
• David Plank, Professor, Stanford University, and Executive Director, Policy Analysis for California Education 
• Edys Quellmalz, Director of Technology Enhanced Assessments & Learning Systems, WestEd 
• Susan Schultz, Associate Director for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Stanford University 
• Gerry Shelton, Chief Consultant California State Assembly Education Committee