Tests and exams are a source of stress for many students. High school teacher Jacob Wells has found that he can alleviate some of that stress by allowing students to weigh in on when their assessments are scheduled. He describes why this has been helpful and shares some of the parameters that have made it feasible.

In this article, the authors share a unique and unfolding story about a program in Virginia that allows districts to opt into a series of Inquiry Design Model (IDM) performance assessments in place of the state-developed multiple-choice test. In the Rockingham County School District, this initiative was piloted in ninth-grade World Geography…

This mixed-methods case study explores the establishment, change, and sustainability of grading practices among high school teachers. Through Q-methodology, this study investigates teachers' perspectives on grading, their motivations for adopting alternative practices, and the challenges they face in implementation. The study's findings reveal…

In today's science classes, where standards are shifting toward engaging in scientific practices, a shift in science assessments to better reflect the skills and knowledge achieved in modern science classrooms is needed. If science is a discipline to be practiced rather than memorized, then science assessments should be designed to gauge a…

This study aims to determine the perceptions of fine arts high school music department students about the concept of "instrument training" through an alternative measurement and evaluation technique "Word Association Test (WAT)". In this study, the survey model, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study group…

This study explores the integration of socio-humanitarian safety components into the chemistry curriculum for secondary education, emphasizing how contextual and competency-based assessments can enhance the preparedness of future chemistry teachers. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research evaluates the effectiveness of traditional,…

High school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills and knowledge. Evidence suggests that a common perverse effect of exit exams is an increase in dropout for students who have difficulty passing tests, with a larger effect on minority students. To…

This paper aims to inspire art educators to become advocates of change by dismantling oppressive structures and discriminatory practices that negatively impact the learning outcomes of students with dis/abilities in school. I reflect on my high school teaching experience in an inclusive art classroom in Ghana, where the curriculum, the human-built…

Assessments are one of the vital pillars of education but often are designed without the specific needs of students considered. Instruction is often differentiated for students with individualized education programs (IEPs), but rarely are assessments. Students in classes with IEPs in the social studies department at the project site school in the…

The mathematics classroom is particularly vulnerable to these judgments of perfectionism, with endless evidence of students and teachers believing that mathematics is based on an ultimate truth or a single, objective, unique answer. School mathematics still favors students' participation in rote procedures, memorization, and using only a few…

Across the nation, K-12 systems increasingly use performance assessments to demonstrate and evaluate student learning. These assessments are also a promising source of information to support college access and success. But using K-12 performance assessments at the postsecondary level will require changes across the K-12 and postsecondary sectors,…

Little information is available on d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) learners' L2 development. Their limited auditory access may discourage them from taking standardized tests, highlighting the need for alternative ways of assessing their L2 development and proficiency. Therefore, this study suggests adopting processability theory, which…

Comprehensive quality assessment is an assessment system that identifies and explores students' strengths. By examining the developmental progress made in pilot provinces that have implemented comprehensive quality assessment, valuable insights and guidance can be derived for other provinces preparing to adopt this assessment approach. In this…

In the United States, standardized tests shape what, how, and why English Language Arts teachers teach. For the last generation, these tests have increasingly taken a narrowly text-centered approach to literature, making it difficult to enact or research alternatives. But what if it were otherwise? In the current study, we asked teachers to…

Written assignments for large classes pose a far more significant challenge in the age of the GenAI revolution. Suggestions such as oral exams and formative assessments are not always feasible with many students in a class. Therefore, we conducted a study in South Africa and involved 280 Honors students to explore the usefulness of Turnitin's AI…