The Department of Education has announced on Friday that the next agenda for President Obama's testing action plan. There will be a grant competition that will build on the plan released last October.
In the Education Department's official website, it was revealed that a grant competition will be held to help states gather the resources that they need in order to innovate and improve the quality of assessments. It is also expected to enhance reporting for parents, educators and stakeholders as well as reduce redundant and ineffective exams in the states and their districts.
The Department of Education is pointing its focus on partnering with states to improve the quality of testing items. It also aims to make sure that public reporting of scores and results is effective as well as get rid of unnecessary testing.
"The President's Testing Action Plan encourages thoughtful approaches to assessments that will help to restore the balance on testing in America's classrooms by reducing unnecessary assessments while promoting equity and innovation," U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said in a statement. "This grant competition is the next step as part of that plan, and will help states and districts improve tests to allow for better depiction of student and school progress so that parents, teachers, and communities have the vital information they need on academic achievement."
Annual assessments should be able to provide meaningful information and give clear, objective and actionable data. This information can be used to improve academic outcomes as well as promote impartiality for educators, families, the public and students.
However, there have been instances where assessments are done poorly. As a result, it provides inaccurate or misleading information and waste valuable classroom time.
The grant competition is intended to improve the quality of state assessments. Moreover, it is aimed at creating opportunities for fresh, unique solutions to create better tests.
