The U.S. response to the pandemic forced our more than 132,000 K-12 public schools to close their doors, disrupting the lives of more than 50 million students and their families. Within days, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) began working with state leaders to assess needs and provide credible guidance on everything from school closures and remote learning policies to the safe distribution of school meals. We have facilitated information sharing and best practices between states and assembled a resource library. Based on what we learned from the leaders on the front lines, CCSSO quickly developed a comprehensive Restart & Recovery Framework to address and respond to COVID-19’s impact on the K-12 education system. This framework outlines decisions state chiefs will need to make before students can re-enter physical school buildings, with an emphasis on physical safety, mental health and academic success for all students and especially the most vulnerable student populations.
This resource focuses on key considerations for assessment leaders as they plan for their spring 2021 statewide summative assessments in English language arts and mathematics and science. This paper covers test design, issues surrounding administration and scoring — including the challenging prospect of at-home test administration and remote proctoring – and several psychometric issues, such as field testing, equating and standard setting. Finally, it considers interpretation and use.
