Last month we let members know about a series of meetings the Department of Education had scheduled for November to gather input from practitioners on assessment.  As the time for these meetings draws near I just wanted to raise this critical issue with you again.  We all know how important assessment is as we have been wrestling with the issue in our offices here for some time, just as people in the field have. 

The goals of these meetings according to the Education Department is two-fold: to gather technical input to inform the development of a Race to the Top Assessment Competition and to enable states and the public to participate in and learn from these events.  The public meetings will be held over six days in three cities and will focus on the following topics. 

BOSTON, MA

Thursday, November 12 – Friday, November 13

Full-day panel (Thursday, Nov. 12, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.): General assessment

Half-day panel (Friday, Nov. 13, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.): Technology & innovation

Half-day panel (Friday, Nov. 13, 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): High school assessment

 

ATLANTA, GA

Tuesday, November 17 – Wednesday, November 18

Full-day panel (Tuesday, Nov. 17, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.): General assessment

Half-day panel (Wednesday, Nov. 18, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.): Assessment of students with disabilities

 

DENVER, CO

Tuesday, December 1 – Wednesday, December 2

Full-day panel (Tuesday, Dec. 1, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.): General assessment

Half-day panel (Wednesday, Dec. 2, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.):  Assessment of English language learners

The meetings are open to the public.  The official notice, along with information on how to RSVP for the meetings, can be found at www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment.  The Department encourages the submission of written input (see details of submission process on the web site), and plans to post transcripts of every meeting session and all written input submitted to the agency at www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment.

If you are planning on attending any of these meetings I hope that you will let us know and share your thoughts and reactions with us here at NASDCTEc.

Tags: race to the top, technical skills assessments

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Meetings and Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.