News and Notes: 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year

The New York State Education Department has released the report, "Graduation Requirements and Measures: A Review of Performance Assessment Implementation in Select States for the New York State Education Department," created by the Region 2 Comprehensive Center (R2CC) led by WestEd.

R2CC, in consultation with NYSED, conducted deep-dive case studies into the use of performance-based assessments in seven states-Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Vermont-to understand policies, implementation processes, successes, areas for improvement, and lessons learned.

The report outlines the general themes that emerged from the case studies, followed by state profiles (which detail more information about the implementation of performance-based assessments) for each of the states and the consortium included in the data collection. These states each integrate performance-based assessments as a complement or, in some cases, an alternative to traditional, multiple choice tests.

The findings highlighted the array of testing requirements as well as the importance of multiple measures for graduation, based on the stakeholder analysis.

Despite the different policies and varied approaches to implementing performance-based assessments utilized by the states studied, a common theme among them was that performance-based assessments are used to provide more opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of skills and content.

The following themes emerged as the state interviewees discussed considerations and lessons learned for effective implementation of performance-based assessments.

• Intentional work should be done to align performance-based assessments with standards, curriculum, and instruction.
• Collaboration and involvement with teachers and administrators is crucial.
• States and districts need to invest in building the capacity of teachers and leaders to effectively design and implement performance-based assessments.
• Allow for flexibility and adaptability in implementation.
• Provide clear communication about what performance-based assessment is, what its purpose is, and how it will be used.
• Address inclusion and equity throughout the process.
• Build advocacy and support to demonstrate the commitment to performance assessments.