State School Superintendent Richard Woods is moving forward with plans to pursue testing flexibility. On Monday, he sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos expressing Georgia’s intent to apply for the U.S. Department of Education’s Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority. This would allow state education agencies to pilot innovative assessments for accountability and reporting, with the intent of scaling these innovative assessments statewide.
This step, Woods said, is in line with recommendations from Georgia’s Assessment Working Committee, but is also part of a strong recommendation by Governor Nathan Deal in a letter to Woods concerning the state’s plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In his letter to the Superintendent — after reviewing the state plan — Deal wrote, “The first major area of the plan that should be revised and strengthened is that of state assessments. ESSA presents an opportunity that certainly should not be missed for the state to apply for the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Pilot or to develop and implement statewide cumulative interim assessments in all tested grades and subjects.”
Deal went on to state that “there is no clear indication in the appendix that GADOE intends to proactively request or apply for participation in the allowable Innovative Assessment Demonstration Pilot…despite the interest expressed by several school districts.”
Deal pointed out that Gwinnett, Putnam and several other counties are “interested in and already exploring the work.”
In announcing his plans Monday, Superintendent Woods stated, “The model of standardized
testing that arose during the No Child Left Behind years – end-of-year summative assessments that provide a one-day snapshot too late for teachers to provide remediation – is not working for our kids.
“Georgia has a real opportunity, working with innovative leaders in our local school districts who are at the forefront of these efforts, to change the way testing works in our public schools. We have an opportunity to build a model of assessment that is focused where it should be – on student learning. ESSA provides new opportunities for flexibility from the restrictive federal guidelines that govern testing in K-12 schools, and Georgia will aggressively pursue that flexibility for the benefit of our students.”
As part of this plan, Woods will create an Assessment Innovation and Flexibility Task Force and an Assessment Innovation Fund. The task force will:
- Examine and develop recommendations for Georgia to take advantage of the flexibility afforded under ESSA and other federal law
▪ Learn about and develop best practices based on the assessment innovation and flexibility being pursued and utilized in other states
▪ Apply for and provide oversight for Georgia’s participation in the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority
▪ Develop recommendations and an implementation plan for competency-based and interim assessments of student learning
▪ Adhere to the requirements and principles set forth in Georgia’s Senate Bill 211
Members of the task force are representatives of local school districts and business/industry, policymakers, educators, and parents. The Superintendent’s student, parent, teacher, and superintendent advisory councils will also offer feedback and insight throughout the process.
According to the GaDOE, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) will assist in identifying an independent third-party facilitator for the Task Force’s meetings, and will provide additional expertise and insight on the assessment flexibility and innovation being pursued across the nation. Options for a facilitator will be presented to the State Board of Education and the State School Superintendent, with input from the Senate and House Education Committee Chairs.
The Assessment Innovation Fund will provide competitive grants to local school districts to assist in the creation of innovative assessment resources, tools, and systems. The fund will be established using existing Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) funds, and during Georgia’s upcoming legislative session Superintendent Woods will urge the legislature to appropriate additional resources for the fund, according to the GaDOE.
“Since participation in the federal Innovation Demonstration Authority yields only additional flexibility and not additional federal funding, I believe establishing this fund at the state level is essential to provide the necessary resources and support for our districts to ensure the success of this work,” Superintendent Woods said.
