To Improve Assessment, Georgia District Turns to Teachers

Educators everywhere are responding to the realities of student learning loss, unfinished learning, or disrupted learning as they continue to experience the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students of color and students attending high poverty schools experienced the largest achievement declines, increasing preexisting gaps for already marginalized students. In this article, the author discusses how large-scale assessments can do more than document the learning gaps resulting from the pandemic. They can also be a vital tool to help reduce these gaps. The author discusses how designing and using assessments requires a set of skills that educators can develop with intentional professional learning and support.