Teaching to a Better Test: Using the Inquiry Design Model to Reframe State-Mandated Assessment in Social Studies

In this article, the authors share a unique and unfolding story about a program in Virginia that allows districts to opt into a series of Inquiry Design Model (IDM) performance assessments in place of the state-developed multiple-choice test. In the Rockingham County School District, this initiative was piloted in ninth-grade World Geography courses during the 2023-2024 school year. In the following sections, the authors share the context and background of this pilot, the lessons learned over the year, and the biggest takeaway about inquiry as a result of this groundbreaking effort to teach to a better test.