School Administrator: May 2019
Student Testing and Assessment




The Promise of Next Generation Systems of Assessments
BY DAVID T. CONLEY
Applying multiple sources of information about students, including test scores, to promote ownership for learning.

The Piñata Theory of School Reform
BY JAMES J. HARVEY
The National Superintendents Roundtable head sees misapplication of NAEP testing results to beat up public education in states and localities.

A Venture Capitalist’s Understanding of Public Schooling and Where It’s Succeeding
Ted Dintersmith draws from his visits to 200 schools nationwide to map out more meaningful competency measures and better test use.

Assessing Performance in a Competency System
BY ELLEN HUME-HOWARD
District educators work together to craft statewide student-centered assessments that reduce standardized testing.

The Importance of Testing as a Learning Strategy
BY HENRY L. ROEDIGER III AND PETER C. BROWN
To make learning stick, students must be challenged to recall and apply their knowledge — and quizzes are a good tool for accomplishing that goal.

Equitable Grading: Tales of Three Districts
BY JOE FELDMAN
How two California districts are piloting work that more accurately reports achievement and a Connecticut district moves toward a mastery-based diploma.

 



STARTING POINT
A venture capitalist finds his way inside schools and sees the upside.

STATE OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY
Salaries by Gender and Enrollment
AASA’s latest survey found little pay difference between men and women.

BEST OF THE BLOGS
Four excerpts from superintendents’ blogs on school leadership that are worth following.

ETHICAL EDUCATOR
Witness for Dubious Character
How does the panel view a superintendent whose neighbor asks him to be a character witness before court sentencing on a felony involving a young child?

SOCIAL MEDIA
Branding Alongside a Communication Pro

BY MICHAEL LUBELFELD
If the superintendent is the communicator in chief, then the director of communications functions as the chief of staff, listening and analyzing and contributing to engagement and support.

TECH LEADERSHIP
Maximizing Your E-rate Dollars

BY EVAN MARWELL
An organization committed to upgrading internet access in public education wants to ensure school districts don’t let $1.1 billion of Wi-Fi funding expire this year.

BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT
Communicating Early, Often and Deliberately

BY DAVID BARKER
Though student success remains the highest priority, a superintendent’s work with the board paves the path for those outcomes.

MY VIEW
‘Mommy, There’s the Star Man’

BY KEVIN R. FITZGERALD
The author didn’t buy what a student told him: “Superintendents are supposed to be busy doing more important stuff than visiting classrooms!”

MY VIEW
A Student Asks, ‘Can You Help Me?’

BY MARLENE M. JOHNSON
A veteran superintendent recalls an indelibly etched moment when a young child needed a moment to pray.

Reading & Resources

  • Book Reviews
  • Why I Wrote This Book...
  • Bits & Pieces


 

  

PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Diagnosing Success

BY CHRISTOPHER O. GAINES
Not unlike hospital emergency room protocols, student assessment measures the state of an individual at a moment in time, not the underlying causes of that state.

EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
Engaging in a Not-So-Secret Recipe
BY DANIEL A. DOMENECH
Admittedly time-consuming, maximizing hours with all community segments has a significant payoff down the line.

PEOPLE WATCH
A monthly collection of recent and upcoming career moves by AASA members.

PROFILE
: Curtis L. Jones Jr
BY PAUL RIEDE
The 2019 National Superintendent of the Year spent the first 20 years of his working life as an Army officer before moving into schooling.

 



READER REPLY

LEADERSHIP LITE
Two fundamental facets
Two fundamental facets
Two fundamental facets
  • Two fundamental facets
  • A few lessons

  • Laurie Kimbrel: Post-superintendency career changing
    Laurie Kimbrel: Post-superintendency career changing
    Laurie Kimbrel: Post-superintendency career changing
    Laurie Kimbrel: Post-superintendency career changing