Traditional grading and reporting practices have been part of the educational system in the United States for centuries. Those grading practices are ingrained in schools across the country and have not changed much, if at all, over time. Traditional grading practices have a plethora of downfalls, but we continue to use them because they are what…

In order to comply with the regulations put forth by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to submit evidence associated with their statewide accountability systems to the United States Department of Education (ED) for peer review. Some states have elected to…

The Common Core State (or other rigorous) Standards (CCSS) being implemented by states across the nation are prompting school leaders and teachers to seek ways to move the standards into classroom instruction, assignments and assessments. Schools wanting to ensure that student work meets grade-level standards are using differentiated instructional…

Sometimes assessments that work in theory fall apart in reality. This article discusses the unique learning-measurement system in Nebraska. Instead of relying on statewide standardized tests to comply with the accountability requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act--as is the case in the other 49 states--districts in Nebraska use their…

This guide is intended to guide local discussion and assist public school staff in implementing standards, assessment, and reporting procedures under the policies of the Nebraska State Board of Education. In 1998, the State Board of Education adopted the Nebraska Learning Educational Achievement through Rigorous Nebraska Standards (Nebraska…

Recent implementation of Nebraska's Standards-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) introduced a unique opportunity to examine the benefits and drawbacks of a teacher-led state assessment system. STARS is unique among state assessment systems in that statewide tests are replaced by locally developed assessments designed by…

Nebraska districts use different strategies for measuring student performance on the state's content standards. District assessments differ in type and technical quality. Six quality criteria were endorsed by the state. These criteria cover content and curricular validity, fairness, and appropriateness of score interpretations. District assessment…

This guide is intended to provide new and updated information for Nebraska educators in developing procedures for implementation of the Nebraska School-Based Teacher-Led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS). The information supports and updates information in the 1999 STARS guide and the STARS "Toolkit" of December 1999. It is…

This update is intended to provide a summary of current information for implementing the Nebraska School-Based Teacher-Led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS). It is part of a series of materials provided by the Nebraska Department of Education beginning with the STARS guide of 1999. The summary includes background information, including the…

Nebraska's approach to standards, assessment, and accountability, the School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) is based upon local control and the belief that classrooms and teachers must be at the heart of student learning and accountability. STARS relies on locally-developed assessment systems to accurately measure and…

This update provides information about statewide writing assessment administration procedures in Nebraska and statewide assessment reporting, and contains a review of model assessments. The information is intended to assist local educators in planning and preparing for the Statewide Writing Assessment in February 2001 and the reporting of local…

The philosophy of Nebraska's School-based, Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) is based on the premise that the purpose of assessment is to drive curriculum and instruction to produce student academic achievement gain. It is a locally driven system designed from the classroom up, which recognizes that improved student achievement…

This update provides information for implementing the Nebraska Statewide Writing Assessment. It is intended to assist local educators in planning and preparing for the writing assessment being initiated in all public schools in Nebraska in grades 4, 8, and 11 in February 2001. The update continues the series of materials provided by the Nebraska…

This update provides information about the Nebraska Statewide Writing Assessment follow-up, the federal reporting of assessment information, and preparing the school District Assessment Portfolio. The information is intended to assist local educators in the reporting of local assessment information in June 2001. The update on the writing…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…