assessment Archives

Science achievement is not a one-year event

July 2, 2026 by Mindy Pearson, M.Ed., Penda Learning

Educational systems often encourage leaders to focus on immediate science achievement while science learning unfolds over many years.

District leaders are under increasing pressure to improve science achievement while balancing competing priorities, staffing challenges, instructional demands, and accountability expectations.

Literacy

6 keys to building a high-impact summer reading program

June 17, 2026 by Samantha Krzyzanowski, Hope for Youth and Families

In 2023, Bob Bolduc, the founder of Hope for Youth and Families, identified a gap in our student’s reading success here in Springfield, Massachusetts. He sought to identify…

Literacy

From fragmentation to fidelity: How Wayne-Westland built a literacy system that works

March 16, 2026 by Nancy Schulz, Wayne-Westland Community School District

Proper diagnostics create a foundation to help close the literacy gap and drive measurable outcomes for all students.

On the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about one in four fourth graders in Michigan scored at or above proficiency in reading--a stark reminder that too…

Durable Skills

Students must intentionally develop durable skills to thrive in an AI-dominated world

November 27, 2025 by ESchool Media Contributors

Durable skills are even more essential in the age of AI.

As AI increasingly automates technical tasks across industries, students’ long-term career success will rely less on technical skills alone and more on durable skills or professional skills, often referred…

Newsline

ACT and Texas Instruments Collaborate to Enhance Student Success in Mathematics

November 12, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Iowa City, Iowa and Dallas, Texas (November 12, 2025) – ACT, a leader in college and career readiness assessment, and ... Read more

Curriculum & Assessment

How teachers and administrators can overcome resistance to NGSS

October 9, 2025 by Nancy Nasr, Ed.D., Santa Paula Unified School District

A helpful first step is to approach the NGSS not as a set of standards, but rather a set of performance expectations.

Although the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were released more than a decade ago, adoption of them varies widely in California. I have been to districts that have…

Curriculum & Assessment

NAEP scores for class of 2024 show major declines, with fewer students college ready

September 26, 2025 by Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat

Students who took the NAEP were in eighth grade in March of 2020 and experienced a highly disrupted freshman year because of the pandemic.

Students from the class of 2024 had historically low scores on a major national test administered just months before they graduated.

Student Well-Being

Mental health screeners help ID hidden needs, research finds

August 21, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

The latest prototype of a DESSA risk screener enabled early identification of hidden mental health risk factors among middle school students.

A new DESSA screener to be released for the Fall ‘25 school year--designed to be paired with a strength-based student self-report assessment--accurately predicted well-being levels in 70 percent…

Live @ ISTE 2025

Showfloor News: AERDF highlights the latest PreK-12 discoveries and inventions

July 2, 2025July 1, 2025 by Laura Ascione

The Advanced Education Research & Development Fund (AERDF), a national nonprofit, and its awardees debuted the latest advancements and innovations in ... Read more

Live @ ISTE 2025

Showfloor News: West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional SD focuses on student data, achievement

June 30, 2025 by Laura Ascione

In a first of its kind agreement, New Jersey’s West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (WWP) announced a new partnership with Otus, the leading ... Read more

COVID in Schools

Family engagement is critical to COVID academic recovery

June 26, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Family engagement is essential to mitigating COVID-related learning challenges--and its impact extends far beyond test scores.

Family engagement is an essential part of continued COVID recovery, but is often misunderstood when education policy is formed, leading to a lack of involvement from families, caregivers,…

Students Using Lexia Core5 Reading Outperformed Their Peers On the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts/Literacy Assessment

June 25, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

BOSTON – In California, third- to fifth-grade students at 525 schools using Lexia Core5 Reading (Core5) from Lexia, a ... Read more

Newsline

Otus Awarded Practitioner-Informed Design Product Certification from Digital Promise

June 25, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Chicago (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, has been awarded the Practitioner-Informed Design product ... Read more

COVID in Schools

Did the pandemic reopen gender-based math gaps?

June 2, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Educators should ensure pandemic learning recovery efforts don’t inadvertently reinforce old math gaps--or allow new ones to take hold.

STEM gaps in achievement between boys and girls that took more than a decade to close were reopened in just four years, according to a new study from…

Newsline

Otus Launches AI Advisory Board to Bring Voices of K-12 Leaders to the Forefront of Innovation

May 14, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

CHICAGO, IL (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, today announced the formation of the ... Read more

Classroom Management

Beyond grades: Helping families support students academically

May 14, 2025 by Jacob Bruno, NWEA

Families can help students recover academically if they understand how their child is doing and how they can support academic success.

Five years ago, the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic, and we quickly retreated into our homes, shuttered schools, and socially isolated. The lasting effects of this isolation…

Literacy

Lights, camera, literacy: Student-created book reviews inspire a global reading culture

May 12, 2025 by Nesren El-Baz, ESL Educator

Video book reviews give students the opportunity to express themselves in meaningful ways--and increase engagement in reading.

When students become literacy influencers, reading transforms from a classroom task into a global conversation. Recent studies show that reading for pleasure among teens is at an all-time…

Newsline

Otus Wins Gold Stevie® Award for Customer Service Department of the Year

May 1, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

CHICAGO, IL (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, a leading provider of K-12 student data and assessment solutions, has been awarded a ... Read more

Digital Learning Tools

Rethinking student assessment: Tools and strategies for meaningful evaluation

April 10, 2025 by Jessica Campos, M. Ed, Mesquite Independent School District

Digital tools help educators move beyond one-size-fits-all tests to assessments that capture student growth in meaningful ways.

In today’s evolving educational landscape, effective student assessment goes beyond multiple-choice tests and letter grades. According to a recent study, over 60 percent of educators believe traditional assessments…

District Management

NAEP scores show disheartening trends for the lowest-performing students

November 7, 2025February 6, 2025 by Kalyn Belsha and Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat

The pandemic had a lasting impact on students, but the gap between high- and low-NAEP performers appears to have started about a decade ago.

Most American students are still performing below their pre-pandemic counterparts in reading and math, while the yawning gap between high-achieving and low-performing students got even wider, data from…

STEM & STEAM Trends

Using free resources to connect the environment to education

February 26, 2025February 6, 2025 by Merek Chang, Hacienda La Puente Unified School District

Drawing connections between classroom topics and industries through project-based learning better prepares students to think critically.

As a National Board-Certified Teacher, I love incorporating media literacy, environmental literacy, and civic engagement into my teaching. I want my students to think critically about how things…

Newsline

Newsela Acquires Generation Genius to Enhance Real-World Connections in Science and Math

February 5, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

NEW YORK (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Newsela, a leading provider of high-quality instructional and assessment products for K-12, announced today that ... Read more

Digital Learning Tools

Digital testing, AI, and personalized learning in 2025

January 10, 2025 by Dr. Shaan Patel, MD, MBA, Prep Expert

The digital future of education will be more flexible, inclusive, and tailored to prepare students for lifelong success.

2024 has been a transformative year within education. From the rise of technology use within education to the adaptation of free tuition programs at schools like MIT, the…

Classroom Learning

21 priorities for student success and learning in 2025

January 3, 2025 by Laura Ascione

K-12 student success plays a pivotal role in equity, innovation, and the future of the global economy--here's what experts have to say.

Improving student learning and student success is necessary for students to compete in a rapidly changing world that requires critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability.

Newsline

SchoolStatus Named to 2025 GSV 150 List of Most Transformational Growth Companies in Digital Learning

December 19, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Ridgeland, Mississippi — SchoolStatus, a leader in K-12 attendance, communications, and data analytics, today announced they have been included in the ... Read more

Newsline

Otus Announces Partnership with FIRST Educational Resources to Strengthen K-12 Support and Insights Nationwide

December 3, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

CHICAGO (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, announced today a partnership with FIRST Educational ... Read more

Newsline

Virginia Department of Education Approves the IXL Diagnostic as an Alternative Assessment to the Virginia Growth Assessments

December 2, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

SAN MATEO, Calif./PRNewswire/ — IXL, the award-winning personalized learning platform used by 16 million students, announced that the Virginia Department of ... Read more

Newsline

Otus and Discovery Education Forge New Strategic Partnership to Maximize Student Achievement Nationwide

November 14, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Chicago, IL and Charlotte, NC — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, and Discovery Education, the global ... Read more

Newsline

HMH Launches Performance Suite: A Unified Solution for Curriculum, Assessment and Professional Development

November 7, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

BOSTON – Adaptive learning company HMH today announced HMH Performance Suite–a first-of-its-kind teaching and learning solution that integrates assessment, Tier 1 curriculum ... Read more

District Management

Helping K-12 leaders use data more effectively and confidently

October 29, 2024 by Tatiana Ciccarelli, NWEA

Data use can be an obstacle that even the most skilled K-12 leaders struggle with--for many, it can feel like too much.

Data is an essential aspect of a school’s culture. At the leadership level, data can be used to identify trends, validate conjectures, monitor progress and check the efficacy…

STEM & STEAM Trends

Pandemic-related science losses hit underrepresented groups harder

October 3, 2024 by NWEA Staff

The first large-scale, in-depth analysis shows uneven post-pandemic recovery in science achievement across the elementary and middle grades.

When it comes to post-pandemic academic recovery, much discussion centers on math and reading--but science learning losses are lingering, with some groups disproportionately impacted.

Newsline

Proximity Learning Partners With LinkIt! To Empower Certified Virtual Teachers With Advanced Assessment Solutions

September 4, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

AUSTIN, Texas–( BUSINESS WIRE)–Proximity Learning Inc., the pioneering provider of synchronous virtual instruction for K-12 education, announced today its partnership ... Read more

AI in Education

How AI can transform lesson planning and assessment

August 14, 2024August 12, 2024 by Meenu Sethi

With the right approach to AI, teachers can make unparalleled strides in personalization, and accessibility in lesson plans and assessment.

Teaching is an uphill battle that grows harder and more exacting as the years roll by. Between budgetary constraints, bandwidth crunches, and a constantly changing syllabus, teachers have…

Newsline

Really Great Reading® and OxEd & Assessment (OxEd) Partner to Bring Comprehensive Oral Language Solutions to the US Market

August 7, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Washington DC – Really Great Reading®, a leader in foundational reading instruction, and OxEd & Assessment (OxEd), a University of ... Read more

COVID in Schools

The pandemic’s lasting impact on young learners

July 26, 2024 by Laura Ascione

Longitudinal data show post-pandemic recovery is occurring at an uneven pace for different student populations and different learners.

Young students require more learning support to remain on pace with historical academic growth trends, according to new research from Curriculum Associates, which unveils national data on the…

Featured on eSchool News

Online and Hybrid Learning Strategies: eSN Innovation Roundtable

July 22, 2024 by Laura Ascione

District edtech leaders discuss approaches to online and hybrid learning pre- and post-pandemic--and what the future holds.

We can't discuss online and hybrid learning without acknowledging the role the COVID-19 pandemic played in forcing districts to move fully online for virtual instruction, later paving the…

Curriculum & Assessment

6 tips to select the right assessments for your district

July 19, 2024 by Laura Ascione

The right assessments and tools can help educators and district leaders accurately measure students' academic progress.

Ensuring student achievement is on track is critical, particularly as post-pandemic academic progress still remains slower for some student groups.

Newsline

Fort Worth Independent School District Selects Metrasens as Weapons Detection Solution for Graduations and Extracurricular Events

June 25, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, (PRNewswire-PRWeb) – Metrasens, a recognized leader in advanced detection systems for security and safety applications, today announced its ... Read more

Live @ ISTE 2024

BrainPop at 25—New CPO Jay Chakrapani discusses the past, present, and plans for the future.

June 24, 2024June 21, 2024 by Kevin Hogan

Tim and Moby are getting up there. But according to Brainpop Chief Product Officer Jay Chakrapani, they aren’t slowing down. ... Read more

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