Education

Accountability, or Mastery?

April 24, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Instituting performance-based assessments that link content to skills is a promising new approach to redesigning high schools, writes Joseph DiMartino in this Education Week Commentary. Two states—New Hampshire and Rhode Island—are adopting just such an approach, in which students must demonstrate their mastery of content through hands-on, real-world situations.

These programs may be a catalyst for change across an educational landscape overwhelmingly characterized by standardized testing, writes DiMartino. Such programs will drive curriculum, motivate students, and change the relationship between students and teachers in a positive way. The focus on real-world situations would also better prepare students for the workforce.

What do you think? Can performance assessment lead to better student outcomes than accountability testing alone? Can nontraditional strategies coexist and survive in an accountability-oriented education system?

A version of this news article first appeared in the TalkBack blog.

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read