STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS

HOW TO USE THIS PRESENTATION DECK  This slide deck has been created by the U.S. Department of Education as a resource tool for the public and is part of a larger “bookshelf” of resources that may be found on the Department’s website.  Within the larger bookshelf, you will find individual resource “booklets” like this one, on topics ranging from early learning to higher education.  Together, these booklets provide facts and data on: – Progress in education reform – The challenges ahead – The U.S. Department of Education’s initiatives in these areas  Please view the notes section on each slide for additional information and resources.  The entire deck is in the public domain, and may be used and shared freely. 2

STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS:  Raising standards is a vital element of improving education systems. This effort has been led by states.  Standards refer to what students are expected to know and be able to do. Standards do not get into the question of what teachers teach, or how teachers teach.  More than 40 states have adopted and are implementing college- and career-ready standards to prepare all students for success in school and beyond. SETTING THE CONTEXT 3

STANDARDS: INCREASING RIGOR 24 million The number of students in the U.S. who have access to higher standards This includes about 4 million black students, 3.5 million Hispanic students, 2.8 million students with disabilities, and 1.5 million English learners HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS 4

“Schools need better ways to assess students’ continual progress. Parents have the right to know whether their children’s schools are teaching them what they need to know – and parents deserve better information than what comes from today’s simplistic bubble tests.” — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS:  Authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the federal Race to the Top Assessment Program provides funding to consortia of states to develop assessments that are valid, provide accurate information about what students know and can do, and support and inform instruction.  These assessments also are designed to measure student achievement against rigorous, college- and career-ready standards. A RACE TO THE TOP 7

“Smarter assessment means providing teachers, students, and families more timely and useful information—while taking less time out of the school day. Where schools and school districts test excessively, they should cut back. And where schools are spending too much time prepping for tests, they should cut back there as well. Great teaching, that’s what leads to real learning and strong results in assessments—not time spent on test prep.” — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS:  In the school year, 78 percent of students with special needs in third through 12 th grade took regular state reading assessments (with and without accommodations), while 19 percent of students with special needs took an alternative assessment.  When provided with accessible assessments, instruction, and accommodations—especially through the use of high-quality educational technologies—all students with special needs can meet the same high college and career goals as their nondisabled peers. 9 HOLDING ALL STUDENTS TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS

CRADLE TO COLLEGE AND CAREER Please see the additional slide deck “booklets” in this 13-part presentation for more information about needs and efforts in these areas:  Improving Education for all Students  Quality Early Learning  K-12 Education  Teachers & Leaders  STEM Education  Turnaround Schools  Safe Schools  Technology & Data  College Affordability & Completion  Ladders of Opportunity 10 IMPROVING EDUCATION ACROSS THE SPECTRUM