Testing Our Teaching: Embracing Assessment

President's Corner

As education leaders, we have a moral imperative to educate every child, providing a quality education that meets all children’s needs and prepares them for success. One of our most powerful tools in this work is also one of the most often overlooked or devalued: student assessment.

Educational assessment practices have been debated in schools, communities and legislative chambers for decades. These discussions often center on controversies and fears about standardized tests, from their misuse as a political cudgel in the name of school accountability, to the dangers of defensively “teaching to the test,” to the inequities of high-stakes tests for diverse and disadvantaged students.

These discussions often overlook the real educational value of a comprehensive assessment strategy. Effective assessment systems are more than just tools for collecting data. They are catalysts for instructional improvement.

At its core, testing provides a clear, evidence-based window into how well students are learning and where additional inputs are needed. When used well, assessment provides critical insights into student learning, guides instruction and shapes policy and resource decisions to best serve students.

Formative assessments such as quizzes and check-ins give teachers real-time feedback on student progress, allowing immediate adjustments in classroom instruction and individual interventions.

Interim assessments identify areas where students need support or enrichment and reveal strengths, weaknesses and trends in the effectiveness of our instruction.

Summative assessments such as annual state tests offer insight into long-term trends and learning growth across schools.

Together, formative, interim and summative assessments allow us to monitor both individual student progress and the systemic effectiveness of our instructional strategies.

At the classroom level, assessment results help teachers differentiate instruction by identifying student needs and providing individual interventions, supports and extensions. Assessment results also show teachers where whole-class interventions are required.

At the school and district levels, leaders can identify strengths and weaknesses, recognize gaps, and effectively allocate resources to improve instruction. Disaggregated test data often reveal achievement gaps among demographic groups. Without assessment data, we would be flying blind, less able to pinpoint problems, recognize systemic inequities or determine effective solutions.

It’s important to remember that assessment’s value is not the test results but what those results tell us about our instruction. The goal isn’t higher test scores but better student learning, as reflected in those scores.

Our students are not numbers on a spreadsheet but complex and unique individuals with diverse talents, interests and needs. To be most effective, testing should be low-stakes for students and high-import for educators and education leaders.

Effectively using a comprehensive, aligned assessment system gives school leaders the data-driven insights needed to make informed policy decisions, target resources, guide instruction and enhance educational equity.

In a positive culture of assessment, teachers recognize the value of data when used properly to provide just-in-time interventions and appropriate supports. School leaders ensure teachers have the time and training to review data results as a cadre — to look at trends, uncover patterns and work together to develop interventions. They recognize that effective, equitable instruction is possible only when educators have feedback on student learning to address individual needs, and everyone in the district is committed to high standards and student success.

When we embrace assessment and use it effectively, we don’t just measure learning. We empower educators, support students and lead our districts toward greater success.

Gustavo Balderas is AASA president in 2024-25.