Beyond Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure School Quality

by Jack Schneider

When it comes to sizing up America’s public schools, test scores are the go-to metric of state policy makers and anxious parents looking to place their children in the “best” schools. Yet ample research indicates that standardized tests are a poor way to measure a school’s performance. It is time―indeed past time―to rethink this system, Jack Schneider says.

Beyond Test Scores reframes current debates over school quality by offering new approaches to educational data that can push us past our unproductive fixation on test scores. Using the highly diverse urban school district of Somerville, Massachusetts, as a case study, Schneider and his research team developed a new framework to more fairly and comprehensively assess educational effectiveness. And by adopting a wide range of measures aligned with that framework, they were able to more accurately capture a broader array of school strengths and weaknesses. Their new data not only provided parents, educators, and administrators with a clearer picture of school performance, but also challenged misconceptions about what makes a good school.

With better data, Schneider shows, stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels can undo the damage of present accountability systems and build greater capacity in our schools. Policy makers, administrators, and school leaders can better identify where assistance is needed. Educators can engage in more evidence-based decision making. And parents can make better-informed choices for their children. Perhaps most importantly, better data can facilitate communication among all these groups, allowing them to take collective action toward shared, concrete goals.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 14, 2017

Reviews

[Maughn Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best resource I've read on how we do and should evaluate schools. Schneider's approach is evidence based, deeply humane, and politically progressive. I'll be using this book in my masters course on the history, ethics and politics of educational assessment.

[Andy Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is responsible for measuring school and district success.

Although I did not read every paragraph word-for-word, the concepts are well-articulated and improve upon No Child Left Behind's exclusive focus on Big Standardized Tests as the key measure of student and school-wide success.

I recommend checking out this link https://www.mciea.org/school-quality-... for the latest iteration of the ideas in this important resource!

[Naomi te Wildt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to find books that talk about what parents should look for in a school. Schneider does a great job explaining the drawbacks of using standardized testing data and articulating what other data parent should look for. Long story short, test score growth is less biased than test scores, but student portfolio evaluation is less biased than test score growth.

Schneider recommends that parents should consider: 1. the teaching (pg 110; knowledge/skill and the teaching environment), 2. the school culture (pg 119; includes safety, relationships, and academic orientation), 3. school resources (pg 127; facilities and personnel, learning resources, and community support), and 4. Academic learning (p. 136; performance, commitment to learning, critical thinking, college/career readiness).

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, he makes a compelling case for completely changing the way that we measure student achievement and progress as a way of evaluating our schools.

I’ve long thought that high stakes testing was an incomplete and not terribly accurate measure of student performance, but understood why it’s so popular for policymakers. The author carefully outlines accountability measures that might provide a better picture of what is going on inside schools, and provides questions for parents and teachers to ask regarding performance that will better inform them as they make education decisions.

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very inspiring and full of great knowledge and research. What I am missing in this book, is more information about the method they have created to measure school quality. It fills not enough in my opinion. I would have loved to hear more about the ideas behind it and how it worked out.

The chapter about the history of test and scores is very solid. It is always important to understand the roots.

Recommended for any teacher, student, and parent. Each country should work with the controversial attempt to rate schools and this book is a great starting point for discussion.

[Katharine Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much educational policy and parent school choice is based off raw standardized test score data, which is often misunderstood. Schneider deftly shows how deeply flawed it is to use test scores as a primary evaluation tool for schools and teachers, and proposes alternative models.

While most interesting to policy makers and educators, there are a number of sections which parents will find illuminating and helpful.

[Jessica Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

While he reiterates that he has built only a framework designed for change and adaptation, I believe that he touches on the number of aspects that make up a school and I really like his suggestion to parents to consider their own values when choosing a school. Made me reflect on my own experiences and enhances a lot of previous knowlege.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good resource for thinking about what qualities are correlated with a good educational environment. It helped me evaluate my school and motivated me to stay involved as a parent volunteer.

[Taylor Stenley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this book was so boring. Good information but I’ve read a ton of non-fiction books that are actually engaging - this is not one of them.

[Katie Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful as a parent.