New Meridian
Interactive Learning Courses:
Assessment Literacy Basics
Assessment data is critical in understanding how our schools are serving students, and provides valuable insight into where students start and end their learning journey during a school year so we can best support their needs for success in school and in life.
Assessment literacy helps to shape opinions, knowledge and practices around
assessment that lead all stakeholders in our educational system – from parents to
teachers to administrators and policymakers – to make more informed decisions on how to best use assessment data to support student achievement and learning.
New Meridian, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, have developed
free Assessment Literacy Basics interactive learning courses. You will gain an understanding of the foundational elements of assessment, its use, and the types of decisions assessment supports throughout our educational system.
Each Individual Course Includes:
- 10-20 minutes of guided content presented with videos and graphics.
- Interactive “knowledge checks” throughout so the viewer can test their knowledge by applying what they have learned.
- Certificate of completion.
Assessment Literacy Basics Courses
Course 1: Balanced Assessment Systems
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Describe why it is important to assess student learning in multiple ways.
- Define the properties of a balanced assessment system, including what makes a
system “balanced”. - Identify common components of a balanced system and their features and uses.
- Explain the role of summative assessments in an assessment system.
DURATION: 10 minutes
Course 2: Statewide Summative Assessment
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the purpose and intended uses of statewide summative assessments.
- Describe how statewide summative assessments are designed and developed.
- Identify common types of items used on statewide summative assessments and
their value and limitations for measuring student learning. - Recognize the types of information statewide summative assessments provide.
- Recognize how a variety of stakeholders use the information provided by
statewide summative assessments.
DURATION: 10 minutes
Course 3: Data-Driven Decision-Making Using Summative Assessment Data
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the process of data-driven decision-making and its benefits in the context of education.
- Review the types of data statewide summative assessments provide.
- Detail how state education agencies can use statewide summative assessment data.
- Identify ways that district administrators, school administrators, and educators can use statewide summative assessment data.
- Understand how families and caregivers can use statewide summative assessment results.
DURATION: 10 minutes
BONUS – Course 2, Part 2: Maine Educational Assessment in Science
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and why NGSS-aligned assessment is important.
- Learn how the Maine Educational Assessment in Science measures achievement of the NGSS.
- Understand how Maine designed and implemented an NGSS-aligned science assessment.
DURATION: 10 minutes
After completing the courses, click here to generate your certificate of completion.