I know that the timing is tough– educators are already grappling with a new evaluation system and the Common Core State Standards. But I see three opportunities for teachers, schools, and districts when building measures of student growth.

Here they are, in reverse order:

#3: When selecting a DDM, teachers choose from non-traditional measures like portfolios and performance assessments. In many schools these methods are already in place– think running records and collections of student writing.  Portfolios and performance assessments are less of a drain on instructional time than multiple choice tests.

#2: Teachers are building DDMs that are meaningful and useful. DESE says teachers ought to measure what matters most to them– and do so in a way that provides useful information.

#1: These new assessments are district-determined; they are selected and constructed locally, not in Malden or at Pearson’s corporate headquarters.