For too long have bubble choice tests and busy, numeric scale surveys littered the educational measurement landscape. It’s time for a little housekeeping.
In our quest to become more evidence-based in educational systems, we use student tests and Likert-scale surveys to evaluate everything under the sun. Our efforts are well-intended, but the consequences have been dire. We sense that we make a large logic leap when we use data that are intended to measure system outcomes as indicators of a small part of that system. Our love of “quick and easy” tools has made a mess of them.
But together we can fix this. It will require a commitment from all of us.
Let’s transform how we measure what matters in teaching and learning.
Let’s go…
| From… | To… |
| Measuring everything | Measuring the important things |
| Measuring around the veneer | Measuring near the roots |
| Measuring reaction, agreement, and frequency | Measuring competency, knowledge transfer, and changes in behaviors and systems |
| Assessing by extracting information from individuals | Assessing by involving individuals and teams in shared assessment and evaluation experiences |
| Assessing to inform program leaders and developers | Assessing to inform, educate, and empower all stakeholders |
| Assessment of learning | Assessment for learning |
| Assessing for hygiene | Assessing for transformation |