The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment

In The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment, David T. Conley presents the case for a new, comprehensive system of assessment using different measurements for different purposes. Changes in the goals of education, he argues, demand forms of assessment that go beyond merely ranking students to supporting the ambitious aim of helping all students meet career and college readiness goals. In his book, Conley describes the interplay between assessment and learning, and shows how "next generation" approaches can produce results that are more effective in informing classroom instruction. Acknowledging the complexity and limitations of many of these novel approaches, he suggests that rather than relying on a system built on a single measure--high-stakes, multiple-choice tests--what is needed is a system that draws on a more diverse portfolio of personalized assessments. With decades of experience in learning and assessment, Conley outlines how next generation models can support ambitious learning for all students. "David Conley lucidly explains how current and next generation assessments can be coalesced to benefit our students." --W. James Popham, professor emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles "David Conley seeks to provoke a much-needed dialogue about the assessments we need, how they differ from assessments that dominate the educational landscape, and why change is needed. If assessment is to serve as a positive force for educational improvement, then policy makers, practitioners, and researchers need to pay serious attention to Conley's ideas and principles about next generation assessment." --James W. Pellegrino, codirector of the Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago David T. Conley is a professor of educational policy and leadership and director of the Center for Educational Policy Research in the College of Education at the University of Oregon.