Local assessment data collection and analysis
In general, statewide assessments serve the primary purpose of providing year-end accountability by aggregating data that help educators to compare classroom, school, and district performance. However, the statewide results usually arrive too late to help guide instruction—at least for the students in a teacher’s current class. In addition, state tests require students to choose from pre selected answers printed on the form, while many creative thinkers might choose other, equally correct answers.
In contrast, local assessments are timely and provide more detailed information about individual student progress toward achieving grade-level standards. By identifying learning gaps in a timely manner, teachers can adapt instruction rather than waiting all year to find out what a student does not know. Teachers can also use classroom responses, handheld devices, homework results, and authentic assessments that assess student creativity and problem solving. State assessments are primarily multiple-choice, machine-scored instruments. Local assessments can take a variety of forms. For example, statewide tests do not measure skills identified in the English language arts standards for listening or speaking—skills that are difficult to measure in a selected-response format. In the classroom, however, assessments become part of the learning process as students demonstrate their grasp of standards or concepts through responses to questions, projects, and oral and written reports. These local assessments help students to practice higher levels of thinking and problem solving and help prepare them for the global economy, where they will need to think creatively and "outside the box."
Related Links
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California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) and English learners
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Common benchmark assessments