Beyond the Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st Century Learning

Chapter 10Building Systems of Assessment for Deeper Learning

David T. Conley and Linda Darling-Hammond

Reform of educational standards and assessments has been a constant theme in nations around the world. As part of an effort to keep up with countries that appear to be lengthening their educational lead over the United States, the nation’s governors and chief state school officers have issued the Common Core State Standards to specify the literacy and numeracy skills needed for success in the modern world. This goal has profound implications for teaching and testing. Genuine readiness for college and careers, as well as participation in today’s democratic society, requires, as President Obama has noted, much more than “bubbling in” answers ...