Thus, we recommend that NAEP results be used only in those cases where the tests align with state standards. If schools are to be held accountable, they must have access to resource materials that incorporate the standards of their state into the curriculum. Teachers and curriculum leaders will need support so they can understand and be ready to teach to students the knowledge, skills, and proficiencies defined by the state standards and measured by annual assessments. Teachers should also have ready access to the intended goals of their instruction. They must understand that their responsibility is to teach to the broader domains of proficiency as defined by state standards, not to questions or problems contained in a single, isolated test form.
Effective teaching is a key to improving student achievement.
In the final analysis, assessment and instruction must mesh, and only teachers can ensure that this happens. Inc. All rights reserved .