Ten Assessment Literacy Goals for School Leaders

Book excerpt: "Of all school-related factors that influence student learning, only classroom instruction has greater impact than leadership. And leaders have the greatest impact when they set direction, citing that the goals and purpose they provide serves to strengthen and solidify the faculty. The ten competencies for school leaders described in this book are based on a few factors. First, standards-driven reform has created new knowledge requirements and responsibilities for school leaders. In today's systems, sorting students along a bell curve and artificially creating winners and losers has been replaced by a mission that all students must learn well. Instead of a curriculum focused on what a teacher should teach, the curriculum identifies what students must know and be able to do. These standards are public, and communicate what a state or district values when it comes to student learning. Assessing the standards day to day, not through large-scale accountability tests or even local short-cycle or common assessments, is a requirement for effective standards-based reform. Second is the reward of improved student learning brought about by the use of classroom assessment for learning. Assessment for learning has implications not just for school leaders but also for broader educational practice: The research is conclusive, and improved learning lies within the grasp of anyone wishing to apply it. What does it look like when school leaders demonstrate mastery of the Ten Assessment Competencies? Included in the book are examples, learning activities, and opportunities for practice as well as success indicators for each competency as leaders work toward mastery"--