The Common Core State Standards Initiative offers an unprecedented opportunity for states to collaborate to improve the quality, cost-effectiveness and comparability of their assessment systems. While adoption of the common standards and assessments is a state decision (to date, 25 states are implementing the Standards), states that adopt the Standards are being encouraged to employ only one or two summative assessments to be administered across all states.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top Assessment Program will make up to $350 million available for the remaining three state consortia to develop what has been called the "next generation" of higher quality assessments. While each consortium has chosen to emphasize a different set of priorities in the short term, they both have agreed to establish testing programs that meet these overarching principles of next-generation assessments:

• Assessments need to be fully aligned with the Common Core Standards and measure the full breadth and depth of knowledge and skills described in the standards.
• Assessment results are to offer a range of sophisticated data necessary to support decision making at all levels, including indicators as to whether students are ready or "on track" to be ready for college and careers; measures of student growth over time in addition to annual performance against standards; and information on how students perform compared with their international peers.
• States must create coherent assessment systems comprised of multiple integrated components, including a variety of interim or benchmark assessments that inform, support and improve classroom instruction, rather than continuing to rely on one annual test to accomplish too many purposes.

Quantile Measures Support "Next-Generation" Assessments

The Quantile^® Framework for Mathematics supports each of these key principles of next-generation assessments. MetaMetrics^® partners with state education departments and test publishers to conduct a study that links (or equates) a test’s underlying mathematics scale with the Quantile^® scale. These linking studies enable students' mathematics assessment results to be reported as a Quantile measure. A growing number of mathematics assessments and programs are linked with the Quantile Framework. The Quantile Framework brings value to instructional and assessment products by bridging the gap between student ability and task demand. Since the Quantile Framework is a developmental scale, it can be used not only to anchor instruction to state standards and the Common Core Standards, but also to target resources and monitor progress in mathematics. In addition, these instruments will provide actionable, Quantile-based information to determine if students have the mathematical skills necessary to meet the demands required for college and careers.

• For more information on Quantile measures, click here.
• For more information on how the Quantile measure can support various levels of assessment, click here.
• For a list of mathematics assessments and programs that report Quantile measures, click here.
• For more information on linking an assessment with the Quantile Framework, click here.

For more information on developing a new, Quantile-linked assessment, contact Trilby Berger, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, at tberger@Quantiles.com.

Please contact us at webinfo@Quantiles.com or 1-888-539-4537 with questions.

Click here to learn how Lexile^® measures support the Common Core Standards’ goal of preparing students for the text demands of college and careers.