Use Assessment To Serve All Students Better

  • Thursday, June 25, 2020

COVID-19 has presented tremendous challenges to students, teachers, parents, and districts for the past several months. Educators and families across Tennessee have responded with innovation and commitment to serve students throughout this difficult time. Given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, the recent call to suspend statewide assessment for the 2020-21 school year is premature and would result in the loss of important information about student academic progress.

Educators use assessment data to inform instruction. Losing multiple years of data can intensify gaps in learning and magnify equity challenges across the state.

As we lead up to school reopening this fall, we strongly encourage policymakers at the local and state level to protect tools, like assessment, used by educators to serve all students in Tennessee.

David Mansouri
State Collaborative on Reforming Education

Opinion
Jerry Summers: Those Who Ignore History!
Jerry Summers: Those Who Ignore History!
  • 7/7/2025

A recent discovery of Volume 2 of “The History of Hamilton County and Chattanooga, Tennessee” by Zella Armstrong (1940- The Lookout Publishing Company) presents a poignant reminder that what ... more

Senator Blackburn: On AI, Congress Just Provided A Huge Win For Children, Creators And Conservatives
  • 7/7/2025

Last week, the Senate passed President Trump’s landmark legislation to make America great again, the One Big Beautiful Bill. Among its provisions, there is so much to celebrate: The largest tax ... more

The Federal Government Should Be Out Of The Healthcare Business
  • 7/6/2025

The federal government should be completely out of the healthcare business - excepting VA and military hospitals and maybe a few others. It should be a state issue. That does not mean that ... more