Using standards and assessments to improve learning

We are pleased to share with you an article recently published in Education Week, which discusses how the state of Minnesota used standards and assessments to improve its performance in math and science.

As the article notes, the state went through three phases: 1) it established standards for math and science based on the curricula of top-performing school systems and disseminated these standards among teachers to promote its use; 2) it participated in the TIMSS exam in 1995 and 2007 to ensure its standards were sufficiently rigorous; and 3) it carefully analyzed the results of TIMSS to derive lessons that could help improve math and science instruction in the classroom. These three steps seem to have allowed Minnesota to go from having an average performance to achieve at the same level as the most successful countries in global tests.

Ed Week | Standards Help Minn. Vie with Top Nations (requires subscription)