Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) Project Manager Daniel J. Quinn has published a review of a new book exploring alternatives to standardized testing as a means to assessing students’ knowledge and improving education.
Dr. Quinn’s review of Beyond Testing, by Deborah Meier and Matthew Knoester, was published by the Mid-Western Educational Researcher. You can read the review here.
In Beyond Testing, the authors assert that standardized tests oversimplify the types of learning that occur and divert attention from other assessments of schools and student performance. They recommend that other approaches, including student self-assessments, teacher observations, and discussions about what learning looks like, would be more effective.
Dr. Quinn, who has a Ph.D. in educational leadership, has coordinated research studies on various education issues in collaboration with academic researchers and policy makers. Before joining PPA, he was a teacher and the executive director of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.
You can contact Dr. Quinn at 517-485-4477 or dquinn@publicpolicy.com