Confront the emerging assessment crisis in American education
Rick Stiggins details profound changes in the mission of our schools that requires a bold new vision of excellence in assessment in those schools. He combines decades of experience with international research to define a vision that uses assessment to supercharge student learning, not merely measure it―to support student growth, not merely hold schools accountable for it.Revolutionize Assessment:
- Begins with a unique analysis from the student’s point of view of the motivational psychology of being evaluated in the classroom
- Offers strategies for engaging students in self-assessment in ways that maximize their engagement and confidences as they learn
- Details the long-missing conditions of classroom assessment literacy that must be in place in local schools for Rick’s vision to become reality
- Reveals how gains in student achievement can narrow achievement gaps when teachers are given the tools needed to use "assessment for learning"
"Noted authority Rick Stiggins offers an important ′wake up call′ as he documents how our nation has lost its way on the assessment road, and offers a hopeful prescription for how we can reclaim the promise of assessments that truly support meaningful learning." ―
Jay McTighe, Co-author of the Understanding by Design® series "I want this book in the hands of every teacher and school leader in American Schools."
―Sharon Robinson, Executive Director of the Association of American Colleges of Teacher Education and of the Learning First AllianceRick Stiggins has devoted his professional life to understanding keys to student academic success in the classroom. His mission has been to help teachers, school leaders, policy makers, and school communities apply research-based policies and classroom practices that help all students experience the highest-possible levels of learning success.
His preparation to fulfill this mission began as a psychology major at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, followed by doctoral studies in educational psychology at Michigan State University. Rick’s focus on keys to student success was sharpened with early career experiences at the University of Minnesota, on the research staff of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) in Portland, Oregon, and as a visiting scholar at Stanford University. During this phase of his own development, Rick spent over a decade in classrooms with students and teachers researching and striving to understand (1) the task demands teachers face in managing the day-to-day classroom assessment process, and (2) how that process can positively impact students’ motivation, actions, and achievement, as well as their sense of themselves as learners.
With this foundation of understanding in hand, Rick founded the Assessment Training Institute (ATI) in 1992 in Portland, a professional development company whose mission was to promote the “assessment literacy.” He and his team developed and disseminated print, video, and online offerings that help educators, parents, and school communities in general learn to gather dependable evidence of student achievement and use that evidence effectively to develop truly effective instructional practices. Rick and the ATI team turned the spotlight onto the breakthrough practice of using “assessment for learning” or of engaging students in ongoing self-monitoring and management of their own growth while it is happening.
Primary among the materials Rick and his team created has been an award-winning professional text for teachers titled An Introduction to Student-Involved Assessment for Learning, now available in its seventh edition (Chappuis & Stiggins, 2017). In addition, he has authored numerous books, articles, and other writings on sound practice for pre- and in-service training, community outreach, and educational leadership that have helped literally hundreds of thousands of teachers, school leaders, and community leaders around the world improve their classroom practice, educational leadership capabilities, and professional confidence. Through these channels, it is safe to assume that Rick’s work has impacted the learning and self-confidence of millions of students over the past forty years.
