Improving standards and assessments
All students deserve access to great schools, colleges, careers, and opportunity. Yet, the fact is our education policies and classroom practices could be doing more to reach all our students. We must make certain that all students, including English Learners and those with special needs, who have historically been underserved, are able to thrive.
Any bold change requires great courage, not just to begin a transformation, but also to truly stay the course toward ongoing growth and improvement in public schools. Teachers, students, and parents can’t make this shift alone; we need our states, cities, districts, unions, administrators, and communities to support them along the way as we continue to implement rigorous standards.
As teachers, we know the strengths and weaknesses of assessments. Standardized testing can greatly benefit students, teachers, and schools by providing meaningful feedback about where students are succeeding and where they need additional support. At the same time, we must ensure that assessments are aligned with curricula, accurately capture student learning, and that the results are shared in a timely manner so that they can be used to inform instruction. While standardized testing is a useful tool to assess student learning, it should be used in concert with other tools, such as portfolios and more informal assessments, to track academic progress.
We believe in holding schools, school systems, leaders, and ourselves accountable for the progress of all students. Assessment data could be used to inform professional development, identifying areas where we need support and where we are strong. This would allow for more targeted training, as well as be helpful in identifying accomplished teachers to lead that training.
High-quality, well-aligned assessments are an important source of data that can assist us in identifying where our students need support, as well as where we can improve.
Together, we can offer the kind of deeper learning that allows both students and teachers to grow to their full potential.
All Policy Papers
Every Student Counts
May 2024
Skyline Report
April 2024
A Better Curriculum
October 2020
One School for All
May 2016
Success for All
September 2015
One School of Thought
May 2015
Paths for All
March 2015
None of the Above
August 2014
A Path Forward
March 2014
All News
E4E-CT Organizer Ernest Bailey Speaks on Fully Funding Education at the Appropriations Education Subcommittee Hearing
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Connecticut
Ernest Bailey
Dear members of the committee: Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of fully funding education by expediting the ECS phase to coincide with the federal dollars running out. My name is...
E4E-CT State Director Daniel Pearson Speaks on Fully Funding Education
Friday, February 18, 2022
Connecticut
Daniel Pearson, State Director, Educators for Excellence-Connecticut (E4E-CT)
Dear Senator Osten, Representative Walker, and members of the Appropriations Committee My name is Daniel Pearson and I am the State Director for Educators for Excellence, a teacher-led nonprofit with...
Fully Funding Education at the Appropriations Ed. Subcommittee Hearing
Friday, February 18, 2022
Connecticut
Sara Kovack, Organizer
Dear members of the committee: Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of fully funding education by expediting the ECS phase to coincide with the federal dollars running out. My name is...
Educators for Excellence Reacts to the Biden Administration Announcement on Assessments
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
National
February 23 (New York) — Educators for Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization that seeks to elevate the voices of teachers in education policy, today applauded the Biden administration’s...
State Department of Education Votes on New Guidelines for Class of 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Boston
By: Crystal Haynes Boston 25 News E4E-Boston Executive Director Sarah Iddrissu discusses Massachusetts’ change to graduation requirements due to COVID-19. Watch the full...
Teacher voices on NCLB
Friday, January 16, 2015
Los Angeles
Original blog post in¬†Education Week’s¬†“Teaching While Leading” blog by Phylis Hoffman. Representatives, political analysts, and union leaders have spoken out in the recent...