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Op-ed: Why standardized testing still matters in Missouri
This opinion piece originally appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By Eric Syverson, Director of Policy & Research, Aligned. Across the nation, skepticism toward statewide assessment is rising. Teachers and families increasingly question whether traditional testing supports learning or just consumes valuable instructional…
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Introducing the Aligned Data Matrix
Money matters. But money alone doesn’t guarantee better results. The Aligned Data Matrix is our education finance data hub that lets you compare funding and student outcomes across Missouri school districts, visualize patterns over time, and identify where investment and achievement diverge. Use it…
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Missouri to Pilot a New Way to Test Students
For years, educators have raised a problem with assessments: testing students only after instruction ends, when it’s too late to help them improve. Traditionally, states have used end-of-year exams to measure student performance against academic standards, but those tests do little to inform day-to-day…
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72% of Kansas 8th Graders Aren’t Proficient in Math
In Kansas, an unacceptable number of students are struggling in math. Right now, 72% of Kansas 8th graders are below proficient in math. That’s not just a disappointing statistic. It’s a flashing red warning light for the future of our workforce, our economy, and…
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Access nonpartisan research and news about the policies shaping education in Kansas and Missouri.