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In this issue of the Reimagining College Access newsletter: Review of the 4th annual RCA convening, the feasibility of admissions lotteries in higher education admissions, and how districts are expanding the use personalized, competency-based education.
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In this issue of the Reimagining College Access newsletter: Updates on activities from regional RCA initiatives, the latest national news on performance assessment, and recent research and updates to the Common App.
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Many educators seeking to transform schools to allow more student-centered, inquiry-driven, and community-connected approaches to whole child learning face a wide range of institutional barriers. Nevertheless, thousands of schools have been redesigned to promote more student-centered principles, and these schools have created networks that provide schools with models for adopting methods that nurture the whole child.
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Early childhood assessments can provide important information to guide instruction and inform policy. Given the widespread and growing use of statewide kindergarten entry assessments, it is important to understand how to choose and use assessments wisely. This brief summarizes research and provides recommendations for state policymakers about how to select, develop, and implement high-quality assessments that can both improve policy systems and support equitable learning.
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Kindergarten entry assessments, when well designed and well used, have the potential to support high-quality equitable learning by guiding instruction and supporting whole child development. However, when poorly designed or misused they can foster poor teaching practices and exacerbate inequity. Some states and districts have developed thoughtful, holistic systems that can be used from preschool through early elementary school to support developmentally appropriate instruction.
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Thanks to unprecedented funding from the American Rescue Plan and other federal, state, and local resources, school districts across the country are leveraging several evidence-informed strategies to accelerate learning and support student wellbeing. Local initiatives include conducting formative assessments to measure and support students’ growth and health, providing high-quality tutoring that is connected to classroom instruction, and expanding learning time.
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In this issue of the Reimagining College Access newsletter: RCA holds first Leading Places Community meeting, the impact of test-optional admissions, and data analysis reveals a racial gap for in-state student enrollment.
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High-quality early childhood experiences depend upon ongoing formative assessments. High-quality assessments enable teachers to monitor each student’s changing skills and competencies and to tailor instruction to reinforce children’s strengths and support individualized growth. Aggregated assessment data can also be used to identify system-level patterns, strengths, and gaps that can inform equitable resource allocation and investments in early childhood and elementary programs and initiatives.
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In this issue of the Reimagining College Access newsletter: RCA establishes Regional Collaborative in California, new commission on racial equity in admissions, and report urges University of California to not add a new admissions test.
Anna MaierJulie AdamsDion BurnsMaya KaulMarisa SaundersCharlie Thompson
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Performance assessments are a strategy to improve educational outcomes, but relatively little research examines the key conditions needed to support the implementation of high-quality performance assessments at the district, school, and classroom levels. Initiatives in three California school districts—Los Angeles, Oakland, and Pasadena—provide lessons learned and showcase the role districts can play in facilitating the effective use of performance assessments.
