FutureEd Report on COVID-19 Assessment Needs Cites Turnaround

A report by FutureEd outlines how schools should assess students going into the new school year amidst the changes caused by COVID-19. Researched and written by FutureEd Senior Fellow Lynn Olson, Blueprint For Testing indicates how schools should be gauging where students are in their learning and development, and the types of assessments that should be focused on to aid in educational recovery. 

Findings from a number of industry experts and educational organizations are featured, including Turnaround for Children and Turnaround Founder and Senior Science Advisor, Pamela Cantor M.D.

The report suggests that schools conduct needs assessments as children return in order to learn about their experience with remote learning and what they need in terms of assistance. In discussing the necessity of having students’ basic needs met, Cantor is quoted:

“If you think of Maslow’s hierarchy, we want to make sure kids are safe and their basic needs are being met,” says Pamela Cantor, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the founder and senior science advisor at Turnaround for Children, which helps schools implement science-based practices to address adversity and improve school outcomes. “You can’t get to instruction and the kind of work that we want kids to be able to do, unless we attend to those non-negotiable conditions.”

The report goes on to outline a timeline for continuing assessments, with wellness checks and assessments being suggested for the first few weeks of instruction. The timeline includes suggested dates for administering assessments related to classroom instruction, social-emotional states, school culture, and student progress. 

Read the full report here.