Posts by Susan Lyons

Lyons Assessment Consulting, WCEPS, and KnowledgeWorks explore how to evaluate the quality of innovative assessments that promote deeper learning in their new report, “Evaluating Technical Quality in the Context of Assessment Innovation.” The publication offers a case study, policy insights, and a call to rethink federal peer review processes, as part of The K12 Research for Equity Hub led by EduDream.

Charlie DePascale and Susan Lyons discuss key insights from Fundamentals and Flaws of Standards-Based Testing, reflecting on lessons from three decades in large-scale state testing and their implications for the future of educational assessment.

Lyons Assessment Consulting and UCLA CRESST, with support from Unwind Media, explored whether online Solitaire gameplay on Solitaired.com can serve as a scalable, engaging tool for cognitive assessment. Analyzing data from over 3,500 players, the study found that mean move time and age were the strongest predictors of performance on validated cognitive tests. The results highlight online Solitaire’s potential as a platform for large-scale, inclusive cognitive assessment, while underscoring the importance of continued validation and careful score interpretation.

This week, our Research Associate, Samuel Ihlenfeldt, presented with colleagues and partners Kirsten Taylor Carr, Cedar Rose, and Zachary Warner at CCSSO’s National Conference on Student Assessment. They discussed innovation in state assessment and pathways for improving the federal peer review process. Congratulations on an engaging and impactful presentation!

We’re thrilled to share a new article published in Educational Assessment this week, “Leveraging Students’ Cultural and Linguistic Assets for Assessment: A Framework for Culturally Conscious Assessment in the Chicago Public Schools.” This chapter introduces a framework for justice-oriented assessment use to evaluate the appropriateness of proposed uses of educational assessments within culturally and linguistically diverse societies. A huge thank you to co-authors Maria Elena Oliveri and Mya Poe and book editors Carla Evans and Cathy Taylor for making this possible!

We’re excited to announce the publishing of, “A Framework for Enacting Equity Aims in Assessment Use,” in the open-access volume, “Culturally Responsive Assessment in Classrooms and Large-Scale Contexts. 🌟 This chapter introduces a framework for justice-oriented assessment use to evaluate the appropriateness of proposed uses of educational assessments within culturally and linguistically diverse societies. A huge thank you to co-authors Maria Elena Oliveri and Mya Poe and book editors Carla Evans and Cathy Taylor for making this possible!

Thank you to the National Urban League and UnidosUS for inviting Susan Lyons and Akil Bello to lead an interactive session with key stakeholder groups on trends and developments in assessment and accountability across the country. We are proud to contribute to Broadening Perspectives: The Future of Assessment and Accountability.

The purpose of this report is to encourage innovation in state assessment by providing recommendations on revisions to the peer review guidance that address the unique evidentiary considerations for assessment models that depart from the status quo. The expert-backed recommendations in this report are designed to give confidence to states that the peer review process is flexible and can accommodate variations in assessment models, improve the quality of state submissions by expanding on the types of evidence that would be appropriate to submit, and signal to peer reviewers that there are often many different legitimate ways to provide evidence in support of the critical elements, especially in the context of innovative models.

We've been busy conferencing in September. Earlier this month, Dr. Susan Lyons presented at NCME's Classroom Assessment Conference with partners at the Chicago Public Schools, Peter Leonard, Sasha Klyachkina, and colleagues Aneesha Badrinarayan and Erika Landl to share a new framework for culturally conscious assessment. Last week, Susan served as a panelist with Juan D'Brot and Ye Tong at the Center for Assessment's RILS conference to discuss Trailblazing Transformations in the area of assessment use and consequences.

Excited to announce that Susan Lyons and Nicholas Munyan-Penney will be presenting with EdTrust about Inclusive Assessments to school board leaders at the upcoming School Board Partners conference in San Antonio, TX.