Assessment

Boston Schools Partners with Formative Assessment Provider

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 11/09/16

Boston Public Schools has selected a new partner to provide formative assessment resources in an effort to better support student instruction.

The district selected Measured Progress to provide customized assessments paced to curriculum for students in grades 3-12 and focused on English language arts and mathematics. The district will also gain access to the company's Formative Content Bank and its STEM Gauge formative assessment resources for science.

"Boston leaders have already started using Measured Progress content, as the initial test administrations commenced in late October," according to a news release. "Future 2017 test dates are being determined now. Boston education officials will be able to use the insights gained from these assessments to inform curriculum decisions and support continued formative assessment feedback for teachers and students."

"We're pleased to partner with Boston Public Schools and help educators gather meaningful evidence of student learning," said Deborah Farrington, senior product manager for assessment services at Measured Progress, in a prepared statement. "The assessment development process will be a collaborative effort between our organizations to ensure the assessments meet the unique formative needs of the district. The customized assessments will align with the district's rigorous curriculum and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Data from the assessments will provide insights about student understanding, based on what was recently taught, and will be used to inform ongoing instruction."