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Testing that Matters

Test-based accountability systems are deeply flawed. Educators still have to work within them.

Testing that Matters helps teachers and school leaders understand how standardized tests are designed, where they break down, and how to use them responsibly — so doing the right thing for students is not at odds with accountability demands.

Over five interactive 60-minute sessions, up to 100 educators learn how to work within existing test-based systems without allowing those systems to distort instruction, judgment, or trust.

For teachers and faculty working under state testing and accountability requirements.

Learn

Testing that Matters is not about improving test preparation or gaming accountability systems.

It is about understanding how tests actually work, what they can and cannot tell us, and how to respond accordingly.

Participants will learn how to:

  • Understand the basic design of standardized tests and the limits of what they measure
  • Use test results appropriately as pattern-recognition tools, not verdicts on students or schools
  • Identify instructional opportunities that tests may indirectly surface without teaching to the test
  • Make principled instructional decisions grounded in professional judgment rather than compliance pressure

  • Reduce the likelihood of negative judgments by focusing on what actually benefits students

The result is not better testing practice, but how to make better decisions.

Why?

This series should not need to exist.

Test-based accountability rests on a form of compliance-driven accountability that should have been rejected long ago — not because testing itself is inherently flawed, but because compliance-based systems:

  • Are not designed to build or sustain trust.
  • Cannot reliably identify effectiveness or best practice.

  • Do not support continuous improvement.

If these limitations were more widely acknowledged, educators would not be forced to work within a system that often feels all-consuming and misaligned with professional values.

But that is not the reality educators face. Test scores are routinely used beyond their design, and educators are expected to respond to judgments those tests were never meant to support.

Testing that Matters is not about advocating for more testing or better testing. And it is not an anti-testing effort. It is about understanding the limits of the system as it exists and working within those limits responsibly.

When teachers focus on doing what is right for each student — based on professional knowledge and daily observation — scores are more likely to improve over time, and schools are less vulnerable to misleading conclusions drawn from test data.

Next

Testing that Matters

is delivered as a medium-to-large virtual series for up to 100 teachers and faculty members.

One individual registers on behalf of the group and schedules five 60-minute sessions. A registration link is then shared so participants can enroll individually.

If you are navigating test-based accountability pressures and want a more principled, professional way to respond, this series is designed to support that work.

Stop test-based accountability from making bad decisions for you

Register for a series below to get started. We will reach out to you to get the series scheduled. From there, we'll take care of the details. 

Register My Team

Or you can schedule a conversation...

...and we'll make sure you have what you need to make a good decision.

Schedule a Conversation