Linda Darling Hammond

This report outlines the findings of a SCOPE series on student performance assessment. The series includes seven other commissioned papers examining what has been learned over several decades about the use of performance assessments for measuring higher-order thinking and performance skills....

In 2008, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) invited a team of researchers, including the authors, to study schools within the city, including elementary schools that were, like those profiled in High Schools for Equity, achieving strong educational outcomes with low-...

High Schools for Equity documents the practices and outcomes of five urban high schools in California that do an extraordinary job of preparing their students for success in higher education, productive careers, and a fulfilling life. The schools, which are non-selective in their admissions and...

The goal of this paper is to introduce the ways in which dimensions of engagement may be meaningfully incorporated into assessment tasks so that all students are more fully motivated to complete the tasks and perform them well.  This report begins with an overview of research on student...

Engaging students in meaningful applications of their knowledge is a key aspect of both addressing the standards and providing greater access. Not only do the standards emphasize the importance of meaningful engagement in real-world tasks, but evidence shows that engagement is strongly related...

Engaging students in meaningful applications of their knowledge is a key aspect of both addressing the standards and providing greater access. Not only do the standards emphasize the importance of meaningful engagement in real-world tasks, but evidence shows that engagement is strongly related...

This research paper finds that teacher candidates’ Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) scores, a performance assessment that measures their capabilities as future teachers, are significant predictors of their later teaching effectiveness as measured by their students’...

In this report, Linda Darling-Hammond outlines an integrated approach for a teaching-career continuum and a professional development system that supports effectiveness for teachers at every stage of their careers. The report includes specific guidance about how performance assessments based on...

In this paper, Linda Darling-Hammond and Beverly Falk describe evidence of how student-performance assessments support teachers' learning from the United States and around the world, particularly in countries that have been recognized for their high-performing educational systems. The authors...

Comprehensive, coherent systems of teacher development and evaluation are needed to meet our goals of a high-quality education for all students. The article includes specific information about the role of performance assessment in supporting teacher preparation and development.

...

This research brief describes practical and measurable indicators of career as well as college readiness that the state and districts can look to as they develop accountability plans. The report includes specific information about how performance assessment can be used to measure student...

This report from Linda Darling-Hammond and David Plank profiles the role of California's new accountability system. California’s new accountability system is different from the previous system in nearly every important respect. The new system is grounded in the concept of reciprocal...

This paper is one of eight written through a Stanford University project aimed at summarizing research and lessons learned regarding the development, implementation, consequences, and costs of performance assessments.  This particular resource examines why the use of test-based accountability to...

This paper is the culminating report of a Stanford University project aimed at summarizing research and lessons learned regarding the development, implementation, consequences, and costs of performance assessments.  The focus of this paper is outlines how schools must teach disciplinary...

In this paper, Bae and Darling-Hammond propose three types of performance indicators for use in California's redesigned accountability system to measure and support career and college readiness. The report includes specific guidance for the use of performance assessment to measure both college...

This report shows how the design of high school graduation policies can have important consequences for teaching, learning, and student attainment. It contrasts the results of single-test approaches to graduation with those of states using a broader range of measures to award a high school...

In this paper, Linda Darling-Hammond and other leading scholars in assessment describe a set of criteria for high-quality student assessments. These criteria can be used by assessment developers, policymakers, and educators.

The five criteria include: 

1. Assessment of Higher-Order...

This report by Ace Parsi and Linda Darling-Hammond is intended to familiarize state boards of education with performance assessments and help policymakers address some of the thorniest issues around these assessments: purpose, sustainability, reliability, accountability, policy...

This resource outlines the critical abilities from the Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.  The list describes the following categories: Research; Analysis of Information; Experimentation and Evaluation; Communication in Many Forms; Use of Technology; Interpersonal...