Center on Advancing Measurement and Assessment
We are committed to improving measurement and assessment to maximize opportunities for all young people and adults to learn and thrive.
Blogs and Events
The Center on Advancing Measurement and Assessment regularly publishes blogs and spotlights—special pages that aggregate our work on a particular topic—while also participating in a variety of events on measurement and assessment. Explore a list of our most recent activities below.
Blogs and Commentaries
How AI Can Help Create Assessments that Enhance Opportunities for All Students
In this blog for The 74, AIR's Laura Hamilton and Kamal Middlebrook highlight how educators can use artificial intelligence to make assessments more learner-centered and personalized, with a whole-child emphasis.
Teachers Are on the Front Lines of Preserving Democracy. They Can't Do It Alone
In this blog, AIR's Laura Hamilton and Corey Savage encourage researchers and policymakers to take several actions to implement a broader strategy for systematic data collection, reporting, and evaluation for civics and U.S. history.
Improving Accountability Through Authentic Community Engagement: Five Common Pitfalls States and Districts Should Avoid
School accountability works best when it's shaped by authentic input from the people it's meant to serve. But states and school districts don't often use a good process when they try to engage their communities. Laura Hamilton (AIR) and Erika Landl (Center for Assessment) explain the five most common mistakes and propose a process to gather authentic input and engage the community in meaningful ways.
A Practitioner's Insights on Student Misconceptions and Errors
In this Q&A, Tad Johnston, AIR instructional coach, shared why and how educators can use the findings in AIR's report, Student Misconceptions and Errors in Physics and Mathematics: Exploring Data from TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced.
Five Key Elements for Developing State Social Studies
In this Q&A, AIR’s Beth Ratway, principal technical assistance consultant, and Stefanie Wager, senior technical assistance consultant, discuss why standards matter, how to manage the process of developing—and implementing—social studies standards, and five key elements for success.
Spotlights
Spotlight on Equity in High-Stakes Professional Testing and Assessment
AIR has joined industry leaders to help pave the way forward for professional testing and assessment practices that aim to increase testing fairness and efficiency, advance equity, and minimize bias. This spotlight highlights AIR's work in equitable item development and test taking, psychometrics expertise, and innovative approaches to test development.
Spotlight on Adult Skills: Do U.S. Adults Have the skills Needed to Thrive in the 21st Century? Four PIAAC Studies by AIR
Understanding how well adults of all ages can perform common, everyday tasks can help policymakers, practitioners, and adult education and training experts craft strategies for lifelong learning and competencies. This spotlight highlights four studies by AIR that use data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to examine digital literacy, service-sector workers, and problem-solving skills.
Spotlight on Standards and Assessment in Social Studies
Since 2012, AIR has intentionally grown a strong portfolio of social studies education projects. AIR has supported more than 12 states, various U.S. territories, and 4 national organizations in the planning, revision, and implementation of social studies standards.
Spotlight on Civic Learning
High-quality civic learning is crucial for ensuring that young people are prepared to contribute to thriving democratic societies through informed civic participation and constructive engagement with their communities. AIR's work in civic learning draws on the diverse content and methodological expertise of AIR staff and the collaborations we form with clients and partners.
Spotlight on Investigating School Accountability Systems
As long as accountability systems have been in place, AIR has conducted research and evaluation on the design and implementation of these policies. Our work spans accountability activities from developing performance indicators to providing supports to districts and schools. From landmark studies of accountability under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), to cutting-edge research on accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), AIR is on the forefront of accountability research.