Connecting the Dots

Make It Stand Out.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a very unique event. It was called a “Hawkins-gathering.” Teachers, school administrators, and researchers assembled at a private boarding school in rural Connecticut to ponder, discuss, and explore the intersections between progressive education and the high-stakes, standardized, accountability movement. So, you may be wondering, what would an education measurement scholar get from attending this Hawkins-inspired gathering? Surprisingly, a lot.

Many of the participants had interest in “messing about” (learning through investigation), but did not know how to incorporate this learning style into standards-based, outcome-oriented teaching. That got me thinking… Wouldn’t it be great if we could start a dialogue between psychometricians, K-12 educators, and education scholars? The topic: How to connect the dots between teaching to the standards and inquiry-based learning? Is this an impossible notion? I think not!

In the meantime, professionals in educational measurement, evaluation, and research should be aware of conversations occurring in the education sector at-large. All of us need to do more “messing about” in the field that encompasses our own. I must admit, I have been so focused on my sub-field (validity of scales and instruments) that I have little knowledge of what conversations are happening in other education realms. My doctoral training covered the foundations of education (luckily), but once I entered the dissertation writing phase, my focus narrowed (as it should). But now that I’m on the “other side” how can I translate/transfer my narrow focus to the broader field of education? Many of my friends, family, and colleagues have questions related to education measurement and evaluation, but rarely do I take seriously the fact that I could actually answer some of these questions. What do you think? Is it possible for us to connect the dots?