Missouri will be a national experiment for a new assessment model

The U.S. Department of Education has chosen Missouri to lead a national experiment on a new statewide assessment model. 

The goal is to enhance learning and teaching in Missouri and throughout the country.

Missouri is the only state in the nation to begin a trial run during the upcoming school year on the different approach to testing. 

State Education Commissioner Karla Eslinger tells Newstalk KZRG the model will move students beyond the traditional end-of-year standardized testing to assessments given throughout the school year.

 “We have to be very specific about what kids know and don’t know. We’ve got to prepare kids for the workforce and we have to be able to get information back to our teachers much more timely than we’ve been doing in the past. This gives us that tool,” says Eslinger.

The testing will cover existing English Language Arts and math exams.