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
Principles to Guide Artificial Intelligence in Education Research: Three Considerations
In this blog post, AIR experts outline three important factors for using artificial intelligence (AI) in education research: keeping ethics and fairness in mind, focusing on human needs, and being open about how AI is used. The goal is for AI to support educators and researchers, while ensuring ethical decisions and improving student outcomes.
Experts from AIR and AICPA Receive the 2024 Innovations in Assessment Award
Workforce experts from AIR and researchers from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) were honored with the 2024 Innovations in Assessment Award for their pioneering methodology, which is transforming the analysis of the accounting profession.
How AI Can Help Create Assessments that Enhance Opportunities for All Students
In this blog post 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 post, 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.
Events
NCME Special Conference on Classroom Assessment (Chicago) - September 19-20, 2024
Toward Balanced Assessment Systems: Considerations for Implementation and Use
Thursday, September 19, 10:15 a.m. -11:30 a.m. CT
Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor, Salon 3
Presentation: Policy Influence on Ambitious Classroom Instruction, Assessment, and Learning
Laura Hamilton, AIR
Jose-Felipe Martinez, UCLA
SREE 2024 Conference - Navigating the Future of Education Research: Impact Evaluation in a Transforming Landscape (Washington, D.C.) - September 18-21, 2024
Common Measurements that Can Be Used for Both Research and Practice
Thursday, September 19, 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. ET
Harborside C (4, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront)
Nathaniel Schwartz, Brown University
Curran Mahowald, Brown University
Laura Hamilton, AIR
Sam Rikoon, AIR
Stacey Alicea, Research Partnership for Professional Learning
Arielle Boguslav, Research Partnership for Professional Learning
The Development of a Social-Emotional Competence and Well-Being Measure for Educators
Friday, September 20, 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. ET
Laurel AB (4, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront)
Jingtong Pan, AIR
Kimberly Kendziora, AIR
Christina LiCalsi, AIR
Karthik Ramesh, AIR
George Stifel, AIR
The 49th International Association for Educational Assessment Annual Conference (Philadelphia) - September 22-25, 2024
LLM Assisted Passage Generation for Reading and Science Items
Ruhan Circi, AIR
Bhash Abeysinghe
Introducing Ask-NAEP & Its Evaluation: A Generative AI Chatbot that Informs about the NAEP Assessment
Ting Zhang, AIR
Luke Patterson
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Exchange (Chicago) - November 12-14, 2024
SEL and Civic Learning Instruction in a Challenging Political Climate: Findings From a Survey of U.S. Teachers
Wednesday, November 13, 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT
Room E350
Sam Rikoon, AIR
Laura Hamilton, AIR
Promoting SEL in Schools and Afterschool Programs: The Partnership for SEL Initiative
Wednesday, November 13, 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT
Room E350
Catherine Augustine, RAND
Laura Hamilton, AIR
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.