Why We Believe Assessment Matters

The Owl Corps’ premise is that assessment can become a powerful tool when handled well. When handled poorly, it is as likely to lead you astray as a broken compass.

Assessment is measurement plus insight. This is both an art and a craft. It requires both creativity and craft skills, communication skills and mathematical thinking, emotional intelligence and pattern recognition skills, a tolerance for imperfect policies and imprecise tools, and the talent to tease meaningful estimates out of mountains of data. Those districts lucky enough to have an assessment director at all are extremely fortunate if they have someone who commands half of these skills. We want to help more districts do even better. This is the Owl Corps’ purpose: to bring a team to the side of district leaders that can deliver all of these talents.

This is what you can expect us to bring your way—a team motivated by the following beliefs:

• Excellence matters. The quality of the people you trust with managing teaching talent is what sets you free to strive or constrains you. Assessment experts owe leaders the best possible evidence and interpretation so they can guide principals, instructional leaders, and teachers wisely.
• Economy matters. The best way you can spend district dollars is by applying the right expertise, at the right time, to the right problem. Flexibility is key to helping you get the most bang for your bucks.
• Teamwork matters. An individual can’t contribute to your success as effectively as our team of experts. Doctors work with other doctors in a group medical practice because collaboration enables each to excel. We share this belief in the value of teamwork.
• Perspectives matter. Conventional assessment thinking can hold your district back. A fresh approach can bring breakthroughs, and innovative ways to visualize the data can help others gain perspective.
• Evidence matters. Clear evidence is visible to those whose eyes and minds are wide open. Better analytical tools may help, just as the telescope helped Galileo document his case for a sun-centric universe. Good judgment is indispensable.